Biography
Beatrice Winde was an American actress and singer. Born Beatrice Lucille Williams in Chicago, Illinois, she graduated from the Chicago Music Conservatory as a voice student and continued her studies at the Yale University School of Music and Juilliard. She began her stage career off-Broadway in the 1960s and made her Broadway debut in Melvin Van Peebles's musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death (1971), for which she received a Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for best featured actress in a musical.
Winde appeared in numerous films, including The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Sparkle (1976), Malcolm X (1992), It Could Happen to You (1994), Dangerous Minds (1995) as Mary Benton, Lone Star (1996), The Hurricane (1999) and Simon Birch (1998). Her television credits included multiple episodes of Law & Order and a role in The Sopranos (2000). She received an Audelco Award for best supporting actress in 2001 and a Living Legend Award from the National Black Theater in 1997. Winde died of cancer in New York City on 3 January 2004.
