- unitid
-
{"value"=>"24215", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"b22893245", "type"=>"local_b"}
{"value"=>"Sc MIRS Foster 2008-17", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"circa 1950s-1998", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1950/1998", "certainty"=>"approximate"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Gloria Foster audio and moving image collection"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"61 audio_recordings", "unit"=>"audio_recordings"}]}
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"47 video_recordings", "unit"=>"video_recordings"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Gloria Foster (November 15, 1933-September 29, 2000) was an actress, best known for her roles as Sadie Delany in the play <span class=\"title\">Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters's First 100 Years</span> (1995) and as the Oracle in <span class=\"title\">The Matrix</span> (1999). The collection consists of sixty-one audio recordings and forty-seven videos relating to Foster's career, research materials for an unproduced miniseries on Winnie Mandela, items featuring her frequent collaborators Camille and Bill Cosby, and other collected recordings."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Foster, Gloria, 1936-2001", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Gloria Foster (November 15, 1933-September 29, 2000) was an actress, best known for her roles as Sadie Delany in the play <span class=\"title\">Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years</span> (1995) and as the Oracle in <span class=\"title\">The Matrix</span> (1999). Her career spanned stage, film, and television, and she won several theater awards and nominations. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Foster studied at the Goodman Theater School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now The Theatre School at DePaul University). She moved to New York City in 1961.</p> <p>Foster began acting on Broadway in 1963. Her first role was Ruth Younger in a touring production of Lorraine Hansberry's <span class=\"title\">A Raisin in the Sun</span>. She won an Obie Award for her next performance in the 1963 off Broadway production of Martin B. Doberman's <span class=\"title\">In White America</span>, where she portrayed twenty-seven different characters. In 1965, she became the first Black performer to play the titular role in <span class=\"title\">Medea</span> in New York, for which she won her second Obie Award and a Theater World Award. Foster performed in a range of classical and modern productions including <span class=\"title\">The Trojan Women</span> (1965), <span class=\"title\">A Hand Is on the Gate</span> (1966), <span class=\"title\">A Midsummer Night's Dream</span> (1967), <span class=\"title\">The Cherry Orchard</span> (1973), <span class=\"title\">Agamemnon</span> (1977), <span class=\"title\">Coriolanus</span> (1979), <span class=\"title\">Mother Courage</span> (1980, adapted by Ntozake Shange), <span class=\"title\">Long Day's Journey into Night</span> (1981), <span class=\"title\">Trespassing</span> (1982), and <span class=\"title\">Blood Wedding</span> (1992).</p> <p>In 1989, Foster won the last of her three Obie Awards for her performance in Bill Gunn's <span class=\"title\">The Forbidden City</span> as Miss Molly Hoffenburg. In 1995, she played 103-year-old Sadie Delany in the Broadway play <span class=\"title\">Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years</span>, adapted from Amy Hill Hearth's book of the same name about sisters Sarah Louise \"Sadie\" and Annie Elizabeth \"Bessie\" Delany. She earned critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination for this performance. Her last professional stage role was Lena Younger in the 1999 revival of <span class=\"title\">A Raisin in the Sun</span> at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.</p> <p>Foster's film performances include <span class=\"title\">The Cool World</span> (1964), <span class=\"title\">Nothing But a Man</span> (1964), <span class=\"title\">The Comedians</span> (1967), <span class=\"title\">The Angel Levine</span> (1970), <span class=\"title\">Man and Boy</span> (1971), <span class=\"title\">Leonard Part 6</span> (1987), and <span class=\"title\">City of Hope</span> (1991). Additionally, she played the Oracle in <span class=\"title\">The Matrix</span> (1999), <span class=\"title\">The Matrix Reloaded</span> (2003), and <span class=\"title\">The Matrix Resurrections</span> (2021, archival footage).</p> <p>Her performances on television include <span class=\"title\">I Spy</span> (1968), <span class=\"title\">Mod Squad</span> (1968), <span class=\"title\">The Outcasts</span> (1968), <span class=\"title\">The Bill Cosby Show</span> (1969), <span class=\"title\">The White Shadow</span> (1978), <span class=\"title\">The Files on Jill Hatch</span> (1983), <span class=\"title\">The Cosby Show</span> (1984), the miniseries <span class=\"title\">The Atlanta Child Murders</span> (1985), <span class=\"title\">Law & Order</span> (1990), and <span class=\"title\">Soul Food</span> (2000). She also appeared in the television films <span class=\"title\">To All My Friends on Shore</span> (1972), <span class=\"title\">Top Secret</span> (1978), <span class=\"title\">The House of Dies Drear</span> (1984), the Golden Globe-nominated <span class=\"title\">Separate but Equal</span> (1991), and <span class=\"title\">Percy and Thunder</span> (1993).</p> <p>Foster died of complications from diabetes in 2001, at sixty-seven years old.