Juanita Moore (1914-2014) was an American actress whose film career spanned nearly seven decades. She is best remembered for her groundbreaking role in the Lana Turner film “Imitation of Life” (1959) which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress (feature image: Lana Tuner, left, with Juanita Moore in “Imitation of Life”). Ms. Moore’s work in this film, and throughout her entire career, was a testament to her talent, determination, and ability to break barriers in Hollywood, especially for African-American actresses.

She was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and moved to Los Angeles at a young age with her family. She developed an interest in acting early on, but opportunities for African-Americans in the film industry were limited. In the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s, she played numerous small film roles in major productions—although her roles were mostly uncredited—often portraying dancers, maids or other stereotypical characters, a common experience for African-American actresses at the time. However, she continued to hone her craft in theater, becoming a member of the prestigious Ebony Showcase Theatre in Los Angeles. It was the first Black-owned theater in the United States, and provided a platform for African-American actors to perform in a variety of roles that were often denied to them in Hollywood.

The first film that mentioned her in the end credits was Vincent Sherman’s “Affair in Trinidad” (1952), starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, and the first film to include her name on the film poster was “The Girl Can’t Help It” (1956), starring Tom Ewell and Jayne Mansfield. Her big break came in 1959 when she was cast in Douglas Sirk’s final Hollywood film “Imitation of Life.” The film is a poignant drama based on the 1933 novel of the same name by Fannie Hurst, and a remake of John M. Stahl’s 1934 version, but Sirk’s adaptation is particularly notable for its exploration of race, identity, and motherhood, which resonated deeply with audiences and critics alike.

The film starred Lana Turner as a career-driven actress and featured Ms. Moore as Annie Johnson, a good-hearted Black woman whose light-skinned daughter, played by Susan Kohner, rejects her in order to pass as white—similar to Elia Kazan’s “Pinky” (1949) with Jeanne Crain as a young Black woman passing for white (also with Ms. Moore in a small role). Ms. Moore’s portrayal of Annie was heart-wrenching and dignified, capturing the complexities of a mother’s love in the face of societal rejection.

The film was a commercial success and is now regarded as a classic. Ms. Moore’s dignified portrayal of a mother enduring the heartbreak of her daughter’s rejection while maintaining an unwavering love for her is powerful and moving. She portrayed her role with a depth rarely afforded to Black characters in Hollywood at the time—a three-dimensional character central to the film’s narrative. For her work, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, making her only the fifth African-American to be nominated for an Oscar, and the third in the Supporting Actress category. Though she did not win, the nomination itself was a significant milestone that helped pave the way for future generations of African-American actresses such as Cicely Tyson and Diahann Carroll.

Tyson starred in TV series like “East Side/West Side” (1963-1964) in which she played a social worker, making her the first Black actress to have a recurring role in a dramatic TV series. Later she became known for her powerful performances in films like “Sounder” (1972) which earned her a Best Actress Academy Award nomination, and “The Help” (2011). Diahann Carroll made history as the first Black actress to star in her own TV series, “Julia” (1968-1971), playing a non-stereotypical role—a nurse. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in John Berry’s “Claudine” (1974).

“Imitation of Life” was the sixth highest-grossing film of 1959 and Universal’s most successful film that year. Over the years, it became a classic of Hollywood cinema. In 2015, BBC ranked the film as the 37th greatest American movie ever made, based on a survey of film critics. The film’s emotional depth, strong performances, and enduring relevance make it a landmark in American cinema. The film also made actress Sandra Dee a teenage star; in the film, she played Lana Turner’s daughter.

Despite the critical acclaim—in its February 4, 1959, film review, Variety described Ms. Moore as ‘a find in the Negro character actress field’—she found that substantial roles in Hollywood remained elusive. She continued to work in film and television throughout the 1960s and beyond, often in guest roles on television series. She also remained active in theater, which she considered her true artistic home.

Moore was not just an actress but also an advocate for civil rights and an active participant in the struggle for equality in Hollywood. She was a member of the Negro Actors Guild of America and worked tirelessly to create more opportunities for African-Americans in the entertainment industry.

Ms. Moore passed away on January 1, 2014, at 99. Her legacy is one of perseverance and talent in the face of adversity. As a trailblazer for African-American actresses, her work remains a powerful reminder of the importance of representation and the ongoing struggle for equality in Hollywood.

I met Ms. Moore in April 2004 at the American Cinematheque when “Imitation of Life” was screened at the Egyptian, followed by a Q&A with four actresses who appeared in the film: Ms. Moore, Susan Kohner, Terry Burnham (who played Susie, the Sandra Dee character, at age six), and Ann Robinson (she played a showgirl). My dear friend and Hollywood casting director/film archivist Marvin Paige, whose Marvin Paige Motion Picture and Television Archive was one of the largest in the world, introduced me to her, and I had the opportunity to sit down with her and talk about “Imitation of Life.”

