Juanita Jennings

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OccupationActress

Yearsactive1986–present

Juanita Jennings
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1986–present

Juanita Jennings is an American actress, known for her roles on television. She is known for playing Edna in the TBS sitcom Meet the Browns, Ruby Jones in the Fox drama Star, and Nana Mama in the Prime Video procedural Cross.

Jennings won the 1994 CableACE Award for Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries for her role in Laurel Avenue.^[1] She guest-starred in many television series, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ellen, Chicago Hope, 7th Heaven, Touched by an Angel, The Practice, Soul Food and Justified. Her stage credits include playing Rose Maxson in South Coast Repertory's production of August Wilson's Fences.^[2]^[3]

Jennings may best known for her series regular role in the TBS sitcom Meet the Browns as Edna Barnes, which she starred from 2009 to 2011. She had recurring roles in The Division, The Bold and the Beautiful and most notably in the Fox primetime soap opera Star from 2017 to 2019. In 2019, she had a recurring role in the USA Network legal drama Pearson and the Oprah Winfrey Network drama David Makes Man.^[4] Starting in 2024, she has appeared as Regina "Nana Mama" Cross in the Prime Video crime drama Cross, based on the novels of James Patterson.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Running Against Time	Role Unknown
1991	The Marla Hanson Story	Prosecutor
1991	Bad Attitudes	James' Mother
1992	Basic Instinct	Receptionist
1992	Condition: Critical	Janine
1993	Laurel Avenue	Yolanda Arnett-Friedman
	Jack Reed: Badge of Honor	Dr. Laura Wheeler
	Murder of Innocence	Lillian Foster
1994	Out of Darkness	Inez
	On Promised Land	Martha Ree Ween
	Override	Role Unknown	Short
1997	Spirit Lost	Vera
1999	The Rockford Files: If It Bleeds... It Leads	Helen Picker
1999	Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her	Nurse (segment "Fantasies About Rebecca")
2000	Dancing in September	Ms. Taylor
2000	What Women Want	Kitchen Secretary
2001	Baby Boy	Rachel
2003	Runaway Jury	Loreen Duke
2004	Something for Nothing	Mrs. Lassiter	Short
2005	Shackles	Bella
2006	Tootie Pie	Auntie
2007	Love... & Other 4 Letter Words	Gigi
2007	Daddy's Little Girls	Katheryn
2008	Vacancy 2: The First Cut	Doris (video)
2009	Janky Promoters	Momma
2010	My Girlfriend's Back	Dr. Melinda
2011	Midnight Son	Liz
2013	Side Effects	Gladys
2013	Khumba	Zuki

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	St. Elsewhere	Role Unknown	Episode ”The Equalizer”
1986	Hunter	Dr. Lena Sims	Episode ”The Castro Connection”
1990	A Different World	Desk Sergeant	Episode ”A Camp Fire Story”
1990	Lifestories	Laverne Williamson	Episode ”Steve Burdick”
1991	Matlock	Assistant	Episode ”The Game Show”
1992-1993	Life Goes On	Detective Davis	Episodes ”The Whole Truth” and “Incident on “Man
1993	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air	Nurse	Episode ”The Baby Comes Out”
	Crossroads	T.A. Pennebaker	Episode ”The Nickel Curves”
	Roc	Miss Hawkins	Episode ”Shove it Up Your Asprin”
1994	All American Girl	Carolyn	Episode ”Who’s the Boss”
1995	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Mrs. Bing	Episode ”What About Your Friends”
	The Client	Opal Garrett	One Episode: The Burning of Atlanta
	Beverly Hills, 90210	Mrs. Holcomb	Episode ”Fortunate Son”
1996	Picket Fences	Gloria	Episode ”The Z Files”
	Sister, Sister	Ms. Dadier	Episode “Summer Bummer”
	Ellen	Therapist	Episode ”The Bubble Gum Incident”
1997	Life's Work	Judge Cowan	Episode ”Fraud”
	Sparks	Mrs. Clark	Episode ”Too Hot Not to Cool Down”
	Suddenly Susan	Ms. Hollins	Episode ”Truth and Consequences”
	Chicago Hope	Rebecca Rosen	Two Episodes: The Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen... by Proxy and All in the Family
1998	The Pretender	Alice Evans	Episode ”Giggolo Jared”
1998	Buffy the Vampire Slayer	Dr. Wilkinson	Episode ”Killed by Death
1999	Crusade	Lieutenant Carr	One Episode: Ruling from the Tomb
1999	7th Heaven	Cynthia	One Episode: Come Drive with Me
2000	City of Angels	Marsha	One Episode: Prototype
	18 Wheels of Justice	Lillian Haybrook	One Episode: The Fire Next Time
	Touched by an Angel	Warden Davis	One Episode: True Confessions
	Felicity	Pastor Kathy	One Episode: And to All a Good Night
2000-2003	The Practice	Claire Stevens and Marcia Hodges	Two Episodes: Till Death Do Us Part and The Making of a Trial Attorney
2000-2006	ER	Mrs. Davis and ICU Doctor	Two Episodes: Family Matters and Darfur
2001	Judging Amy	Elsie	One Episode: The Claw Is Our Master
	Kate Brasher	Delores	One Episode: Kate
	That's My Bush!	Ms. Clea	One Episode: Eenie, Meenie, Miney, MURDER!
	The Guardian	Edna	One Episode: Lolita?
	The District	Mrs. Broyles	One Episode: To Serve and Protect
2002	Frasier	Suzy	One Episode: The Proposal
2002	The Division	Dr. Donna Morella	Four Episodes: Farewell My Lovelies, Long Day's Journey, Before the Deluge and Sweet Sorrow
2003	Without a Trace	Delores	One Episode: No Mas
2004	Soul Food	Vivian Chadway, Kenny's Mother	One Episode: The Son Also Rises
2005-2006	Family Guy	Miss Clifton	Episodes: Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High and Saving Private Brian
2006	Scrubs	Dr. Marston	One Episode: My Extra Mile
2006	American Dad!	Woman	One Episode: Helping Handis
2007	The Bold and the Beautiful	Dorothy Bascomb	Eleven Episodes:
2007-2008	Lincoln Heights	Mama Taylor/Momma Taylor	Five Episodes: Manchild, Grown Folks' Business, The Old Man and the G, The Vision and Disarmed
2009-2011	Meet the Browns	Edna/Edna Barnes	Series regular, 140 episodes
2010	Detroit 1-8-7	Sally Elliston	One Episode: Nobody's Home/Unknown Soldier
2011	Justified	Rachel's Mother	One Episode: For Blood or Money
2011	Torchwood	Bisme Katusi	One Episode: Escape to L.A.
2013	Shameless	Mama Kamala	Season 3, Episode 6: Cascading Failures, Season 3, Episode 7: A Long Way From Home
2015	Major Crimes	Amira's Grandma	One Episode: Snitch
2017-2019	Star	Ruby	Recurring Role
2018	Here and Now	Gwendolyn Williams	One Episode: Wake
2018	Suits	Lillian Cook	Episode: "Good-Bye"
2018	Detroiters	Mrs. Duvet	Two Episodes: Happy Birthday Mr. Duvet and Duvet Family Reunion
2019	Pearson	Lillian Cook	Recurring role, 8 episodes
2019	David Makes Man	Mrs. Hertrude	Recurring role, 8 episodes
2024	Cross	Regina Cross	8 episodes
2025	Watson	Elizabeth Morstan	Episode: "A Son in the Oven"^[5]

Juanita Jennings

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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