The late actress was an Emmy and Tony winner.
Mary Alice has died. The actress, best known for her work in Sparkle and The Matrix Revolutions, died Wednesday night at her home in New York City, the New York Police Department told ET. She was 86.
Per the NYPD, Alice's death does not appear to be suspicious, and the medical examiner will soon determine cause and manner of death.
Born in Mississippi, Alice made her Broadway debut in 1969, appearing in No Place to Be Somebody. She won the Best Featured Actress in a Play Tony Award in 1987 for her performance in Fences. Alice gave another Tony-nominated performance in the 1995 play Having Our Say. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2000.
Alice made her film debut in 1974's The Education of Sonny Carson, and two years later starred in Sparkle, which marked her breakout role. Her other film credits include Malcolm X, Down in the Delta, and Sunshine State.
On television, Alice first landed guest-starring parts on TV shows including Police Woman and Sanford and Son, before booking roles on A Different World and I'll Fly Away. The latter series earned her two Emmy nominations, and she won the Best Supporting Actress Award in 1993. Throughout her career, Alice appeared on such series as All My Children, L.A. Law and Oz.
Alice's most recent acting role came in 2005 when she appeared on an episode of Kojak starring Ving Rhames.
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