Mabel King (née Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington; December 25, 1932[ NNDB - Mabel King]
Early life
King was born Donnie Mabel Elizabeth Washington
[ Profile, nndb.com. Accessed July 9, 2025.] in Charleston, South Carolina, the daughter of Rosalie Washington and Joseph Washington on Christmas Day 1932.
She was raised in
Harlem where she eventually became a gospel and
Nightclub act.
Career
Stage work
She did not start acting until her mid-thirties, in 1966, when she played the role of Maria in the national touring play of
Porgy and Bess. The following year she played the role of Ernestina in the
Broadway theatre musical/comedy
Hello, Dolly! Then in 1972, she acted in the musical film
Don't Play Us Cheap, which went unreleased until the following year, after it had been performed on Broadway as a stage play. That same year, she played the Queen of Myrthia in the horror film
Ganja & Hess. In January 1978, she played the role of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West in the all-African-American cast of the Broadway musical
The Wiz. The role earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for outstanding featured actress in a musical. Her performance in
The Wiz brought her much attention and soon after she received roles in the films
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, with Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones, and
Scott Joplin, with Billy Dee Williams and
Clifton Davis. In June 1980, King returned to stage work, starring in the Broadway musical
It's So Nice to Be Civilized. However, the show did poorly and closed after eight performances.
Television and film
In 1976, she was offered the role of Mabel Thomas on the
sitcom What's Happening!!. Her character often used the
catch phrase "This is true", which she said to her children when she tried to prove a point to them. King played the role from 1976 to 1978, but due to disagreements with the direction the creators wanted to take the series, she left
What's Happening!! in 1978 after two seasons. That same year, she reprised the role of Evillene for the 1978 film version of
The Wiz. It was the second time in her career that she appeared in a movie after being in the stage version, the first being
Don't Play Us Cheap. The following year, she appeared in the film
The Jerk as the mother to
Steve Martin's character. King received mostly guest spots on television series including
Fantasy Island,
The Jeffersons,
Amazing Stories and
Tales from the Darkside. In between, she signed on with then Hollywood agent Ruben Malaret, who negotiated her reprised role of Mama Johnson in the made-for-TV movie
The Jerk, Too (1984). Her last two movie roles were
Scrooged (1988) starring
Bill Murray and
Dead Men Don't Die (1990) starring
Elliott Gould.
Personal life
King was married to Melvin King from June 1967 until September 1989. She and Larry Banks had one child, a son named Larry Jr., who died in 1996.
Later years and death
King was
diabetes and in 1986 one of her toes was amputated as a result of the disease. In 1990, King suffered a stroke and entered the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, effectively ending her professional career. In 1991, King's diabetes resulted in the amputation of her left leg. In 1994, her right leg was also amputated. King would also lose one of her arms to diabetes. On November 9, 1999, King died at the age of 66.
Filmography
|
|
| 1973 | Don't Play Us Cheap | Sister Bowser | |
| 1973 | Ganja & Hess | Queen of Myrthia | |
| 1976 | The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings | Bertha Dewitt | |
| 1976–1978 | What's Happening!! | Mabel "Mama" Thomas | 37 episodes |
| 1977 | Scott Joplin | Madam Amy | |
| 1978 | The Wiz | Evillene | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1978–1981 | Fantasy Island | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1979 | Barney Miller | Mother Zilla | Episode: "Computer Crime" |
| 1979 | The Jerk | Mother | |
| 1980 | The Gong Show Movie | Mabel | |
| 1981 | Palmerstown, U.S.A. | Aunt Toog | Episode: "Future City" |
| 1981 | Getting Over | Mabel Queen | |
| 1983 | ABC Weekend Special | Mrs. Trussker | Episode: "All the Money in the World" |
| 1983 | Lottery! | Mabel | Episode: "Los Angeles: Bigger Volume" |
| 1983 | Whiz Kids | | Episode: "Fatal Error" |
| 1984 | The Jerk, Too | Mama Johnson | Television movie |
| 1984 | The Master | Willie | Episode: "Fat Tuesday" |
| 1984 | The Jeffersons | Mother Tobin | Episode: "Some Enchanted Evening" |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories | Jennifer Mowbray | Episode: "The Sitter" |
| 1986 | The Colbys | Fortune Teller | Episode: "The Honeymoon" |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Ruby Cuzzins | Episode: "Baker's Dozen" |
| 1988 | Black Vampire | | |
| 1988 | Wiseguy | Mae Nina | Episode: "Blood Dance" |
| 1988 | Scrooged | Gramma | |
| 1990 | Dead Men Don't Die | Chafuka | |
|
Recordings
-
"Alabama Rock'n'Roll" (RAMA Records, 1956)
-
"Mabel King With The Royal Sita Chorus – Symbol Of Love / Second Hand Love" (RAMA Records, 1956)
-
"Go Back Home Young Fella/Lefty" (Amy Records, 1962)
-
"When We Get The Word / Love" (Amy Records, 1962)
External links
