Short Biography

Ja`net Dubois (pronounced Ja-NAY Doo-BWAH) (August 5, 1945) is an American film and television actress. Ja`net Dubois is perhaps best known for her portrayal of the wise-cracking, gossip maven Willona Woods on the 1970s’ sitcom Good Times. Dubois also co-wrote and sang the theme song of the long-running sitcom The Jeffersons, and has appeared in a number of other television programs (usually as a guest star), most notably as Juanita, an old flame of Fred Sanford`s in an early 1972 episode of Sanford and Son (this appearance got her noticed by Norman Lear, and led to her being cast in Good Times), and in films. She usually found herself playing roles which made her seem much older than she was. For example, when "Good Times" premiered in 1974 she was only 29 (and less than 8 years older than BernNadette Stanis) while the show made her out to be much closer in age to Esther Rolle, who was born in 1920. She co-starred in the movie I`m Gonna Git You Sucka and the sitcoms Moesha and The Steve Harvey Show. She played the grandmother on the hit show The Wayans Bros.. She appeared in the 2003 movie Charlie`s Angels: Full Throttle. Among her other credits, she appeared in the 1969 made-for-TV holiday film J.T.. She also appeared in former Good Times co-star Janet Jackson`s "Control" music video as her mother. Dubois won an Emmy Award for her work on the TV movie Other Women`s Children based on the novel by Perri Klass, as well as two Emmys for her voiceover work on the animated program The PJs. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. She has two children, Burghardt and Yovanne.

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