Daphne Maxwell Reid

Poised, pretty, and personable TV lead and host who often worked with her husband actor-producer Tim Reid, most notably in the acclaimed but regrettably short-lived sitcom "Frank's Place" (CBS, 1987-88), an irreverent but classy look at some of the intricacies of the African-American experience. Elected Northwestern University's first Black Homecoming Queen, Reid entered showbiz as a model with the Eileen Ford modeling agency, appearing in numerous magazines and landing a Glamour cover. This exposure led to TV commercials and acting lessons under the tutelage of actor-teacher Robert Hooks, the co-founder of the Negro Ensemble Company. Reid made her acting debut in an off-Broadway production of "The Skin of Our Teeth" while attending the workshop. TV guest spots followed a few years later on the likes of "Cagney and Lacey," "Hill Street Blues," and "WKRP in Cincinnati."

Reid played a recurring character, often opposite her husband, on the detective series "Simon and Simon." The Reids also split hosting and presenting chores on various parades and awards shows and played a crime-solving couple on the short-lived "Snoops" (CBS, 1989-90). Reid joined the cast of the NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in the 1993-94 season replacing the departing Janet Hubert-Whitten as Will Smith's Aunt Vivian Banks. An accomplished seamstress and fashion designer, she created a series of instructional videos including "Suddenly You're Sewing--with Daphne Maxwell Reid" and sewing patterns under the Daphne Maxwell Reid Collection for The McCall Pattern Company.