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IMDbPro

Ja'net DuBois(1932-2020)

  • Actress
  • Music Department
  • Executive
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Ja'net DuBois at an event for Think Like a Man (2012)
Good Times
Play trailer2:01
Good Times (1974–1979)
2 Videos
50 Photos
Ja'Net DuBois was a multi-talented and diverse performer. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and began her career on Broadway. She has appeared in various plays, including "Golden Boy" with Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr., and "A Raisin in the Sun". She moved onto TV roles, receiving a Peabody Award for a 1969 CBS children's movie J.T. (1969). She then appeared in a daytime serial, Love of Life (1951); she is the first African American actress to have a regular serial role.

She was best known for her role as the sexy, confident, gossipy "Willona Woods" on Good Times (1974). She composed and sang the theme song, "Movin' On Up", for another Norman Lear series, The Jeffersons (1975). She appeared in many films, including the blaxploitation parody, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), as a tough and loving mother. She also did voice-over work, for which she received two Emmys.

She co-founded the "Pan African Film & Arts Festival", which showcases global films about people of African descent and fine arts. She is a community activist whose DuBois Care Foundation's mission is to empower youth by supporting after-school programs. She was also a painter who regularly exhibited her work. She released a CD in 2008, "Hidden Treasures", which includes the well-known TV theme song, "Movin' On Up".
BornAugust 5, 1932
DiedFebruary 17, 2020(87)
BornAugust 5, 1932
DiedFebruary 17, 2020(87)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 2 Primetime Emmys
    • 6 wins & 1 nomination total

Photos50

Janet Jackson and Ja'net DuBois in Good Times (1974)
Marlon Wayans, Ja'net DuBois, Anna Maria Horsford, BernNadette Stanis, Shawn Wayans, and John Witherspoon in The Wayans Bros. (1995)
Janet Jackson and Ja'net DuBois in Good Times (1974)
Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Esther Rolle, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Johnny Brown, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Debbie Allen, Ja'net DuBois, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Ja'net DuBois and Esther Rolle in Good Times (1974)
Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Ja'net DuBois in Good Times (1974)
John Amos, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Frances Foster, Esther Rolle, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Ja'net DuBois, Esther Rolle, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)

Known for:

Janet Jackson, Johnny Brown, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Ben Powers, Esther Rolle, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
Good Times
7.4
TV Series
  • Willona Woods
Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
4.9
  • Momma Bosley
  • 2003
The X Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
The X Files: I Want to Believe
5.9
  • Soundtrack(as Ja'Net DuBois, "Movin' On Up" (1975))
  • 2008
Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (1992)
Basic Instinct
7.0
  • Soundtrack("Movin' on Up")
  • 1992

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Fatima Washington in She's Got a Plan (2016)
    She's Got a Plan
    • Betty Angelo
    • 2016
  • G.I. Joe: Renegades (2010)
    G.I. Joe: Renegades
    • Grams Hinton (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2011
  • Random! Cartoons (2007)
    Random! Cartoons
    • Mom (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2007
  • Cold Case (2003)
    Cold Case
    • Edna Johnson '07
    • TV Series
    • 2007
  • Jill Hennessy in Crossing Jordan (2001)
    Crossing Jordan
    • Mrs. Jones
    • TV Series
    • 2006
  • Melissa Disney in As Told by Ginger (2000)
    As Told by Ginger
    • Mrs. Patterson (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2000–2004
  • Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
    Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
    • Momma Bosley
    • 2003
  • Kyla Pratt in One on One (2001)
    One on One
    • Queen Esther
    • TV Series
    • 2003
  • Boomtown (2002)
    Boomtown
    • Denise Smith
    • TV Series
    • 2003
  • The PJs (1999)
    The PJs
    • Mrs. Avery (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 1999–2001
  • Waterproof (2000)
    Waterproof
    • Viola Battle
    • 2000
  • Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett, Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, and Ray Romano in Everybody Loves Raymond (1996)
    Everybody Loves Raymond
    • Dottie
    • TV Series
    • 2000
  • Cedric the Entertainer, Steve Harvey, and Wendy Raquel Robinson in The Steve Harvey Show (1996)
    The Steve Harvey Show
    • Delores (as Ja'net DuBoise)
    • TV Series
    • 2000
  • Hard Time: Hostage Hotel (1999)
    Hard Time: Hostage Hotel
    • Lefty, Logan's Assistant
    • TV Movie
    • 1999
  • Stacey Dash, Rachel Blanchard, Elisa Donovan, Donald Faison, and Sean Holland in Clueless (1996)
    Clueless
    • Aunt Liddy
    • TV Series
    • 1999

Music Department

  • Marla Gibbs, Paul Benedict, Franklin Cover, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Isabel Sanford, and Berlinda Tolbert in The Jeffersons (1975)
    The Jeffersons
    • composer: theme music
    • theme music composer
    • TV Series
    • 1975–1985
  • Janet Jackson, Johnny Brown, Ralph Carter, Ja'net DuBois, Ben Powers, Esther Rolle, BernNadette Stanis, and Jimmie 'JJ' Walker in Good Times (1974)
    Good Times
    • songwriter (as Ja'net Du Bois)
    • TV Series
    • 1976

Videos2

Good Times
Trailer 2:01
Good Times
Good Times: Season 1
Trailer 2:04
Good Times: Season 1

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Alternative names
    • Ja'net Du Bois
  • Height
    • 5′ 5½″ (1.66 m)
  • Born
    • August 5, 1932
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Died
    • February 17, 2020
    • Glendale, California, USA(cardiac arrest)
  • Spouse
    • Sajit Krishna Gupta1950 - 1958 (divorced, 4 children)
  • Children
      Rani DuBois
  • Parents
      Lillian Gouedy
  • Relatives
    • Lillian(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Co-wrote and sang the theme song "Movin' On Up" for the TV series The Jeffersons (1975).
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Wrote and sang the theme song to The Jeffersons (1975) before she ever knew what the show was about.

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