Lynda Gravátt Dies: ‘Law & Order’ and Broadway Actress Was 76
Lynda Gravátt, a critically-acclaimed Broadway stage actress who appeared on television shows such as Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and East New York, has died. She was 76.
Her son, David Gravátt, confirmed she passed away on Friday, February 23, at a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, per The Hollywood Reporter. A cause of death was not provided.
Born on May 24, 1947, in Harlem, New York, Gravátt appeared in her first Broadway production at the age of four in The King and I; she would go on to perform recitals at Carnegie Hall when she was nine.
She attended Howard University, appearing in several productions before graduating in 1971 and acting at the Living Stage. Following her graduation, Gravátt embarked on a highly successful stage career, acting in productions such as Doubt, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Intimate Apparel, 45 Seconds From Broadway, Skeleton Crew, The Old Settler, and many more.
Gravátt also made numerous TV appearances, including a regular role on the 1999-2000 Showtime series The Hoop Life. She also guest-starred on three different series of Law & Order, including the original show, plus Criminal Intent and Special Victims Unit.
Her other TV credits include Sex and the City, The Good Wife, 30 Rock, Elementary, Person of Interest, Madam Secretary, Ramy, and, most recently, East New York, where she played Alberta Moore in two episodes.
On the big screen, Gravátt starred in The Architect (2006), The Bounty Hunter (2010), Delivery Man (2013), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), and The Outside Story (2020).
Outside of acting, Gravátt taught at Howard and Rutgers University and was a founding faculty member at the Duke Ellington of School of the Arts in Washington.
Tributes poured in following the news of Gravátt’s passing, including from Oscar-winner Viola Davis, who wrote, “Greatness. That’s what you will be…great heart, great actress, great friend….I will love you forever. Rest well Lynda Gravatt.”
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She is survived by her sons, David and Oge; her grandchildren, Josephine, Lucas, Ishmale, Ishana and Isabella; and her half-sister, award-winning documentarian June Cross.
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