Liz Mikel

Liz Mikel, born Elizabeth Juliene Mikel (née Lacy) on November 7, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, is an American actress and jazz vocalist. She is widely recognized for her portrayal of Corrina "Mama" Williams, mother of running back Brian "Smash" Williams, on the NBC television series Friday Night Lights.

Mikel built her theatrical foundation in Dallas over more than two decades, establishing herself through extended work with the Dallas Theater Center and Theater Three. By 2007, the Dallas Morning News had characterized her as "a fixture on the Dallas theater scene." In 2008, she stepped in for Oprah Winfrey in a special performance of The Vagina Monologues. That same year, she received the Column Theater Award for Best Actress in a Musical-Equity for her work in Caroline, or Change. Her Broadway career spanned from 2011 to 2022, during which she starred in Lysistrata Jones — the New York Times praised her performance as "commanding" — and also appeared in 1776.

On the regional theater circuit, Mikel earned the Leon Rabin Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Musical from the Dallas Theatre League in 1998, and the Dallas Theater Critics Forum Award in 2004 for her role in Ain't Misbehavin. D Magazine named her Best Actress in their 2004 Best of Big D issue, and the Dallas Weekly featured her as "Queen of the Arts: The Face of Black Theater in Dallas" in March 2006. She has additionally received the Sankofa Award for her dedication to the arts in the community. Dallas Morning News critic Jerome Weeks once described her voice as "an immense, joyful force," adding that if a mountain range could belt a bawdy song, it would sound like Mikel.

Her screen work extends across both film and television. Film credits include The Quest for Freedom, It's in the Water, Detention, Seventy-8, Carried Away, and Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins, in which she played Ruthie Jenkins. Television appearances beyond Friday Night Lights include guest roles on LAX, Prison Break, and Past Life, as well as a recurring role as Maggie on Sordid Lives: The Series.

On January 7, 2010, a fire destroyed the Holly Hills apartment complex in Dallas where Mikel resided, consuming all of her clothing, possessions, and memorabilia. The Dallas arts community organized benefit concerts in response, and the Dallas Theater Center pledged to donate one hundred percent of ticket sales from the world-premiere performance of the musical Give It Up!, in which Mikel appeared, to support her recovery.