--- name: "Beah Richards" canonical: "https://film.one/person/beah-richards" roles: ["Actor"] born: "12 July 1920" died: "14 September 2000" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 78 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-09-20T04:51:38.678284+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Beah Richards Actor. Born 12 July 1920 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA. Died 14 September 2000. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 12 July 1920, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA - **Died:** 14 September 2000 - **Also known as:** Beulah Elizabeth Richardson - **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 2 Emmys (2 won) - **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as actor, over 2 titles - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beah_Richards, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q469454, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0723968/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/32774 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Guess Who's Coming to Dinner*](https://film.one/film/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner.md) (70) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## 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. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, ibdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967), Fi1m 70, as Mrs. Prentice — [page](https://film.one/film/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner.md) - *In the Heat of the Night* (1967), Fi1m 85, as Mama Caleba — [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night.md) ## Complete filmography (64) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Beloved* (1998), as Baby Suggs - *The Practice* (1997), series, as Gertrude Turner - *ER* (1994), series, as Mae Benton — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md) - *Out of Darkness* (1994), as Mrs. Cooper - *The John Larroquette Show* (1993), series, as Emma - *Hearts Afire* (1992), series, as Miss Lula - *One Special Victory* (1991), as Cora Simms - *Capital News* (1990), series, as Etta Mays - *Zora is My Name!* (1990), Actor - *Drugstore Cowboy* (1989), as Drug Counselor - *Family Matters* (1989), series, as Helen - *Homer and Eddie* (1989), as Linda Cervi - *Big Shots* (1987), as Miss Hanks - *Beauty and the Beast* (1987), series, as Narcissa - *Frank's Place* (1987), series, Actor - *Inside Out* (1987), as Verna - *CBS Summer Playhouse* (1987), series, as Katherine - *Designing Women* (1986), series, Actor - *L.A. Law* (1986), series, as Eleanor Williams - *As Summers Die* (1986), as Elvira Backus - *Matlock* (1986), series, as Martha Jordan - *Acceptable Risks* (1986), as Sally Framm - *227* (1985), series, Actor - *Generation* (1985), as Edna - *And the Children Shall Lead* (1985), as Miss Annie - *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Ola Mae, Emma Coop - *Highway to Heaven* (1984), series, Actor - *Hunter* (1984), series, as Ella Mae Fuller, Pockets - *Punky Brewster* (1984), series, Actor - *The Hitchhiker* (1983), series, as Serita - *St. Elsewhere* (1982), series, as Regina — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/st-elsewhere.md) - *American Playhouse* (1982), series, Actor - *The Sophisticated Gents* (1981), series, as Mae Porter - *Hill Street Blues* (1981), series, Actor — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/hill-street-blues.md) - *A Christmas Without Snow* (1980), as Wendell's Grandma - *Palmerstown, U.S.A.* (1980), series, Actor - *Banjo the Woodpile Cat* (1979), as Zazu (voice) - *The Facts of Life* (1979), series, Actor - *Roots: The Next Generations* (1979), series, as Cynthia Palmer - *Vega$* (1978), series, Actor - *Ring of Passion* (1978), as Lilly Brooks - *Just an Old Sweet Song* (1976), as Grandma - *Mahogany* (1975), as Florence - *A Dream for Christmas* (1973), as Grandma Bessie - *Outrage!* (1973), as Thelma - *The Magician* (1973), series, as Mrs. Thatcher - *Footsteps* (1972), as Jessie Blake - *The Biscuit Eater* (1972), as Charity Tomlin - *Sanford and Son* (1972), series, Actor - *The Great White Hope* (1970), as Mama Tiny - *The Bill Cosby Show* (1969), series, as Rose Kincaid - *Room 222* (1969), series, Actor - *Hawaii Five-O* (1969), series, as Mama Grant - *It Takes a Thief* (1968), series, as Sister Martha Gowen - *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967), as Mrs. Prentice — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner.md) - *In the Heat of the Night* (1967), as Mama Caleba — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-heat-of-the-night.md) - *Ironside* (1967), series, Actor - *Hurry Sundown* (1967), as Rose Scott - *The Big Valley* (1965), series, as Hannah - *Gone Are the Days!* (1963), as Idella Landy - *The Miracle Worker* (1962), as Viney (uncredited) - *Dr. Kildare* (1961), series, as Alice - *Take a Giant Step* (1959), as May Scott - *The Mugger* (1958), as Grecco Maid ## Gallery - ![Beah Richards](https://film.one/media/person/1242883/gallery-c5d5eb164888.jpg) Beah Richards — NBC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Beah_Richards_Bill_Cosby_Show_1970_%28cropped%29.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Beah Richards](https://film.one/media/person/1242883/gallery-943c698dd104.jpg) Beah Richards — Image via TMDB - ![Beah Richards](https://film.one/media/person/1242883/gallery-e73bdeccda62.jpg) Beah Richards — Image via TMDB ## Awards ### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated - 1968: Best Supporting Actress (nominated), for *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* ### Primetime Emmy Awards — 2 won - 2000: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (won), for *The Practice* - 1988: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (won), for *Frank's Place* ### Other awards — 1 won, 1 nominated - Theatre World Award 1965: Theatre World Award (won) - Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1965: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (nominated) *From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.* --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/beah-richards