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Theresa Harris
Theresa Harris
78 years (Dec 31, 1906 – Oct 8, 1985)
Houston, Texas, USA
78 Movies
3 TV Shows

Theresa Harris

Theresa Harris has spent most of a working life as an American actress who has treated acting as a trade rather than a spotlight. Viewing habits have changed more than once since the first credit. She has worked in drama more often than in any other register. The distance between the first credit and the most recent is about 97 years. The most visible line on the filmography is 'I Walked with a Zombie' (Alma). Viewers may also know her from 'Jezebel'.
Theresa Harris has spent most of a working life as an American actress who has treated acting as a trade rather than a spotlight. Viewing habits have changed more than once since the first credit. She has worked in drama more often than in any other register. The distance between the first credit and the most recent is about 97 years. The most visible line on the filmography is 'I Walked with a Zombie' (Alma). Viewers may also know her from 'Jezebel'.
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Full Filmography
The Gift of Love
Dora - Sam's Wife (uncredited)
★ 7.3
1958
Film
How to Marry a Millionaire
Irene · 1 episode
★ 8.0
1957
TV
Spoilers of the Forest
Nancy the Maid
★ 6.0
1957
Film
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Maid · 1 episode
★ 7.8
1955–1956
TV
Back from Eternity
Mamie (uncredited)
★ 6.7
1956
Film
Letter to Loretta
Lulu · 1 episode
★ 6.6
1953–1954
TV
The French Line
Clare (uncredited)
★ 4.5
1954
Film
Small Town Girl
Backstage Maid
★ 5.6
1953
Film
Angel Face
Nurse Theresa (uncredited)
★ 7.1
1953
Film
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Theresa Harris still alive?
Theresa Harris passed away on October 8, 1985 at age 78.
What are the most famous roles of Theresa Harris?
Theresa Harris is best known for roles in Miracle on 34th Street, The Lady from Shanghai, Cat People.
How many movies has Theresa Harris been in?
Over a 56-year career (since 1929), Theresa Harris has appeared in 76 movies and 3 TV shows.
What was Theresa Harris's first movie?
The career of Theresa Harris began with Thunderbolt (1929).
What is Theresa Harris's most recent movie or series?
Theresa Harris's most recent release is The Gift of Love, which premiered on February 11, 1958.
What TV shows has Theresa Harris appeared in?
On television, Theresa Harris has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Letter to Loretta, Lux Video Theatre, How to Marry a Millionaire.
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Theresa Harris
Theresa Harris
1906-12-31 · Houston, Texas, USA

Theresa Harris (December 31, 1906 [some sources indicate 1909] – October 8, 1985) was an American film and television actress, singer and dancer.

In 1929 Harris traveled to Hollywood, where she embarked on an acting career. She made her film debut in Thunderbolt, singing the song "Daddy Won't You Please Come Home". As she entered the 1930s she found herself playing maids to fictitious Southern belles, socialites and female molls. These parts were sometimes uncredited. She also floated around studios doing bit parts, usually at Warner Bros. or MGM. Aside from maids, she specialized in playing blues singers, waitresses, tribal women, prostitutes, and hatcheck girls.

Harris had a featured role as a friend of Jean Harlow in MGM's Hold Your Man (1932). In 1933 she appeared as Chico in the Warner Bros. pre-Code production of Baby Face, starring Barbara Stanwyck. That same year Harris starred in a substantial role opposite Ginger Rogers in Professional Sweetheart. As Rogers' character's maid, Harris' character subs for Rogers' character as a singer on the radio. Despite the fact that Harris' character was a major point for the story's plot development, she was uncredited for the role.

Throughout the 1930s, Harris played many uncredited parts in films such as Horse Feathers (1932), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Mary Stevens, M.D. (1933) and Morning Glory (1933). She also played Bette Davis's maid Zette in the film Jezebel (1938). In 1937 she appeared in the race film Bargain With Bullets opposite Ralph Cooper for Million Dollar Productions. While doing promotion for the film, Harris spoke about her frustration over the difficulty African American actors faced in the film industry, stating, "I never had the chance to rise about the role of maid in Hollywood movies. My color was against me anyway you looked at it. The fact that I was not "hot" stamped me either as uppity or relegated me to the eternal role of stooge or servant....My ambition is to be an actress. Hollywood had no parts for me."

Harris continued to lobby for better parts but found few opportunities within Hollywood. In the 1939 movie Tell No Tales she was credited for her part as Ruby, the wife of a murdered man. Harris played an emotional scene with Melvin Douglas at the funeral. She appears in a small but vivid role as Kathie Moffat's ex-maid Eunice Leonard in Jacques Tourneur 1947 Out of the Past.

In addition to films, Harris performed in many radio programs. She was often paired with Eddie Rochester Anderson, who portrayed her on-screen boyfriend. She also appeared in several prominent roles for RKO Pictures as she was a favorite of RKO producer Val Lewton who routinely cast African American actors in non-stereotypical roles. In 1942 Lewton cast Harris as a sarcastic waitress in Cat People, followed by roles in I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Phantom Lady (1944), and Strange Illusion (1945).

During the 1950s Harris appeared several times on television shows. She made her last film appearance in an uncredited role in The Gift of Love in 1958.

Harris later married a doctor and retired from acting, living comfortably after having carefully invested the money she made during her career in the movies.

On October 8, 1985, Harris (then known as Theresa Robinson) died in Inglewood, California.

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