The classic TGIF sitcom Family Matters had a consistent main cast until mom Harriette Winslow was abruptly recast during the final season. It is said that 300 years ago, in the year Bedlam, Divine Magic died. The actress only appeared in three episodes of the sitcom, but her performances caught the eye of television executives and she subsequently landed parts in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Arsenio Hall Show, and The Young and the Restless. In an interview with E! But they have been an essential function of some of the most iconic family units in small-screen comedies. After guest spots in shows like "Sanford and Son" and "Good Times," he landed his breakout role as Detective Harris in "Barney Miller." Following a childhood rickets diagnosis that put her in leg braces for some time, LeNoire took up dance and musical theater. Jaleel White Says He Was 'Not Welcomed' by Family Matters Cast - Peoplemag and "Whoa, mama." ", When you think of Sherman Hemsley it might just draw an image of him getting out of a cab in front of a high-rise in Manhattan, strutting toward the door, or doing some fancy footwork in his living room as he did in the famously fun opening theme of his hit sitcom "The Jeffersons.". As a child, she appeared in three sitcoms shows and this earned her a spot in the screens. Thomas moved on from Family May Michelle Thomas continue to rest peacefully. Known for. Lenoir died in 2002, just four years after the final season of Family Matters was aired. Come on, man. From 1993 to 1998, she portrayed the role of Myra Monkhouse, the girlfriend of Steve Urkel, on Family Matters. Born in 1952 to an Armenian father and an Italian mother, Eddie Mekka told Broadway.comhegot the performing bug when he was asked to be the emcee of their variety school, so of course his next stop was the stage. It seemed there was no limit to her talent, no height her star couldn't reach. He went on to form his own production company and eventually signed a deal with Warner Bros. TV predecessor Lorimar Television. Then: James start playing Richie Crawford, Rachel's daughter, in the second season of 'Family Matters,' when the character miraculously aged from an infant to a three-year-old. He assumed Henry had done research to know a bit more about him, so hed know what to say. In 2018, "Family Matters" star Reginald VelJohnson told Today that Miller helped him land the role of Carl. After the show wrapped, White stated that he never wanted to step back into Urkel's shoes again, though he later revised the claim over a decade later. She often portrayed the character as a tough mom with a witty sense of humor, but was also a no-nonsense wife to her husband, Carl. Thomas appeared on the CBS soap opera The . Buddy was the star of a show the Winslow family was obsessed with and Carl ended up arresting him for assault. Townsend has remained active in Hollywood since moving on from Family Matters. She appeared as Candace in the TV series Stuck With You in 2020. [14] VelJohnson also voices several minor characters in the series. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. nerdy comedic neighbor of the Winslows who was always trying and failing to win Per USA Today, years later it was discovered he suffered from CTE, a brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas. In 2017, he played Darryl on the CBS sitcom Me, Myself & I alongside Bobby Moynihan. May Michelle Thomas continue to rest peacefully. She was 90 years old at the time, and she left behind an impressive body of work in television, film, music, and theater. The network TV landscape of the 1980s and the 1990s was all about family-oriented sitcoms, with the occasional exception such as Married with Children, which was about a family but courted controversy with its more risque episodes. Barry played Carl's buffoonish boss, Lieutenant Lou Murtaugh. She also got a role in the sitcoms show Young And Restless as Callie Rogers and as Justine Phillips in The Cosby Show. Come on, man. Per theNew York Daily News, Hemsley succumbed to superior vena cava syndrome and passed away in 2012. This granny was hip and street-wise and also had plenty of love and advice to offer everyone. While the rest of his career primarily consisted of supporting roles, he continued to act until 2011, making appearances in shows like Family Guy and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. Cast Members Of The Award-Winning Sitcom "Family Matters" Launch New He is best known for playing police officer characters, such as Carl Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, which ran from 1989 to 1998, and LAPD Sergeant Al Powell in the films Die Hard and Die Hard 2. We humbly honor the old school soul music era and will keep pushing forward to keep it alive. Here's What 'Steve Urkel' Jaleel White Looks Like Now - TheThings You've got to be Googling this stuff before you come in here." She died on December 26, 1998, surrounded by her family as well as former boyfriend Malcom-Jamal Warner with whom she had remained close friends, according toPeople. Jaleel seemed to then believe Henry, based on what happened next: Dont worry about that part. Michelle Thomas is another cast member from the show Family Matters that has passed away. From 1986 to 1993, the sitcom chronicled the hilarious misadventures of the Winslow family and Urkel, capturing the hearts of viewers in the process. [4] He later obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater from New York University, where he had a chance to work with Joseph Papp's Black/Hispanic Shakespeare Company, in which Morgan Freeman and CCH Pounder were among his fellow actors. A Steve Urkel Story. His latest acting role was in the 2019 TV movie Fanatic where he played Officer Hardaway. 