About Rosetta LeNoire
Rosetta LeNoire (born Rosetta Olive Burton; August 8, 1911 – March 17, 2002) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She was known to contemporary audiences for her work in television. She had regular roles on such series as Gimme a Break! (starting in S4E17 of the series) and Amen (in seasons 2 and 3); she is particularly known for her role as Estelle "Mother" Winslow on Family Matters, which aired from 1989 to 1998. In 1999, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. == Early life and career == LeNoire was born in Harlem, New York City, as the eldest of five children to Harold Burton, who was from Dominica, and Nymarie Edith Jacques Helwig, of Jamaica in the West Indies. As a young girl, LeNoire suffered from rickets, which her godfather Bill "Bojangles" Robinson helped her overcome by teaching her to dance. Stage theater was her first love, and LeNoire performed in the Federal Theatre Project production Bassa Moona and was cast as a witch in Orson Welles's 1936 production of Macbeth. LeNoire appeared in a 1939 production of The Hot Mikado, starring Robinson, in which she played "Little Maid From School" Peep-Bo. She also appeared onstage, mostly as a singer and dancer, in I Had a Ball, Bassa Moona, Marching with Jimmy, Janie, Decision, Three's a Family, Destry Rides Again, and the Off Broadway Double Entry (two one-act musicals showcasing LeNoire: "The Bible Salesman", with a pre-SNL Garrett Morris, and "The Oldest Trick in the World" with Jane Connell).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.