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Anna Maria Horsford

Anna Maria Horsford has built a screen career that moves comfortably between broad sitcom comedy, daytime drama and more grounded supporting work. Born in Harlem on March 6, 1948, she attended Wadleigh Junior High School and the High School of Performing Arts before entering acting through the Harlem Youth for Change program. Her first job after high school was at Joe Papp’s Public Theater, appearing in Coriolanus at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Horsford’s early television experience was not limited to acting. She worked as a producer on the PBS series Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip, during its 1968–1973 run. That grounding behind the camera—along with her association with television directing—adds another dimension to a career best known for its range in front of it. For many viewers, Horsford is closely associated with two substantial sitcom roles: Thelma Frye on Amen and Dee Baxter on The Wayans Bros. Those performances sit at the center of a television résumé that also includes guest appearances on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, Girlfriends and Everybody Hates Chris. She has also worked in drama, appearing in Judging Amy, Grey’s Anatomy and The Shield. Her later television work has continued across different comic and dramatic registers. Horsford portrayed Helen on Reed Between the Lines, played Tray’s mother in a recurring role on The Last O.G. and joined the second season of B Positive in another recurring part. As Vivienne Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful, she received a nomination for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series at the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards. Her film work includes A Madea Christmas, released in 2013. Across those roles, Horsford’s career shows the value of a performer who can become part of a show’s comic rhythm while bringing weight to its family and community dynamics.