Ms. Moore, how did you get the part of Annie for “Imitation of Life”?

Initially they wanted Mahalia Jackson or Pearl Bailey, but I sent a photograph of mine to [producer] Ross Hunter, and he liked my face and the way I looked. He later told me he wanted to see ‘the person that goes with that face.’ So he called my agent, we talked about the film, and he had me on camera with three or four young girls who would play my daughter. That’s when they decided to cast Susan Kohner; they really liked her. We still keep in touch, you know. So I got the part, and he told me he’d put his neck out for me. ‘If you’re no good, the picture won’t be any good,’ he said. But people like Lana [Turner] helped me so much. Fortunately, the film became a hit because it made more money than any other film Universal had made at that time.

Were you under contract at Universal?

No, I wasn’t. I freelanced. I don’t know anybody who did, other than Hattie McDaniel who signed with MGM, and Lena Horne who worked at 20th Century Fox. I knew Hattie McDaniel very well. In those days, Blacks didn’t live near Western Avenue and Washington Boulevard, but she bought this beautiful mansion at West Adam Heights, just off Western and Washington. She was so great in “Gone With the Wind” [1939] because she talked that talk and walked that walk, even though she was not a Southerner. She was always so nice.

“Imitation of Life” earned you an Academy Award nomination. Was that the recognition you deserved?

I was doing a play in London when my husband called to tell me that I was nominated. Susan was nominated too, and Shelley Winters won for “The Diary of Anne Frank.” But I don’t know if my nomination helped my career; after all, I didn’t work for a whole year after that. Ross [Hunter] brought me back with “Tammy Tell Me True” [1961], also with John Gavin and Sandra Dee. So, in the end, no, I don’t think it helped me.

What was it like to work with Lana Turner?

Lana was not only a star. She was also wonderful, talented and intelligent. After the film, she’d call me occasionally, and we remained friends until she died. I did a scene with her that took us twenty-three takes to get it right, but she was so patient with me. She stood there and put up with me the whole time. She knew all the tricks of the camera, and she would say, ‘Juanita, you move over here, and you do this or that.’ She’d tell me what side of my face I had to show to the camera or when to show my teeth—at that time, I had beautiful teeth. Little things like that. Most stars don’t do that. She was always such a pro; she knew better than anyone how to come down the stairs with her gorgeous gowns, turn around, or sit down. She was great with the camera, and she always looked good in front of the camera. She was most unusual because, at that time, to allow me—a black face—all that footage and attention in the picture, that made her even more special. She was always on the set and didn’t spend all of her time in her dressing room to get her hair done. She stayed in character; that helped her, and it helped me too. With another scene we did—my death scene—Lana couldn’t stop crying, maybe because the film was made at the time when her daughter [Cheryl Crane] supposedly had killed that man [Johnny Stompanato, during a domestic struggle in their home]. Lana was known for her little pranks and jokes, but that took her spirit away, so she just kept on crying. When she came back on the set three days later, her face was all swollen. But I think it made her stronger because when she came back she didn’t cry anymore. I think she never found anybody that loved her for her—not for Lana Turner. She deserved better but she always seemed to pick worse. Nobody would hire her when we made the movie, and nobody would invest in her, but she was very wise and took a percentage of the profit. Ross had told me that. They shot that scene [the death scene] very early on, I never understood why they did that; there must have been some reason.

The film is a screen classic, isn’t it?

They play it very often, but I don’t get any money for it [laughs]. I should tell you that Blacks liked the film when it first came out. That surprised me because they hated the original version. I think they saw the relationship in the story that I also saw.

Are there any Black performers that were neglected back then?

Sure. Dorothy Dandridge. I think the business killed Dorothy Dandridge. They build you up, and then nothing happens. I don’t think Dorothy could handle that.

Hollywood, California
April 8, 2004

“Imitation of Life” (1959, trailer)

FILMS

SO THIS IS AFRICA (1933) DIR Edward F. Cline EXEC PROD Harry Cohn SCR Norman Krasna CAM Leonard Smith ED Maurice Wright CAST Robert Woolsey, Bert Wheeler, Raquel Torres, Esther Muir, Berton Churchill, Spencer Carters, Henry Armetta, Juanita Moore (Dancer [uncredited])

ROMAN SCANDALS (1933) DIR Frank Tuttle PROD Samuel Goldwyn SCR (adaptation by William Anthony McGuire; original story by George S. Kaufman, Robert E. Sherwood) CAM Gregg Toland, Ray June ED Stuart Heisler, Sherman Todd MUS Alfred Newman CAST Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold, David Manners, Verree Teasdale, Alan Mowbray, Jack Rutherford, The Goldwyn Girls, Billy Barty, Jane Darwell, Paulette Goddard, Juanita Moore (Dancer [uncredited])

