Berlinda Tolbert – Where in Gods Name Is The actress? 7 Facts You Were Not Told

Berlinda Tolbert is one actress that one would always refer to when it comes to those who knows their onions. After falling in love with acting at a young age, she then discovered that she was a natural storyteller who was intrigued by human behavior. This is one of the reasons why she will always be referred to as a great actress as she has a natural knack for falling into character and making a role very believable.

Berlinda is best known for portraying the role of Jenny Willis Jefferson, daughter to Tom and Helen Willis on the CBS sitcom titled “The Jeffersons”, which was originally aired from 1975 until 1985.

Berlinda Tolbert Biography

Berlinda Tolbert was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA on November 4, 1949. When she was about 13 years of age, she acted in a play and her father commented that she was very good at acting. It was at this point that Berlinda became encouraged to pursue an acting career. She went all out to get the right education to become a successful actress.

Where Is The Actress Today?

The last time Berlinda was involved in any film or project work was in 2011 where she played the role of Angeline in “Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific”. In a 2013 interview with Jet Magazine, she shared that she took a temporary break from acting to take care of her aged parents who have been her number one supporters. Not much has been heard from her since then.

Unfortunately, she has made it clear that she doesn’t think she would be back on the screen again in her life as she enjoys the time away.

Facts About Her You Didn’t Know

1. Berlinda Tolbert studied arts

Once Berlinda resolved to become an actress, she decided to get the right education to prepare her for her chosen career. She attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem where she studied theatre before proceeding to London to study drama.

2. Breakthrough in her acting career

Berlinda is one of those actresses that has an innate ability for acting. Martin Scorsese must have recognized this because he gave her her first film part while she was still in acting school in the early ’70s. Years later, she ran into him again and they spoke about the first role he gave her. About two weeks later, he contacted her to be a part of another movie he was working on. This is how she came to play Sam Jackson’s girlfriend in “Good Fellas”.

Asides from this, the role that really shot Berlinda to the limelight was that of Jenny Willis Jefferson, the daughter of interracial couple Tom and Helen Willis, friends of George and Louise Jefferson on the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons. The series aired originally from 1975 to 1985. Speaking on her experience on the show, Berlinda Tolbert shared that the entire experience was memorable and life-changing. She also counted it a privilege and learning experience as she was just beginning her career at that time. Her experience on that set coloured her impressions of the industry in an extremely positive way.

Some of her other roles are in films like Harlem Nights, Dangerous Touch, Goodfellas, Strange Fruit, Patriot Games, Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific and also television shows including That’s My Mama, S.W.A.T, ER, Six Feet Under, Fantasy Island, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Army Show, Dead Last, and Six Feet Under amongst several others.

3. Berlinda enjoys a close-knit relationship with her parents

Berlinda has never been shy to speak about her love for her parents. One of the reasons she chose to pursue her dream as an actress was due to the support she got from her parents. According to her, they are supportive of her work and journey with her every step of the way. She even shared that they often visited her during the time she was doing The Jeffersons.

This is probably one of the reasons, she didn’t hesitate to take the long-needed break from her acting career to take care of her parents especially after her father fell Ill and passed away. It was then left to her to take care of her mother who was well over 80 years of age.

4. Berlinda Tolbert Is Married To Bob Reid For Over 40 Years

Berlinda and Bob first met in Atlanta when she was filming a show while Bob was working as a producer for NBC. The duo spent the next couple of days getting to know each other and soon realized that they were destined to be together. After 11 days of a whirlwind romance, they got married on valentine’s day – February 14th 1979 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Due to the demanding nature of their separate booming careers, they had to endure the pain and heartache of a long-distance relationship during the early years of their marriage. For seven years, Bob worked in New York while Berlinda was in Los Angeles. Bob later took up a journalism job at CBS so they could finally be together as a family. Despite their fast romance and marriage, the duo has remained together for over 40 years of marriage.

5. Details About Her Children Remains Sketchy

Despite enjoying a beautiful acting career, Berlinda has been able to keep some details about her personal life from media. Unfortunately, not much is known about their family life especially if she and her husband have any children.

See Also: Rosanne Katon – Biography Of The Actress And Model, 7 Amazing Facts About Her

6. Berlinda is excited about the breaking out of the black woman stereotype in the movie industry

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The beautiful actress once shared in an interview, that she was excited about the new phase in the movie industry where black women have more roles and a variety of choices. She also spoke about the willingness to explore African-American experiences. There is much more room for diversity with a wonderful blend of cultures and non-traditional casting.

7. She has an interesting connection with her onscreen husband- Mike Evans

One of the reasons the cast and everything about “The Jefferson Show” remain special to Berlinda is her relationship and connection with the members of the cast. She was born just a day after actor Mike Evans. Evans played her boyfriend/husband in The Jefferson. Ironically, they were both born in North Carolina.

Complete profile of Berlinda Tolbert