Marlene Warfield

Marlene Warfield
Warfield in 1969
Born
Marlene Ronetta Warfield

(1941-06-19)June 19, 1941
DiedApril 6, 2025(2025-04-06) (aged 83)
OccupationActress
Years active1957–2011
Spouse
William Horsey
​
​
(m. 1967; died 1993)​
Children1

Marlene Ronetta Warfield (June 19, 1941 – April 6, 2025) was an American actress who worked in theatre, film, and television.

Background

Warfield was born in Queens, New York, on June 19, 1941, and brought up in Brooklyn.[1] She attended the High School of Performing Arts and began acting on stage as a teenager, in 1957.[1] She later attended the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and the American Institute of Theatre and TV Arts.[1]

Career

Warfield began her career in New York, working on stage and screen.[1] She moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s.[1] She portrayed the underground revolutionary Laureen Hobbs in the 1976 film Network[2] and played Victoria Butterfield on the television sitcom Maude (1977–1978).[3] Warfield starred in the play Janie Jones at the New Theatre, London (opened July 15, 1968).[4]

She won the Clarence Derwent Award in 1969 for Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance and a Theatre World Award for the role of Clara in The Great White Hope, which she reprised in the 1970 film version.[5]

Personal life and death

In 1967, Warfield married William Horsey (died 1993); they had a son.[1] She died of lung cancer at a Los Angeles hospital on April 6, 2025, at the age of 83.[1]

Filmography

Film and television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1970JoeBellevue NurseFeature film
1970The Great White HopeClaraFeature film
1970The Name of the GameSdhariEpisode: "The Time Is Now"
1971Goodbye, Raggedy AnnLouise WaltersTelevision film
1972CutterSusan MacklinTelevision film
1972MadiganClaraEpisode: "The Midtown Beat"
1972Across 110th StreetMrs. JacksonFeature film
1973Pomroy's PeopleSchool TeacherTelevision pilot
1976NetworkLaureen HobbsFeature film
1977–1978MaudeVictoria ButterfieldMain cast (8 episodes)
1978Lou GrantJoanne BartlettEpisode: "Hero"
1979The JeffersonsMrs. OwensEpisode: "Me and Mr. G"
1981The Sophisticated GentsLil JoplinTelevision miniseries
1981Little House on the PrairieMattie LedouxEpisode: "Dark Sage"
1983Hill Street BluesAda BaxterEpisode: "Moon Over Uranus: The Sequel"
1984Cagney & LaceyDetective #2Episode: "Old Debts"
1986Child's CryMaxineTelevision film
1986Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is CallingSonjaFeature film
1989Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal LessonProsecutorTelevision film
1989How I Got Into CollegeLibrarianFeature film
1990Freddy's NightmaresHelen WoodmanEpisode: "A Family Affair"
1990Equal JusticeJudge Evelyn KassEpisode: "Sugar Blues"
1996In the HouseGrandma HillEpisode: "The Max Who Came to Dinner"
1997ERBabs ChenovertEpisode: "Tribes"
1999The West WingRuthEpisode: "Pilot"
2000So WeirdMrs. ClemensEpisode: "Blues"
2001Dead LastWomanEpisode: "The Crawford Touch"
2002The ShieldDottie CummingsEpisode: "Dawg Days"
2003Cold CaseSamuela RobbinsEpisode: "The Runner"
2011Aurora BorealisMrs. ParkerShort film

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barnes, Mike. "Marlene Warfield, Actress in 'Network' and 'The Great White Hope,' Dies at 83". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. ↑ Anderson, George (December 16, 1976). "'Network' Dares Enough To Be The Very Best" (Review). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 19. Retrieved on May 30, 2013.
  3. ↑ "America's Cup Saluted with Music". St. Petersburg Times. September 12, 1977. p. 7D. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ Drew, Bernard (October 17, 1970). "'Great White Hope' Made into Good Movie". The Evening News. Vol. 10, no. 217. Newburgh, NY. Gannett News Service. p. 6. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Marlene Warfield Biography". TV Guide. Retrieved 2021-01-08.