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection consists of sixty-one audio recordings and forty-seven videos dated circa 1950s to 1998. They include items relating to Foster's career, research materials for an unproduced miniseries on Winnie Mandela, items featuring or related to her frequent collaborators Camille and Bill Cosby, and other collected recordings. Many of the audio items' original formats are cassettes and contain two or more parts. Some items with multiple recordings have been described separately. Item titles are devised from the content of the recordings. Square brackets indicate unclear names or spellings. In instances when participants share surnames, they are referred to by first name throughout this finding aid.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Gloria Foster audio and moving image collection is arranged in four series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scl/24215#c1844844'>SERIES I: GLORIA FOSTER WORKS</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1966-1998</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>20 audio_recordings. 13 video_recordings</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The series consists of twenty audio recordings and thirteen videos dated 1966 to 1998, organized alphabetically by title. They relate to Foster's career, including public and television appearances, performances, and rehearsal tapes. Foster appears in the recordings unless otherwise noted.</p> <p>Public and television appearances include the 1995 Tony Awards Ceremony, \"A Celebration of Black Letters\" by the PEN American Center, an Amnesty International public service announcement, and the American Theater Wing's documentary series <span class=\"title\">Working in the Theater</span>.</p> <p>Seven recordings relate to the play <span class=\"title\">Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years</span>, adapted from Amy Hill Hearth's book of the same name about sisters Sarah Louise \"Sadie\" and Annie Elizabeth \"Bessie\" Delany. The play was produced by Camille O. Cosby and Judith Rutherford James. Foster played the 103-year-old Sadie Delany, alongside actress Mary Alice as Bessie Delany. Six of these recordings are videos of interviews and television broadcasts with Foster and the Delany sisters, as well as Alice, Cosby, and James. One audio recording is a reading of the book <span class=\"title\">On My Own: Reflections on Life Without Bessie</span> (1997) by Sadie Delany and Amy Hill Hearth, written after the death of Bessie in 1995. Foster and Hearth narrate the book. Other plays represented in the series include a performance of <span class=\"title\">A Hand Is on the Gate</span>, rehearsal tapes for <span class=\"title\">Mother Courage</span> and <span class=\"title\">Trespassing</span>, and an interview with Foster about <span class=\"title\">The Forbidden City</span>.</p> <p>Films represented in the series include <span class=\"title\">Leonard Part 6</span> (1987) starring Bill Cosby, as well as a rehearsal tape for the movie; the Golden Globe-nominated <span class=\"title\">Separate but Equal</span> (1991); <span class=\"title\">Allan Boesak: Choosing for Justice</span> (1984), in which Foster does not appear; and <span class=\"title\">The Height of Dedication: 50 Years of Service</span>, a short film tribute to civil rights and women's rights activist Dorothy Irene Height. Television shows include an episode of <span class=\"title\">The Cosby Show</span>, and a review of Foster's performance in <span class=\"title\">The Files on Jill Hatch</span>. Also included are musical compositions by Michelle Ekizian, one in which Foster is a narrator; rehearsal tapes for unidentified productions; and vocal exercises.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scl/24215#c1844881'>SERIES II: WINNIE MANDELA RESEARCH MATERIALS</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1985-1987</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>23 audio_recordings. 9 video_recordings</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The series consists of twenty-three audio recordings and nine videos dated circa 1985 to 1987, organized alphabetically by title and media type. They represent research materials for an unproduced miniseries on Winnie Mandela (September 26, 1936-April 2, 2018), anti-apartheid activist and second wife of Nelson Mandela. Foster had been working on this miniseries with Camille Cosby and Judith James as producers. She does not appear in any of the recordings.</p> <p>Producer, director, and screenwriter Emily Mann traveled to South Africa and England to conduct interviews and research for the project, which represent many of the recordings in this series. Interviewees include Winnie Mandela, and other South African anti-apartheid activists Audrey Coleman, Helen Joseph, Virginia Mngoma, Albertina Sisulu, and Adelaide Tambo. They discuss their relationship with Winnie and their activism. Like Winnie and Nelson Mandela, many of the interviewees participated in the anti-apartheid struggle with their spouses, with whom they shared last names. In these cases, the interviewees' first names are used. Other recordings made by Mann include the wedding celebration of Ntombifuthi Irene Mhlongo and Wilton Mkwayi, overall commander of uMkhonto weSizwe, the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress (ANC); and performances by the Imilonji KaNtu Choral Society. The series includes several documentary films on Winnie and Nelson Mandela, and Black women in South Africa during apartheid. They are <span class=\"title\">South Africa Belongs to Us</span> (1980); <span class=\"title\">You Have Struck a Rock!