MURDER AT THE VANITIES (1934) DIR Mitchell Leisen PROD E. Lloyd Sheldon SCR Carey Wilson, Joseph Gollomb (Broadway revue “Earl Carroll’s Vanities” [1923] by Earl Carroll, Rufus King) CAM Leo Tover ED William Shea MUS Howard Jackson, Milan Roder, William E. Lynch CAST Carl Brisson, Victor McLaglen, Jack Oakie, Kitty Carlisle, Duke Ellington, Dorothy Stickney, Gertrude Mitchell, Jessie Ralph, Charles Middleton, Lucille Ball, Alan Ladd, Mitchell Leisen, Juanita Moore (Black Dancer in Duke Ellington’s Ebony Rhapsody [uncredired]), Ann Sheridan

CLEOPATRA (1934) DIR – PROD Cecil B. DeMille SCR Vincent Lawrence, Waidemar Young (historical material by Bartlett Cormack) CAM Victor Milner ED Anne Bauchens MUS Rudolph G. Kopp CAST Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon, Joseph Schildkraut, Ian Keith, Gertrude Michael, C. Aubrey Smith, Irving Pichel, Arthur Hohl, Edwin Maxwell, William Farnum, Agnes de Mille, John Carradine, Mary McLaren, Juanita Moore (Dancer/Slave Girl [uncredited]), David Niven

THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936 (1935) DIR Norman Taurog PROD Benjamin Glazer SCR Ralph Spence, Walter DeLeon, Francis Martin CAM Leo Tover ED Ellsworth Hoagland MUS John Leipold CAST Jack Oakie, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Lyda Roberti, Wendy Barrie, Henry Wadsworth, Bing Crosby, Amos’n Andy, Ethel Merman, Ray Noble and His Band, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles, Bill Robinson, Akim Tamiroff, Dorothy Dandridge, Vivien Dandridge, Glenn Miller, Juanita Moore (Dancer [uncredited]), The Nicholas Brothers

SHOW BOAT (1936) DIR James Whale PROD Carl Laemmle Jr. SCR Oscar Hammersmith II (novel “Show Boat” [1926] by Edna Ferber; stage play “Show Boat” [1927] by Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) CAM John J. Mescall ED Ted J. Kent, Bernard W. Burton CAST Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Charles Middleton, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Juanita Moore (Dancer [uncredited]), Dennis O’Keefe, Bobs Watson

DOUBLE DEAL (1939) DIR Arthur Dreifuss PROD Dixon R. Harwin SCR Arthur Hoeri (also story) CAM Mack Stengler ED Carl Pierson MUS Ross DiMaggio CAST Monte Hawley, Jeni Le Gon, Florence O’Brien, Edward Thompson, Shelton Brooks, F.E. Miller, Freddie Jackson, Macao Bruce Sheffield, Juanita Moore (Nightclub Patron [uncredited])

BROKEN STRINGS (1940) DIR Bernard B. Ray PROD Lewie C. Borden SCR (story by Bernard B. Ray) CAM Mack Stengler ED Fred Bain CAST Clarence Muse, Sybil Lewis, William Washington, Tommie Moore, Matthew ‘Stymie’ Beard, Pete Webster, Edward Thompson, Juanita Moore (Nightclub Patron [uncredited])

BELLE STARR (1941) DIR Irving Cummings PROD Kenneth Macgowan SCR Lamar Trotti (story by Cameron Rogers, Niven Busch) CAM Ernest Palmer, Ray Rennahan ED Robert L. Simpson MUS Alfred Newman CAST Randolph Scott, Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, John Shepperd [Shepperd Strudwick], Elizabeth Patterson, Chill Wills, Louise Beavers, Olin Howland, Charles Middleton, Juanita Moore (Slave [uncredited])

STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM (1942) DIR George Marshall PROD Joseph Sistrom SCR Harry Tugend (sketches by Melvin Frank, Norman Panama, George S. Kaufman, Arthur A. Ross) CAM Leo Tover, Theodor Sparkuhi, John F. Seitz ED Paul Weatherwax MUS Robert Emmett Dolan CAST Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Fred MacMurray, Franchot Tone, Ray Milland, Victor Moore, Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, Vera Zorina, Mary Martin, Dick Powell, Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, William Bendix, Macdonald Carey, Walter Abel, Susan Hayward, Marjorie Reynolds, Lynne Overman, Sterling Holloway, Cecil B. DeMille, Preston Sturges, Albert Dekker, Eva Gabor, Cecil Kellaway, Juanita Moore (Dancer [uncredited]), Robert Preston, Anne Revere, Woody Strode

