Theresa Merritt

Theresa Merritt Hines, known professionally as Theresa Merritt, was an American actress born on September 24, 1922, in Emporia, Virginia. Her Broadway career spanned nearly five decades, from 1943 to 1991, encompassing a wide range of theatrical productions. She died of skin cancer on June 12, 1998, in the Bronx, New York City.

Merritt's stage career began with Carmen Jones, in which she appeared in the 1943, 1945, and 1947 productions. Subsequent Broadway credits included Tambourines to Glory (1963), Golden Boy (1964), Trumpets of the Lord (1969), Don't Play Us Cheap! (1972), The Crucible (1972), and Division Street (1980). She also toured with road companies of Funny Girl, Show Boat, and South Pacific. Her final Broadway appearance came in Mule Bone in 1991.

Among her most prominent stage work was her starring role as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1985. She also appeared in The Wiz on Broadway, replacing Mabel King in the role of Evillene, though she later departed the production, citing the role's damaging effect on her voice.

Merritt's screen work included several notable film roles. She played Aunt Em in the 1978 film adaptation of The Wiz, Mrs. Crosby in the 1977 film version of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl, and Juanita in the Adam Sandler comedy Billy Madison (1995). She also appeared in the film adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas alongside Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton. On television, she starred in the sitcom That's My Mama, which ran from 1974 to 1975.