Hidden Figures: Teresa Graves #BlackHERstoryMonth 22/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Teresa Graves #BlackHERstoryMonth 22/28

Teresa Graves (January 10, 1948 – October 10, 2002) was an American actress and singer. As the star of the 1974 Get Christie Love!, Graves is credited as being the first African-American woman to star in her own hour-long drama television series. Born in Houston, Texas, Graves began her career singing with The Doodletown Pipers. She soon turned to acting and became a regular in the two variety shows: Our Place, in 1967, and Turn-On, in 1969. She then became a regular on the comedy sketch show Laugh-In, hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, during its third season. The show, consisting largely of a disjointed series of skits, launched several actors on successful careers, including Goldie Hawn, Arte Johnson and Teresa Graves. Graves was known for her singing and flair for comedy. Graves appeared in a number of films before her pivotal role in the 1974 crime drama series Get Christie Love!, which featured Charles Cioffi and Jack Kelly as Love's supervisors. In 1969 she toured with Bob Hope's USO tour in Southeast Asia. She had supporting roles in several films during the 1970's, including ''Black Eye,'' ''That Man Bolt'’ and as Countess Vampire in the blaxploitation horror film ''Vampira.'' Graves was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witness in 1974, and almost immediately began using her celebrity to bring international awareness to the persecution of Witnesses in Malawi under then-leader Hastings Kamuzu Banda's "one-party rule”. In 1983, she retired from show business to devote her time to the religion. For the rest of her life, Graves resided at 3437 West 78th Place in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, and took care of her mother. On October 10, 2002, Graves' home caught fire. She was found unconscious in a bedroom before being rushed to the hospital where she later died. She was 54 years old. #TeresaGraves #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Twitter: @seren_sensei Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: Teresa Graves - Early life and Career (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NDletoV5Ok Teresa Graves - My Story (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RBNFZQVgdc Teresa Graves - Religion On The Line, KABC Radio (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsyz3AbrlKs 'Home Fire Kills 'Laugh-In' Star:' http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/11/local/me-graves11 Teresa Graves, 53, Of 'Get Christie Love:' http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/16/arts/teresa-graves-53-of-get-christie-love.html '28 Days Of Black Women In Horror - Teresa Graves:' http://www.graveyardshiftsisters.com/2017/02/28-days-of-black-women-in-horror-teresa.html 'Today in TV History - Teresa Graves:' http://bobbyriverstv.blogspot.com/2017/01/today-in-tv-history-teresa-graves.html Teresa Graves (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Graves