Quick Wiki
- Full Name Kellita Smith
- Occupation Actress
- Nationality American
- Birthplace Illinois, USA
- Birth Date Jan 15, 1969
- Age 55 Years, 5 Months
Kellita Smith | Biography
Smith was nominated for the 'Image (NAAP) Awards' under 'Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series',' in 2013 for her work on 'The First Family''The Bernie Mac Show' was about a stand-up comedian, Bernie 'Mac' McCullough, and his wife, Wanda McCullough, who suddenly became parents to his sister's three children. Smith played the role of Wanda from 2001 to 2006. The show went on to win an 'Outstanding Writing for a Comedy' at the 2002 'Primetime Emmy Awards,' and a 'Peabody Award.' To the surprise of the show's creators, Larry Wilmore and Bernie Mac, the series progressed till 2006 for five seasons.
Kellita Smith is an actress and comedian known for her role on the Fox series 'The Bernie Mac Show.'
Who is Kellita Smith?
Smith initially worked as a model and later started acting in theaters and TV shows.
Smith entered acting after touring with the cast of the play Tell It Like It Tiz. She later appeared on a 1993 episode of the TV series In Living Color. She then went on to act feature on TV shows such as Martin, Malcolm & Eddie, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Steve Harvey Show, Z Nation, and also In the Cut.
Her film credits include The Crossing Guard (1995), Q: The Movie (1999), Retiring Tatiana (2000), Kingdom Come (2001), Roll Bounce (2005), Fell the Noise (2007), Conspiracy X (2010), Imperial Dreams (2014), The Choir Director (2018) and Influence (2020).
However, she came to the limelight for her role as Wanda McCullough on the 'Emmy Award' winning show The Bernie Mac Show. For her performance, she was nominated at the 'BET Comedy Awards' under 'Outstanding Lead Actress in Comedy Series' in 2004 and 2005. She was also nominated for the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 'Image (NAAP) Awards' under 'Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series,' for the same show.
Early Life
Smith was born on 15 January 1969 in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in Oakland, California, and graduated with an Associate Degree in Political Science from Santa Rosa Junior College.
Career
Smith began her career as a model and later decided to become an actress. She made her acting debut in 1993 for the TV series In Living Color before she did theatre and toured as a cast of the play Tell It Like It Tiz.
She then acted in numerous movies such as The Crossing Guard in 1995, Q: The Movie in 1999, then Retiring Tatiana in 2000, Kingdom Come in 2001, Roll Bounce in 2005, Fell the Noise in 2007, Conspiracy X in 2010, Imperial Dreams in 2014, The Choir Director in 2018 and Influence in 2020.
TV Series
Smith is also known for her roles on TV series. From 1994 to 1995, she played the role of Tracy on Martin. In 1995, Smith played Tonya on Sister, Sister, and played the role of Danielle on Malcolm & Eddie in 1997. She starred as Cherise from 1997 to 1999 on The Jamie Foxx Show and Ava Whitley on the 1999 series The Steve Harvey Show. The same year, she portrayed Valerie Maxwell on The Parkers.
Further, from 2001 to 2006, she played the role of Wanda McCullough on The Bernie Mac Show, which went on to become her career highlighting character. Subsequently, she was First Lady Katherine Johnson on The First Family from 2012 to 2015, Roberta Warren on Z Nation from 2014 to 2018, and Chery on In the Cut from 2016 to 2019.
'The Bernie Mac Show'
The Bernie Mac Show was about a stand-up comedian, Bernie 'Mac' McCullough, and his wife, Wanda McCullough, who suddenly became parents to his sister's three children.
Smith played the role of Wanda from 2001 to 2006. The show went on to win an 'Outstanding Writing for a Comedy' at the 2002 'Primetime Emmy Awards,' and a 'Peabody Award.'
To the surprise of the show's creators, Larry Wilmore and Bernie Mac, the series progressed till 2006 for five seasons.
Last words with Bernie Mac
Even after the show ended, Smith was on good terms with her co-star Bernie Mac. In 2019, Smith revealed that Mac requested her to work with him on a stand-up at the Las Vegas MGM show in 2008.
But, when she was hesitant and nervous about opening up for the show, Mac encouraged her to do it. Unfortunately, Smith did not know that Mac was calling her from the hospital where he was admitted due to sarcoidosis and pneumonia. He passed away on 5 October 2008 at the age of 50.
In 2020, Smith shared that Mac and Wilmore worked tremendously to air the show on their terms while recalling about The Bernie Mac Show. She further added that they had originally proposed The Bernie Mac Show to be of a different family-style, but due to the season's trends, it could not be implemented as they pictured. However, the two negotiated with their network to eliminate certain things like the background laughs, presence of the audience, and shooting the show with only one camera.
Awards and Nominations
Smith was nominated multiple times for her performance on The Bernie Mac Show. In 2004 and 2005, she was nominated at the 'BET Comedy Awards' under 'Outstanding Lead Actress in Comedy Series.' For the same show, she was nominated for the 'Image (NAAP) Awards' under 'Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series' in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006. In 2013, she was nominated for the same category for her performance on The First Family.
Further, she won 'Image (NAACP) Awards' under 'Best Supporting Actress,' for her work in the Los Angeles production of Feelings at The Hudson Theatre.
Personal Life
Smith has not publicly announced her relationships. But, she has expressed her disagreement with the trends and conditions of marriage, and at the same time, she is not against the social tradition.