CABIN IN THE SKY (1943) DIR Vincente Minnelli PROD Arthur Freed SCR Joseph Schrank (book “Cabin in the Sky” by Lynn Root; Broadway musical “Cabin in the Sky” [1940], music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John Latouche) CAM Sidney Wagner ED Harold F. Kress MUS Roger Edens, George Bassman CAST Ethel Waters, Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Rex Ingram, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Kenneth Spencer, Oscar Polk, Willie Best, Butterfly McQueen, Juanita Moore (Nightclub Patron/Churchgoer [uncredited])

A SONG IS BORN (1948) DIR Howard Hawks PROD Samuel Goldwyn SCR (story “From A to Z” by Billy Wilder, Thomas Moore) CAM Gregg Toland ED Daniel Mandell MUS Hugo Friedhofer, Emil Newman CAST Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Barnet, Lionel Hampton, Mel Powell, Steve Cochran, Sidney Blackmer, J. Edward Bromberg, Esther Dale, Bess Flowers, Juanita Moore (Woman at Chocolate Club [uncredited])

PINKY (1949) DIR Elia Kazan PROD Darryl F. Zanuck SCR Philip Dunne, Dudley Nichols (novel “Quality” [1946] by Cid Ricketts Sumner) CAM Joseph MacDonald ED Harmon Jones MUS Alfred Newman CAST Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Waters, William Lundigan, Basil Ruysdael, Kenny Washington, Juanita Moore (Nurse [uncredited])

TARZAN’S PERIL (1951) DIR Byron Haskin PROD Sol Lesser SCR Samuel Newman, Frances Swann (characters created by Edgar Rice Burroughs) CAM Karl Struss ED Jack Murray MUS Michel Michelet CAST Lex Barker, Virginia Huston, George Macready, Douglas Fowley, Glenn Anders, Dorothy Dandridge, Alan Napier, Frederick O’Neal, Edward Ashley, Juanita Moore (Native Woman [uncredited])

NO QUESTIONS ASKED (1951) DIR Harold F. Kress PROD Nicholas Nayfack SCR Sidney Sheldon (story by Berne Giler) CAM Harold Lipstein ED Joseph Dervin MUS Leith Stevens CAST Barry Sullivan, Arlene Dahl, George Murphy, Jean Hagen, Richard Anderson, Moroni Olsen, Danny Dayton, Dick Simmons, Howard Petrie, William Reynolds, Bess Flowers, Juanita Moore (Maid in Lounge [uncredited])

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) DIR Robert Wise PROD Julian Blaustein SCR Edmund H. North (story by Harry Bates) CAM Leo Tover ED William Reynolds MUS Bernard Herrmann CAST Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier, Lock Martin, Louis Jean Heydt, Juanita Moore (Woman Looking at Spaceship [uncredited])

LYDIA BAILEY (1952) DIR Jean Negulesco PROD Jules Schermer SCR Philip Dunne, Michael Blankfort (novel “Lydia Bailey” [1947] by Kenneth Roberts) CAM Harry Jackson ED Dorothy Spencer MUS Hugo Friedhofer CAST Dale Robertson, Anne Francis, Charles Korvin, William Marshall, Luis Van Rooten, Adeline De Walt Reynolds, Angos Perez, Robert Evans, Juanita Moore (Marie [uncredited])

SKIRTS AHOY! (1952) DIR Sidney Lanfield PROD Joe Pasternak SCR Isobel Lennart CAM William C. Mellor ED Cotton Warburton MUS George Stoll, Albert Sendrey, Pete Rugolo CAST Esther Williams, Joan Evans, Vivian Blaine, Barry Sullivan, Keefe Brasselle, Billy Eckstine, The De Marco Sisters, Dean Miller, Kathleen Freeman, Paul Harvey, Juanita Moore (Black Drill Team Member [uncredited]), Debbie Reynolds, Bobby Van, Keenan Wynn

AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD (1952) DIR Vincent Sherman PROD Vincent Sherman, Rita Hayworth SCR Oscar Saul, James Gunn (story by Virginia Van Upp, Berne Giler) CAM Joseph Walker ED Viola Lawrence MUS George Duning CAST Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, Alexander Scourby, Valerie Bettis, Torin Thatcher, Howard Wendell, Karel Stepanek, George Voskovec, Juanita Moore (Dominique), Ralph Moody

THE IRON MISTRESS (1952) DIR Gordon Douglas PROD Henry Blanke SCR James R. Webb (novel “The Iron Mistress” [1951] by Paul I. Wellman) CAM John F. Seitz ED Alan Crosland Jr. MUS Max Steiner CAST Alan Ladd, Virginia Mayo, Joseph Calleia, Phullis Kirk, Alf Kjellin, Douglas Dick, Anthony Caruso, Nedrick Young, George Voskovec, Juanita Moore (Juanita)

