Virginia Capers

Eliza Virginia Capers was born on September 22, 1925, in Sumter, South Carolina, and died on May 6, 2004, in Los Angeles, California, of complications from pneumonia at the age of 78. An American actress whose career spanned stage, film, and television, she is best remembered for her Tony Award-winning work on Broadway.

Capers made her Broadway debut in 1957 in the musical Jamaica, stepping into the role of Grandma Obeah as a replacement for Adelaide Hall after Hall departed the production. She subsequently appeared in the musical Saratoga before taking on the role that would define her stage career: Lena Younger in Raisin, a musical adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. Her performance earned her the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1974, capping a Broadway career that ran from 1957 to 1975.

Beyond the stage, Capers built an extensive television résumé, becoming a recognizable presence to audiences through a recurring role as Hattie Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Her other television appearances included Have Gun – Will Travel, Dragnet, Marcus Welby M.D., My Three Sons, Mannix, The Waltons, Mork & Mindy, Highway to Heaven, St. Elsewhere, Murder She Wrote, Evening Shade, The Golden Girls, Unsub, Booker, Married with Children, The Practice, and ER.

Her film credits included Norwood and The Great White Hope, both released in 1970, followed by Lady Sings the Blues in 1972, The North Avenue Irregulars in 1979, The Toy in 1982, Teachers in 1984, Howard the Duck and Ferris Bueller's Day Off in 1986, and both Beethoven's 2nd and What's Love Got to Do with It in 1993. In 1993 she also provided narration for the adventure game Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, a performance that earned her Computer Gaming World's award for Best Female Voice-Over Acting.

Capers founded the Lafayette Players, a Los Angeles repertory theatre company established for African-American performers. Among the honors she received were the National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the Paul Robeson Pioneer Award, and the NAACP Image Award for theatre excellence.