Biography
Beah Richards, also credited as Beulah Elizabeth Richardson, was an American actress of stage, screen and television. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, she attended Dillard University and began her career in the theatre, appearing in productions including The Miracle Worker (1959) and Purlie Victorious (1961).
She received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Mrs. Prentice in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). Richards was also nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the 1965 Broadway production of The Amen Corner. She won two Primetime Emmy Awards for guest performances in Frank's Place (1988) and The Practice (2000).
Richards appeared in films such as In the Heat of the Night (1967) and The Great White Hope (1970), and in television series including ER and Roots: The Next Generations. She was also a poet, playwright and activist. She died in 2000.