</span> (1981), and its soundtrack; <span class=\"title\">Liberation Women</span> (1985); <span class=\"title\">I Shall Never Lose Hope</span> (1986); <span class=\"title\">Maids and Madams: Apartheid Begins in the Home</span> (1986); and two different films titled <span class=\"title\">Mandela</span> (both 1986).</p> <p>Three recordings are television broadcasts of Winnie at a mass funeral at Mamelodi Stadium; an interview with Winnie about Women's Day in South Africa; and Winnie and Nelson Mandela's daughter Zindzi Mandela and Desmond Tutu addressing a crowd at Jabulani Stadium near Soweto. One recording is an interview with Stephen M. Davis, author of <span class=\"title\">Apartheid's Rebels: Inside South Africa's Hidden War</span> (1987).</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scl/24215#c1844921'>SERIES III: BILL AND CAMILLE COSBY</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1987-1997</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 audio_recording. 6 video_recordings</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The series consists of one audio recording and six videos dated 1987 to 1997, organized chronologically. They feature or relate to comedian and actor Bill Cosby (b. July 12, 1937) and his wife, television producer and philanthropist Camille Cosby (b. March 20, 1944). Gloria Foster and Bill Cosby have acted in many productions together, including the films <span class=\"title\">Man and Boy</span>; <span class=\"title\">To All My Friends on Shore</span>; <span class=\"title\">Top Secret</span>; and <span class=\"title\">Leonard Part 6</span>; as well as the television shows <span class=\"title\">The Bill Cosby Show</span> and <span class=\"title\">The Cosby Show</span>. Camille was one of the producers for the play <span class=\"title\">Having Our Say</span> and the unproduced miniseries on Winnie Mandela, both of which involved Foster. Foster does not appear on any of the recordings.</p> <p>The series includes the 119th and the 138th commencement ceremonies for Howard University and Spelman College respectively, for which Camille was the commencement speaker; and Camille's induction ceremony into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Also included are an episode of <span class=\"title\">The Cosby Show</span>; <span class=\"title\">Two Friends</span> (1992), a comedy special by Bill Cosby and actor, comedian, dancer, and musician, Sammy Davis Jr.; and <span class=\"title\">Oh, Baby</span> (1991), a comedy album by Bill Cosby. One recording is a <span class=\"title\">Larry King Live</span> episode discussing the murder investigation of Bill and Camille's son, Ennis William Cosby.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scl/24215#c1844929'>SERIES IV: COLLECTED RECORDINGS</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>circa 1950s-1997</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>17 audio_recordings. 19 video_recordings</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>This series consists of seventeen audio and nineteen video recordings of Gloria Foster's collected recordings dated circa 1950s to 1997, organized alphabetically by title and media type. They include films, film soundtracks, music, radio and television broadcasts, and television shows. Synopses are amended from other sources such as IMDB. Gloria Foster does not appear on any of the recordings.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>See the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division for the Gloria Foster collection, Sc MG 786.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Collection inventoried by <span class=\"name\">Nathan Evans</span> and <span class=\"name\">Virginia Mullaney</span>. Collection processed and described by <span class=\"name\">Ornella U. Baganizi</span>, archivist. Finding aid published in <span class=\"date\">2025</span>.</p>"}
- accessrestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>At the time of publishing, two video cassettes are not available pending digitization.</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p><span class=\"title\">Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years</span> by Annie Elizabeth Delany, Sarah Louise Delany, and Amy Hill Hearth, Sc E 93-548.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p><span class=\"title\">Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years</span>: a play by Emily Mann, Sc D 22-597.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p><span class=\"title\">On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life Without Bessie</span> by Sarah L. Delany with Amy Hill Hearth; illustrations by Brian M. Kotzky, Sc C 96-165.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p>Gloria Foster portrait collection, Sc Photo Foster, Gloria.</p>"}
- sponsor
-
{"value"=>"An anonymous donor funded preliminary processing for this collection. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supported a research library-wide grant for the digitization, and funded the Schomburg for the description and production of the finding aid as part of The Next Century of Black Studies Project."}
- revisiondesc
-
{"value"=>"Item AMI identifiers, titles, scope and content notes, and extent notes updated to facilitate public access by Ornella U. Baganizi.", "date"=>"2026-05-05"}
- date_start
-
1950
- keydate
-
1950
- date_end
-
1998
- date_inclusive_start
-
1950
- date_inclusive_end
-
1998
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Gloria Foster audio and moving image collection, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division, The New York Public Library"}