THE ROYAL AFRICAN RIFLES (1953) DIR Lesley Selander PROD Richard V. Heermance SCR Daniel B. Ullman CAM Ellis W. Carter ED Walter Hannemann MUS Paul Dunlap CAST Louis Hayward, Veronica Hurst, Michael Pate, Angela Greene, Steven Geray, Roy Glenn, Bruce Lester, Barry Bernard, Juanita Moore (Elderly Woman), Woody Strode

WITNESS TO MURDER (1955) DIR Roy Rowland PROD – SCR Chester Erskine CAM John Alton ED John G. Stephens MUS Herschel Burke Gilbert CAST Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, Gary Merrill, Jesse White, Harry Shannon, Claire Carleton, Lewis Martin, Dick Elliott, Harry Tyler, Juanita Moore (Negress), Adeline De Walt Reynolds, Claude Akins

THE GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ (1954) DIR Henry Levin PROD Leonard Goldstein SCR Gerald Drayson Adams, Irving Wallace (story by Gerald Drayson Adams) CAM Lloyd Ahern Sr. ED William B. Murphy MUS Lionel Newman CAST Dale Robertson, Debra Paget, Thomas Gomez, Lisa Daniels, Kevin McCarthy, Douglas Dick, John Wengraf, Donald Randolph, Henri Letondal, Woody Strode, Juanita Moore (Yvette’s Maid [uncredited])

WOMEN’S PRISON (1955) DIR Lewis Seiler PROD Bryan Foy SCR Jack DeWitt, Crane Wilbur (story by Jack DeWitt) CAM Lester White ED Henry Batista CAST Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling, Cleo Moore, Audrey Totter, Phyllis Thaxter, Howard Duff, Warren Stevens, Gertrude Michael, Mae Clarke, Juanita Moore (Polly Jones), Eddie Foy III

LORD OF THE JUNGLE (1955) DIR – PROD – SCR Ford Beebe CAM Harry Neumann ED Neil Brunnenkant MUS Marlin Skiles CAST Johnny Sheffield, Wayne Morris, Nancy Hale, Paul Picerni, William Phipps, Leonard Mude, Smoki Whitfield, Joel Fluellen, Harry Lauter, Juanita Moore (Molu’s Wife [uncredited])

NOT AS A STRANGER (1955) DIR – PROD Stanley Kramer SCR Edna Anhalt, Edward Anhalt (novel “Not As a Stranger” [1954] by Morton Thompson) CAM Franz Planer ED Frederic Knudtson MUS George Antheil CAST Olivia de Havilland, Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Gloria Grahame, Broderick Crawford, Charles Bickford, Myron McCormick, Lon Chaney Jr., Jesse White, Harry Morgan, Lee Marvin, Whit Bissell, Mae Clarke, Juanita Moore (Clara Bassett [uncredited]), Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer

RANSOM! (1956) DIR Alex Segal PROD Nicholas Nayfack SCR Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum CAM Arthur E. Arling ED Ferris Webster MUS Jeff Alexander CAST Glenn Ford, Donna Reed, Leslie Nielsen, Juano Hernandez, Robert Keith, Richard Gaines, Mabel Albertson, Alexander Scourby, Juanita Moore (Shirley Lorraine)

THE OPPOSITE SEX (1956) DIR David Miller PROD Joe Pasternak SCR Fay Kanin, Michael Kanin (play “The Women” [1936] by Clare Boothe Luce) CAM Robert J. Bronner ED John McSweeney Jr. MUS Robert Van Eps, George Stoll CAST June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, Ann Miller, Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Richards, Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, Sam Levene, Carolyn Jones, Dick Shawn, Jim Backus, Bess Flowers, Juanita Moore (Power Room Attendant [uncredited])

THE GIRL CAN’T HELP IT (1956) DIR – PROD Frank Tashlin PROD  SCR Frank Tashlin, Herbert Baker (short story “Do Re Mi” [1955] by Garson Kanin) CAM Leon Shamroy ED James B. Clark MUS Lionel Newman, Leigh Harline CAST Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield, Edmond O’Brien, Julie London, Ray Anthony, Barry Gordon, Henry Jones, John Emery, Juanita Moore (Hilda), Fats Domino, The Platters, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran

SOMETHING OF VALUE (1957) DIR Richard Brooks PROD Pandro S. Berman SCR Richard Brooks (book “Something of Value” [1955] by Robert C. Ruark) CAM Russell Harlan ED Ferris Webster MUS Miklós Rózsa CAST Rock Hudson, Dana Wynter, Sidney Poitier, Wendy Hiller, Juano Hernandez, William Marshall, Robert Beatty, Walter Fitzgerald, Michael Pate, Ivan Dixon, Juanita Moore (Tribal Woman [uncredited])

BAND OF ANGELS (1957) DIR Raoul Walsh SCR Ben Roberts, Ivan Goff, John Twist (novel “Band of Angels” [1955] by Robert Penn Warren) CAM Lucien Ballard ED Folmar Blangsted MUS Max Steiner CAST Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo, Sidney Poitier, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Rex Reason, Patric Knowles, Torin Thatcher, Andrea King, Ann Doran, Juanita Moore (Budge [uncredited])

