Esther Rolle

Esther Elizabeth Rolle was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom Maude for two seasons and its spinoff series Good Times for five seasons .

Esther Rolle was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, to Bahamian immigrants Jonathan Rolle , a farmer, and Elizabeth Iris Rolle . Her parents were both born and raised in Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas and moved to Florida some time after their marriage. She was the tenth ofchildren . Rolle attended Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida. She initially studied at Spelman College in Atlanta, but she moved to New York City. While in New York, she attended Hunter College. Rolle transferred to The New School and, finally, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. For many years, Rolle worked in a traditional day job in New York Citys garment district.

Source: Wikipedia