For more than four decades, Sheryl Lee Ralph has entertained audiences on Broadway, in movie theaters and in the comfort of their homes, with roles on iconic ’90s sitcoms like Moesha, on which she portrayed beloved TV mom Dee Mitchell.
“I was speaking to a young person once, and they said, ‘Miss Ralph, you have been relevant my whole life,’ ” the singer and actress told ESSENCE last year. “I thought about that, and I really have to thank God, because being at this time in my life, in my career, the things that I have witnessed as a woman, as an artist, as a Black woman, I am ever so grateful, because I may be bruised and battered, but my position in the war, my position on the front line, has been worth everything.”
Here, the 2023 Black Woman in Hollywood honoree shares why now is the exact time for the industry to see and hear her.
In your own words, where did your journey as a Black woman in Hollywood begin?
Sheryl Lee Ralph (SLR): I’d have to say it started with my very first film, Piece of the Action, under the direction of Sidney Poitier. I was 19 years old, and I walked into a room where sitting there were some of the greatest young Black actresses at the time, and I was up against two. One was Tamu, who had just finished doing a wonderful film called Claudine, and the other was Pamela Poitier, Mr. Poitier’s daughter.
When I walked in there and I realized that we were the final three, I figured I’ve got nothing to lose here because guess who’s not getting the job? So, I just went in there, gave it my best, and I left. I went back to Jamaica. I was there with my mom, and about a month later I got a call, and they said, “We’re booking your ticket, and you’re coming to Hollywood.” And, that was Mr. Poitier on the phone. I could not believe it, but I was very excited and very happy with the outcome. It was…
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