THE HELEN MORGAN STORY (1957) DIR Michael Curtiz PROD Martin Rackin SCR Oscar Saul, Dean Riesner, Stephen Longstreet, Nelson Gidding CAM Ted D. McCord ED Frank Bracht MUS Ray Heindorf CAST Ann Blyth, Paul Newman, Richard Carlson, Gene Evans, Alan King, Cara Williams, Virginia Vincent, Walter Woolf King, Dorothy Green, Rudy Vallee, Bess Flowers, Juanita Moore (Lacey—Backstage Maid [uncredited])

BOMBERS B-52 (1957) DIR Gordon Douglas PROD Richard Whorf SCR Irving Wallace (story by Sam Rolfe) CAM William Clothier ED Thomas Reilly MUS Leonard Rosenman CAST Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Marsha Hunt, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Don Kelly, Nelson Leigh, Robert Nichols, Juanita Moore (Clarissa [uncredited]), Stuart Whitman

THE GREEN-EYED BLONDE (1957) DIR Bernard Girard PROD Martin Melcher SCR Dalton Trumbo, Sally Stubblefield CAM Eddie Fitzgerald ED Thomas Reilly MUS Leith Stevens CAST Susan Oliver, Melinda Casey, Beverly Long, Norma Jean Nilsson, Tommie Moore, Carla Merey, Sallie Brophy, Jean Inness, Juanita Moore (Miss Randall)

IMITATION OF LIFE (1959) DIR Douglas Sirk PROD Ross Hunter SCR Allan Scott, Eleanore Griffin (novel “Imitation of Life” [1933] by Fannie Hurst) CAM Russell Metty ED Milton Carruth MUS Frank Skinner CAST Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee, Dan O’Herlihy, Susan Kohner, Robert Alda, Juanita Moore (Annie Johnson), Karin Dicker, Terry Burnham, Ann Robinson, Troy Donahue, Jack Weston, Mahalia Jackson, Bess Flowers

TAMMY TELL ME TRUE (1961) DIR Harry Keller PROD Ross Hunter SCR Oscar Brodney (novel “Tammy Tell Me True” [1959] by Cid Ricketts Sumner) CAM Clifford Stine ED Otto Ludwig MUS Percy Faith CAST Sandra Dee, John Gavin, Charles Drake, Virginia Grey, Julia Meade, Cecil Kellaway, Beulah Bondi, Edgar Buchanan, Gigi Perreau, Juanita Moore (Della), Stefanie Powers

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962) DIR Edward Dmytryk PROD Charles K. Feldman SCR John Fante, Edmund Morris (novel “A Walk on the Wild Side” [1956] by Nelson Algren) CAM Joseph Macdonald ED Harry Gerstad MUS Elmer Bernstein CAST Laurence Harvey, Capucine, Jane Fonda, Anne Baxter, Barbara Stanwyck, Joanna Moore, Richard Rust, Karl Swenson, Don ‘Red’ Barry, Juanita Moore (Mama)

A CHILD IS WAITING (1963) DIR John Cassavetes PROD Stanley Kramer SCR Abby Mann (also story) CAM Joseph LaShelle ED Robert C. Jones, Gene Fowler Jr. MUS Ernest Gold CAST Burt Lancaster, Judy Garland, Gena Rowlands, Steven Hill, Paul Stewart, Gloria McGehee, Lawrence Tierney, Bruce Ritchey, John Marley, Jim Backus, Juanita Moore (Julius’ Mother), John Cassavetes

PAPA’S DELICATE CONDITION (1963) DIR George Marshall PROD Jack Rose SCR Jack Rose (memoir “Papa’s Delicate Condition” [1952] by Corinne Griffith) CAM Loyal Griggs ED Frank P. Keller MUS Joseph J. Lilley CAST Jackie Gleason, Glynis Johns, Charlie Ruggles, Laurel Goodwin, Linda Bruhl, Ned Glass, Murray Hamilton, Elisha Cook Jr., Charles Lane, Juanita Moore (Ellie)

THE SINGING NUN (1966) DIR Henry Koster PROD John Beck SCR John Furia Jr., Sally Benson (story by John Furia Jr.) CAM Milton R. Krasner ED Rita Roland CAST Debbie Reynolds, Ricardo Montalban, Greer Garson, Agnes Moorehead, Chad Everett, Katharine Ross, Ed Sullivan, Juanita Moore (Sister Mary), Tom Drake, Minta Durfee