'Family Matters' Jaleel White Sadly Breaks Down Over Deceased Co-star This is crazy. Menteer holds credits for writing, directing, producing on many of the shows he worked on including "Happy Days," "Punky Brewster," and "Family Matters." Audiences watched her grow up during the first few seasons. Content created and supplied by: LawBlessing (via Opera But most will probably agree that his relationship with the beautiful Myra Monkhouse portrayed by actress, Michelle Thomas -was just as special. Michelle Thomas, of 'Family Matters' & AMTF's Betsey Brown, Dies of Per The New York Times, this is when her illness, a rare form of stomach cancer, seemed to take a foothold, and Thomas had to take a medical leave from filming. Kellie Shanygne Williams made her name playing Laura Winslow, the seemingly perfect know-it-all daughter of Carl and Harriette on Family Matters. She finished out the series with the rest of the cast and then jumped right over to a recurring role on "The Young and the Restless.". 'In Living Color' Cast: Where Are They Now? The Family Matters character who is famous for walking up the stairs in Season 4 never to come back down again ( until that was debunked by YouTuber Vee Infuso) is the Winslow's youngest. On December 22, 1998, she passed away, surrounded by friends and family in New York City, including her then long-time boyfriend/ Cosby Show actor, Malcolm Jamal Warner ("Theo"). "Don't worry about that part. One year later, her ex husband, Ryan Dorsey, said in anInstagram post, "Fly high, Rest In Peace, knowing he's doing okhe's being raised right, and he's got a lot of family and people around him that love him, and you. In both the comic and the television series, the main character attends a high school named after the actor, and the character itself is named after his previous role of Carl Winslow from Family Matters. [1] His father left the family, which included Reginald's brother Barry,[2] when Johnson was 13 years old. Actress Michelle Thomas, who had television roles in The Young & The Restless, The Cosby Show and Family Matters, has died of cancer at age 29. September birthday, sudden passing, E-L-L-ENo Google?. Al Powell in the 1988 film Die Hard. in 1983 and finally signed on to Family Matters for its first through fourth seasons. because of health issues. 10 Things You Didn't Know about Family Matters - TVOvermind While he was quite incompetent at his job, he had the patience of a saint, being that he was one of the few characters who tolerated Urkel. Thomas would eventually end up as the real life girlfriend of the actor, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo. Family Matters premiered on September 22, 1989, and ran for nine seasons. In his latest work, the former child star starred as Connor on the drama series Monogamy, which aired its third season in 2021. 30 Years Later: Where Is the Cast of 'Family Matters' Today? Natalie Desselle Reid, star of 1997 film 'B.A.P.S.,' dead at 53 Of course, Thomas was much nicer than her on-screen persona. Portrayed by Jaimee Foxworth, the precocious youngest member of the family was adorable and a great way to reel in younger viewers. It remains one of the second longest running series in the history of television after the Jeffersons and it revolved around African American characters. Costar Michael McKean tweeted, "A sad goodbye to Eddie Mekka this morning. Family Matters Star Will Only Do a Revival if Judy Winslow Returns Authorities state that upon entering the home they discovered a young African-American male with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Shes also working on other projects like The Regiment and South Beacon Hill. But aside from acting, shes also a producer, an author and a certified nutritionist who co-owns the health and beauty company Keeping It All Natural. Confident, hilarious, and kick-a** fighting skills, Carry drew in audiences who couldn't help but fall in love with Sho'Nuff. She spent her remaining years dealing with health-related complications caused by diabetes. Jaleel White played the Winslows' obnoxious, ever-present neighbor Steve Urkel for all nine seasons of Family Matters. Michelle Thomas was a late arrival to Family Matters, debuting in the fourth season as Myra Monkhouse, Steve Urkel's love interest. Family Matters Actors You May Not Know Passed Away - Looper [8] VelJohnson again portrayed Sgt. He was more interested in cars, dating girls and pulling silly pranks. Murtaugh was a recurring character in Family Matters between 1990 and 1992, and he was able to make a big impact with his silly antics. The Cast of 'Outer Banks' : Everything to Know, Our Favorite (Underrated!) Creators William Bickley Robert L. Boyett Thomas L. Miller Stars Reginald VelJohnson Jaleel White Kellie Shanygne Williams See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max They even developed a bond over root beer and romantic woes. Desselle-Reid's manager, Dolores Robinson . Embed from Getty Images. In 1999, Thomas was nominated for an NAACP award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for her role on "Young and the Restless.". Per Broadway World, his film debut was alongside Sammy Davis Jr., whom he also appeared with on Broadway, in the 1966 movie "A Man Called Adam." The actress could also be seen starring in Bounce TV's Mann & Wife as Lorraine Mann from 2015 to 2017. Family Matters | The Gods are Dead | Episode 20-The Gods are Its been over 30 years since the ABC sitcom Family Matters first aired. Emmy-nominated actor Fred Willard was a prolific actor whose career spanned more than fifty years. Powell in the GameCube video game title, Die Hard: Vendetta, in 2002. The show, centered around a middle-class Black family living in Chicago, was a spin-off of. Just a few short years later, she was cast in Season 4 of "Family Matters" as Myra, who for some reason, sees Urkel as the man of her dreams. They have two kids, John Ervin and Hannah Belle Jackson. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. "Come on, man. The golden age of sitcoms produced many hilarious shows, but Family Matters stands out from the pack for a couple of reasons. Rosetta LeNoire's turn as Mother Winslow in Family Matterswas critically acclaimed, and she was central to some of the sitcom's most memorable moments during its nine-season run.