Born August 28, 1929, in Miami, FL; died December 2, 1995, in Los Angeles, CA. Actress. Roxie Roker established the role of Helen Willis, the black wife of a white businessman, on the CBS television series The Jeffersons. Roker studied drama at Howard University and had further stage training in England. She held several roles in the Negro Ensemble Company during the early 1960s. Inthe early 1970s, shortly before being cast in The Jeffersons in 1975, Rokerappeared on Broadway in Behold! Cometh the Vanderkellans (1971) and in Jamimma (1972). She won an Obie Award and was nominated for an Antoinette Perry Award in 1974 for her portrayal of Mattie Williams in The River Niger. After TheJeffersons closed in 1985, Roker toured in a stage production of the programand appeared with Mary Martin and Carol Channing in Legends. Roker was alsoactive in Los Angeles community affairs, earning two citations from the Los Angeles City Council for her work on the Interagency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.
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