ROSIE! (1967) DIR David Lowell Rich PROD Jacque Mapes SCR Samuel Taylor (play “A Very Rich Woman” [1965] by Ruth Gordon, Philippe Hériat) CAM Clifford Stine ED Stuart Gilmore MUS Lyn Murray CAST Rosalind Russell, Sandra Dee, Brian Aherne, Audrey Meadows, James Farentino, Leslie Nielsen, Vanessa Brown, Juanita Moore (Nurse), Margaret Hamilton, Reginald Owen, Virginia Grey, Ann Doran

UPTIGHT (1968) DIR – PROD Jules Dassin SCR Jules Dassin, Ruby Dee, Julian Mayfield (novel “The Informer” [1925] by Liam O’Flaherty) CAM Boris Kaufman ED Robert Lawrence MUS Booker T. Jones CAST Raymond St. Jacques, Ruby Dee, Frank Silvera, Roscoe Lee Browne, Julian Mayfield, Janet MacLachlan, Max Julien, Juanita Moore (Mama Wells), Richard Williams

ANGELITOS NEGROS (1970) DIR – SCR Joselito Rodriguez CAM Eduardo Rojo ED Raul J. Casso MUS Enrico C. Cabiati CAST Manuel Lopez Ochoa, Martha Rangel, Titina Romay, Juanita Moore (Nana Mercé), Juanita Hernandez Mejia, Neftali Lopez, Norma Jiménez Pons, Carlos Martinez Baena, Juanita Hernández R.

SKIN GAME (1971) DIR Paul Bogart PROD Harry Keller SCR Pierre Marton [Peter Stone] (story by Richard Alan Simmons) CAM Fred J. Koenekamp ED Walter Thompson MUS David Shire CAST James Garner, Lou Gossett, Susan Clark, Brenda Sykes, Edward Asner, Andrew Duggan, Henry Jones, Neva Patterson, Parley Baer, Juanita Moore (Viney), Richard Farnsworth

THE MACK (1973) DIR Michael Campus PROD Harvey Bernhard SCR Robert J. Poole CAM Ralph Woolsey ED Frank C. Decot MUS Willie Hutch CAST Max Julien, Don Gordon, Richard Pryor, Carol Speed, Roger E. Mosley, Dick Williams, William C. Watson, George Murdock, Juanita Moore (Mother), June Wilkinson

FOX STYLE (1973) DIR Clyde Houston PROD Paul R. Picard SCR Clyde Houston, Michael Fox CAM William Roper ED James M. Guthrie MUS Don Zimmers CAST Chuck Daniel, Juanita Moore (Hattie Fox), Denise Denise, Hank Rolike, Richard Lawson, Newell Alexander, Theodore Mitchell, Reuben Collins, Jovita Busch

THOMASINE & BUSHROD (1974) DIR Gordon Parks Jr. PROD Max Julien, Harvey Bernhard SCR Max Julien CAM Lucien Ballard ED Frank C. Decot MUS Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson CAST Max Julien, Vonetta McGee, George Murdock, Glynn Turman, Juanita Moore (Pecolia), Joel Fluellen, Jackson D. Kane, Bud Conlan, Kip Allen, Ben Zeller

THE ZEBRA KILLER (1974) DIR William Girdler PROD Gordon Cornell Layne, Mike Henry SCR William Girdler (story by William Girdler, Gordon Cornell Layne) CAM William L. Asman ED James O’Rourke MUS Jerry Steiner CAST Austin Stoker, James Pickett, Hugh Smith, Charles Kissinger, Valerie Rogers, Tom Brooks, D’Urvilie Martin, Phyliss Kastan, Juanita Moore ([uncredited])

ABBY (1974) DIR William Girdler PROD William Girdler, Gordon Cornell Layne, Mike Henry SCR Gordon Cornell Layne (story by Gordon Cornell Layne, William Girdler) CAM William L. Asman ED Henry Asman, Corky Ehlers MUS Robert O. Ragland CAST William Marshall, Terry Carter, Austin Stoker, Carol Speed, Juanita Moore (Miranda ‘Momma’ Potter), Charles Kissinger, Elliott Moffitt, Nathan Cook, Nancy Lee Owens

DELIVER US FROM EVIL (1975) DIR – PROD – SCR Horace Jackson CAM Alfred Taylor ED Jeff Bushelman CAST Marie O’Henry, Renny Roker, Danny Martin, Kandi Keath, Carl Haynes, Juanita Moore (Mrs. Trindal), Marc Hannibal, Tony Charles

FUGITIVE LOVERS (1975) DIR – ED John Carr PROD Ross Massbaum SCR John Carr, Ross Massbaum CAM Michael Mileham CAST Steve Oliver, Sondra Currie, John Russell, Virginia Mayo, Toni Covington, Roger Galloway, Jeff Morrow, Juanita Moore (Assembly Woman Griffin), Vincent Barbi, Napoleon Whiting, Doodles Weaver

