Della Reese
Biography
Della Reese was an American singer and actress. Born in Detroit, she was discovered by Mahalia Jackson, toured with her, and later joined the Meditation Singers before turning to secular music. A talent contest win led to an engagement at The Flame in New York City, and in 1954 she signed with Jubilee Records, where And That Reminds Me sold a million copies. After moving to RCA Victor, Don't You Know? brought her biggest commercial success; the album Della reached the Billboard 200. She appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and in 1969 launched her talk show Della, which ran nearly 200 episodes until 1970; in 1970 she guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Her acting credits included Psychic Killer (1975) and Harlem Nights (1989). She starred as Tess on Touched by an Angel from 1994 to 2003; her album My Soul Feels Better Right Now (1998) earned a Grammy nomination. She retired in 2014 and died in 2017.
86years old at death
- Born Detroit
- Died Encino
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
- Also credited as Delloreese Patricia Early
Movie Career
- Films
- 13
- Career span
- 38 years1975 to 2013
First and latest
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A first
Reese's talk show, Della, started in 1969, which made her the first black woman with a prime time talk show of her own. It aired five days a week nationally and ran for nearly 200 episodes until March 1970.
A first
Reese became the first African-American woman to guest-host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1970, after Carson invited her in a studio hallway.
A first
During her peak commercial period, Reese was given many opportunities, one of which was singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1960 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. That made her the first black music artist to appear at an All-Star game.
First role
Reese's first speaking part came in The Mod Squad in 1969, but several years passed before she was accepted as an actress rather than a singer.
Della Reese movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Four actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Alfre Woodard's page
Ossie Davis's page
Miguel A. Núñez Jr.'s page
Charlie Murphy's page
Awards
Eight awards and honors from 1996 to 2002.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2002 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Won |
| 2001 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Won |
| 2000 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Won |
| 1999 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Won |
| 1998 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Won |
| 1997 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Won |
| 1996 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Touched by an Angel | Won |
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.