Sandra Reaves Phillips

Sandra Reaves Phillips (December 23, 1944 – December 29, 2023) was an American actress, singer, and writer born in Mullins, South Carolina. She performed on Broadway between 1975 and 1980, with credits including the play Time, A Gala Tribute to Joshua Logan, and Raisin. Her Broadway debut came in the 1973 musical Raisin, in which she originated the role of Mama Younger.

Beyond Broadway, Phillips appeared in numerous stage productions throughout her career, among them Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Black and Blue, Blues in the Night, Harmony, American Dreams, Before It Hits Home, and The Late Great Ladies of Blues and Jazz. Her stage work earned her a Drama League Award for Outstanding Performer for Rollin' on the T.O.B.A. on Broadway, two Helen Hayes Award nominations, and a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Low Down Dirty Blues in 2010.

Phillips also built a screen career across film and television. Her film appearances included The Happy Hooker (1975), Round Midnight (1986), Lean on Me (1989), and For Love or Money (1993). Her performance in Round Midnight earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. On television, she appeared in Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order.

Phillips died on December 29, 2023, six days after her 79th birthday.