EVERYBODY RIDES THE CAROUSEL (1976, animated) DIR – PROD John Hubley SCR John Hubley, Faith Hubley ED Jeffrey Friedman MUS William Russo CAST (voice only) Lou Jacobi, Meryl Streep, Jack Gilford, Jenny Lumet, Dinah Manoff, John Randolph, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tulani Bridgewater, Juanita Moore (Stage 8), Henry Edison

PATERNITY (1981) DIR David Steinberg PROD Lawrence Gordon, Hank Moonjean SCR Charlie Peters CAM Bobby Byrne ED Donn Cambern MUS David Shire CAST Burt Reynolds, Beverly D’Angelo, Norman Fell, Paul Dooley, Elizabeth Ashley, Lauren Hutton, Juanita Moore (Celia), Peter Billingsley, Jacqueline Brookes

O’HARA’S WIFE (1982) DIR William Bartman PROD William N. Panzer, Peter S. Davis SCR William Bartman, James Nasella, Joseph Scott Kierland CAM Harry Stradling Jr. ED George Berndt, Jim Bogardt MUS Artie Butler CAST Ed Asner, Mariette Hartley, Jodie Foster, Tom Bosley, Perry Lang, Ray Walston, Allen Williams, Mary Jo Catlett, Nehemiah Persoff, Juanita Moore (Ethel)

AND THEY ARE OFF (1982) DIR – PROD – SCR Theodore H. Kuhns III CAM Paul Lohmann ED Richard G. Haines MUS Bill Conti CAST Adam Roarke, Suzanne Askinson, Bill Allen, Julie Allen, Sherman Allen, José Ferrer, Miguel Ferrer, Rafael Ferrer, Tab Hunter, George Clooney, Juanita Moore (Sadie Johnson), Leigh Christian

TWO MOON JUNCTION (1988) DIR Zalman King PROD Donald P. Borchers SCR Zalman King (story by Zalman King, Macgregor Douglas) CAM Mark Plummer MUS Jonathan Elias ED Marc Grossman CAST Sherilyn Fenn, Richard Tyson, Louise Fletcher, Burl Ives, Kristy McNichol, Martin Hewitt, Juanita Moore (Delilah), Don Galloway, Millie Perkins, Milla Jovovich, Hervé Villechaize

THE STERLING CHASE (1999) DIR Tanya Fenmore PROD Tanya Fenmore, Katrina S. Pavlos, Cynthia Perez-Brown SCR Tanya Fenmore (story by Tanya Fenmore, Jeremy Dauber) CAM David Bridges ED David Codron, Edward R. Abroms MUS Mark Adler CAST Andrea Ferrell, Devon Odessa, Sean Patrick Thomas, John Livingston, Irene Ng, Jack Noseworthy, Nicholle Tom, Alanna Ubach, Juanita Moore (Grandma Jones, voice only)

THE KID (2000) DIR Jon Turteltaub PROD Jon Turteltaub, Christina Steinberg, Hunt Lowry SCR Audrey Wells CAM Peter Menzies Jr. ED David Rennie, Peter Honess MUS Marc Shaiman, Jason White CAST Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin, Jean Smart, Chi McBride, Daniel von Bargen, Dana Ivey, Juanita Moore (Kenny’s Grandmother), Melissa McCarthy, Cuba Gooding Jr., Matthew Perry

TV FILMS

THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING (1969) DIR Richard A. Colla PROD Jo Swerling Jr. TELEPLAY Richard Levinson, William Link CAM Charles Straumer ED Robert L. Kimble MUS Pete Rugolo CAST Burl Ives, Joseph Campanella, James Farentino, Hal Holbrook, Steve Ihnat, Stephen McNally, Richard Ely, Dennis Oliveri, Carrie Snodgress, Juanita Moore (Mrs. Harberson)

CONFESSIONS OF A TOP CRIME BUSTER (1971) DIR Earl Bellamy, Joseph Pevney TELEPLAY Laurence Marks, Ferdinand Leon, Arne Sultan (story by Laurence Marks, Ferdinand Leon, Earl Barret, Bruce Howard) CAM Meredith M. Nicholson ED Henry Batista, David Howe, Stanford Tischler MUS Richard Hazard CAST Don Adams, Rupert Crosse, John Doucette, Dick Van Patten, David Huddleston, Bruce Gordon, Mark Roberts, Juanita Moore (Mrs. Robinson)

A DREAM FOR CHRISTMAS (1973) DIR Ralph Senensky PROD Walter Coblenz TELEPLAY John McGreevey, Max Hodge (story by John McGreevey) CAM Frank V. Phillips ED Gene Fowler Jr., Bill Mosher, Anthony Wollner MUS David Rose CAST Hari Rhodes, Beah Richards, Lynn Hamilton, George Spell, Robert DoQui, Joel Fluellen, Juanita Moore (Fannie Mitchell), Clarence Muse