Family Matters and Amen actress Rosetta LeNoire appeared on three soap operas and many prime-time series

Rosetta LeNore was a memorable actress

Rosetta LeNore is best known for portraying Estelle "Mother" Winslow on the ABC hit series Family Matters from 1989 until 1997. She also played Leola Hudson Forbes in Amen from 1987 until 1989. As Leola on Amen she dated and then married Deacon Rolly Forbes (Jester Harrison).

I loved the character of Mother Winslow because she had mannerisms and dressed similarly to my grandmother. She also resembled my mother-in-law. I enjoyed the dynamic between Estelle and her daughter-in-law, Harriet Winslow ( Joy Marie Peyton).

Rosetta LeNoire on daytime

Longtime soap fans may recall that the veteran actress also had roles in three daytime drama shows: Another World, Ryan's Hope, and The Guiding Light. Her characters were not major but the actress went on to gain later fame.

Lenoire portrayed Leona Herbert on The Guiding Light. Some sources say she was on the CBS soap from 1971-1972. Others say she was in one episode in 71 titled "Not With My Cousin You Don't."

In 1972, she played Gloria Metcalf in the NBC soap Another World. The number of episodes is not specified. In 1976, she was in six episodes of Ryan's Hope on CBS as Miriam George.

Mother Winslow and other cast members disappeared

I recently binge-watched the series and noticed that during the final season, Family Matters was all about Steve Urkel (Jaleel White). Peyton was said to have walked away from the hit show for that reason. She was replaced as Harriet by Judyann Elder.

Waldo Geroaldo Faldo (Shawn Harisson) left for culinary school, Richie Crawford *Bryton James) and Mothe Winslow were rarely seen, and neither of the three returned for the final episode. Myrtle Urkel (White) and Greta McClure (Tammy Townsend) appeared a lot.

Judy Winslow (Jaimee Foxworth) and Telma Hopkins (Rachel Crawford) was written out of the series aftet season four. Not showing Estelle and Richie, along Rachel, and Judy plus adding a with a new Harriet, took away from the loving family vibe viewers were used to.

The three Fletcher's

Mother Winslow began dating Fletcher Thomas in season five and they later married. Once she moved from the Winslow home she was not seen as much. Fletcher was first portrayed by Arnold Johnson, in the episode It Didn't Happen One Night.

In season six Whitman Mayo, had the role in the episode They Shoot Urkels Don't They. Edmund Cambridge took over as Fletcher in season seven in Best Years of Our Lives, and continued in subsequent episodes.

Television and Film roles

Lenoire also appeared in 10 films. In 1958, she was Stella in Anna Lucaster. It was 14 years before her next role, which was the voices of Bertha and others in 1972 in Fritz the Cat.

She portrayed Odessa, Willy's nurse in The Sunshine Boys in 1975, and in 1983 she played a prison matron in Daniel and was the judge in Moscow on the Hudson. In 1984, she was Mum in The Brother From Another Planet and Rosanna in Lily in Love. In 1985, she portrayed Judge R. Woods in Brewster's Millions Judge R. Woods and in 1986 she played Millie in Whatever It Takes.

The actress's television appearances include Gimme A Break, Tales From teh Dark Side, and Fantasy Island.She was also in the televison films The Coming Asunder of Jimmy Bright, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Stella, The Father Clements Story, and The Big Blonde. Her last credited role was in 1998 as a nurse on Cosby in the episode Playground Scar.

Rosetta LeNoire's personal life

Rosetta LeNoire was born in Harlem on August 8, 1911, the oldest of five children. Her parents were Harold Burton, who was from Dominica, and Nymarie Edith Jacques Helwig, from Jamaica the West Indies.

She was married to William LeNoire from 1929 until they divorced in 1943. She married to Egbert Brown in 1948 and remained with him until he died in 1974. She had one child. The actress died on March 17, 2002 at age 90 from complications of diabetes.

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