Juanita Moore

Juanita Moore (October 19, 1914 - January 1, 2014) was an American film and television actress. She was the fifth African American to be nominated for anAcademy Award in any category, and the third in the Supporting Actress category.

Career

Moore had a number of bit parts and supporting roles in motion pictures through the 1950s and 1960s. Her most famous role was as housekeeper Annie Johnson in the 1959 remake of Imitation of Life. Moore's portrayal of the broken-hearted Annie, whose daughter Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner) passes for white, won her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. When the two-movie version of Imitation of Life was released on DVD one of the bonus features was a new interview with Juanita Moore.

Moore continued to perform in front of the camera, with a role in the movie Disney's The Kid (2000) and guest-starring roles on television shows Dragnet, Marcus Welby, M.D., ER and Judging Amy.

Moore's grandson is actor/producer Kirk Kelley-Kahn, who is CEO/President of "Cambridge Players - Next Generation", a theatre troupe whose founding members included Moore, Esther Rolle, Helen Martin, Lynn Hamilton and Royce Wallace.

She died on January 1, 2014 from natural causes.

She was 99 years old.