Despite the limited roles available for African-American actresses in the 1960s, Beatrice Winde was busy. She appeared in dozens of films, TV shows and stage plays throughout her 40-year career.
“The racial thing was paramount,” her brother, John, said. “African-American actors and actresses never had that unilateral appeal of `Here’s a play, I can play anybody in it.'”
Undaunted, Ms. Winde defied the odds. She played a variety of supporting roles and eventually was featured in TV shows such as “The Sopranos,” “NYPD Blue,” and “Law and Order.”
Her film credits include the outspoken tenant of slumlord Joe Pesci in “The Super,” the mother of one of Michelle Pfeiffer’s troubled students in “Dangerous Minds,” and a descendant of Sally Hemings in “Jefferson in Paris” with Nick Nolte.
Two days shy of her 80th birthday, Ms. Winde died of lung cancer on Saturday, Jan. 3, in her home in New York City.
She often dazzled audiences regardless of her role’s size. In a review of Horton Foote’s play, “The Young Man From Atlanta,” The New York Times’ Vincent Canby gushed about “Beatrice Winde, who’s stunning in the tiny role of a former maid.”
She received many awards recognizing her talent, including a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination in 1972 for best featured actress for her role in the Broadway musical, “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death.” She received the Living Legend Award in 1997 from the National Black Theater.
Born in Chicago as Beatrice Williams (Winde was her professional name), she attended the Chicago Music Conservatory and Yale University’s School of Music and Julliard for voice training.
In the 1950s, she performed as a singer in the Chicago area and dabbled in acting. She married in 1952 and later divorced. In the 1960s, she gave up singing and moved to New York to pursue acting full-time.
“I was devoted to Bea,” said Foote, a Pultizer Prize-winning playwright and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. “I used her every chance I could … I loved her in everything.”
Ms. Winde performed in six plays and a television movie written by Foote.
Later in her career, Ms. Winde also directed plays and became a mentor to aspiring performers and playwrights.
“So many people called and said how she nurtured them and helped them out and encouraged them in their career and the fact that without her in their lives they wouldn’t have accomplished some of the things they did,” her brother said.
Despite her debilitating illness, she did not let anyone know about it and continued to perform as long as she could, her brother said.
Other survivors include anotherbrother, George Crawford Williams, and nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 5700 S. Prairie Ave., Chicago.
