Thea R. Vidale(born November 20, 1956) is an Americanstand-up comedianand actress.[1]Vidale is perhaps best known for her role as Thea Armstrong-Turrell in theABCsitcomThea,which originally aired from 1993 until 1994. Vidale is noted as the first African American female comedian to have a television series named after her.
| Thea Vidale | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Thea R. Vidale |
| Born | November 20, 1956 Washington, D.C.,United States |
| Medium | |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Genres | |
| Subject(s) | |
| Notable works and roles | Thea |
Early life and education
editVidale was born inWashington, D.C.into a military family with three sisters and moved around frequently. Her family moved toVictoria, Texaswhen she was 12 years old.[2]She graduated from Victoria High School in 1975 or 1976.[2][citation needed]After high school, Vidale worked as a waitress inPasadena, Texas[2]before friends encouraged her to be a comedian.[3][2]
Career
editVidale began her career in 1986 performing at amateurstand-up comedynights inHouston[2]before quickly progressing to comedy clubs in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles. She appeared in thecablecomedy specialRodney Dangerfield:Opening Night at Rodney's PlaceonHBOin 1989. On the same special were such notables asTim Allen,Jeff Foxworthy,andSam Kinison.She performed onLate Night with David Lettermanand toured internationally.[2]Vidale's most prominent featured role on a TV series was as the title character, a single mother, on the short-lived 1993 sitcomThea.[4]The show lasted only one season in which it was noted to be "ranked near 50 out of approximately 75 shows in the weekly Nielsen ratings"[4]Nevertheless, she was nominated for aPeople's Choice Awardas Favorite Female in a New Series.[citation needed]She was regularly a judge on theBETcomedy competition TV seriesComic View.[2]She has performed on numerous sitcoms, includingEllen,The Wayans Bros.,The Drew Carey Show,andMy Wife and Kids.Vidale made a guest appearance, playing a hairdresser, in the episode "Queens for a Day"(2007) of the television seriesUgly Betty.That same year, she played the part of Helen's grandmother on theDrake & Joshepisode "Really Big Shrimp". Vidale provided the voice ofMammy Two Shoesin re-dubbed versions of 19Tom and Jerrycartoons from 1989 to 2001. She has performed infeature filmssuch as 1995'sDr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde,Jerry Springer'sRingmaster[2]in 1998, and the 2006Master PcomedyRepos.
Later stand-up career
editHer national comedy tour in 1999 was titledThea Vidale, Down & Dirty.[2]In 2007, she competed on the reality television showLast Comic Standing,making it to the second round.[5]In 2009, Vidale was part of theHot Tamales Live! presented byKiki Melendezcomedy tour, which was filmed forShowtime.[6]On December 12, 2012, she appeared onStandup in Stilettos,a standup comedy show on theTV Guide Network.[7]She performed on the third and seventh episode of the first season of theGabriel Iglesiasstand-up seriesStand Up Revolution.In 2022 and 2024, Vidale worked with Carnival Cruise Lines as one of their comedians.
Other media appearances
editIn 1999, Vidale appeared at thePhiladelphiaLGBT Pride Fest, her first LGBT event, with comicEtta May.Both were honored by the city's mayor, who officially named the day simultaneously "Thea Vidale Day" and "Etta May Day".[8]Vidale served as co-host for both the 2005 and 2009AVN Awards.[9]
Professional Wrestling
editVidale performed onWorld Wrestling Entertainment(WWE) in 2006. She appeared as the mother to wrestlerShelton Benjamin,who had been going through difficulties in the preceding weeks. Her first appearance was on the January 2 episode ofRaw.[10]Over the next several weeks, "Momma Benjamin" was involved in several backstage skits resulting in her challenging wrestlers to matches on Shelton's behalf. Shelton won the majority of these matches, breaking his losing streak that existed before her arrival.[11][12][13]
On the February 6, 2006, episode ofRAW,Momma Benjamin attempted to interfere in Shelton's match with theBig Show,only to have the Big Show turn to her and scream in her face. After he turned back to finish the match (which he won), Momma Benjaminfaintedto the ground, promptingEMTsto rush to her side and wheel her backstage.[14]The official WWE website later announced that she was resting at home after suffering from aheart arrhythmia,which was what caused her to pass out. Momma Benjamin returned toRawthe next week,[15]but with an oxygen tank attached to her wheelchair that started being used as aweapon,especially on the February 20 episode when she led Shelton to winning theWWE Intercontinental Championship,in the process turning them both heel.[16]Momma Benjamin was mentioned for the final time on WWE television on March 13, with Shelton announcing to the crowd that she was having heart surgery, and had no plans to return to WWE.[17]
Personal life
editVidale has spoken often about her troubled marriage where she suffered physical abuse from her husband.[4]She has four children[18]from that marriage and later left the children with her ex-husband when she was touring.[4]She has spoken frequently about her faith in God.[4]
On October 21, 2010, Vidale was a guest onThe Howard Stern Show,where she announced she had decided to havegastric bypass surgerybecause she had developed complications resulting fromtype 2 diabetes.She stated, "I have four children. This is not about vanity...I want it to be like a rebirth. A new me. A healthier me."[18]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen | — | Documentary |
| 1995 | Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde | Valerie | |
| 1998 | Ringmaster | Juanita | |
| 2000 | Punks | Nurse | |
| 2006 | Repos | Coffee's Mama | Direct-to-video |
| 2009 | Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy | — | Documentary |
| 2011 | Queen of Media | Salon Manager | |
| 2013 | Douglass U | Mrs. Windsor | |
| 2013 | Lineage | Louise | |
| 2013 | Scavenger Killers | Velma Rodriguez | |
| 2015 | Love Won't Let Me Wait | Aunt Willia Mae |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | ...Where's Rodney? | Teacher | Television film |
| 1993–1994 | Thea | Thea Turrell | 19 episodes |
| 1994 | Totally Bill Hicks | — | Television film |
| 1995 | Ellen | Technician | Episode: "Two Mammograms and a Wedding" |
| 1997 | The Wayans Bros. | Big Mama | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | The Drew Carey Show | Mimi's Double | Episode: "What's Wrong with This Episode IV" |
| 2002 | My Wife and Kids | Aunt Evelyn | Episode: "Get Out" |
| 2003 | Whoopi | Arbitrator | Episode: "The Fat and the Frivolous" |
| 2004 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Crystal Fergin | Episode: "Mad Hops" |
| 2006 | WWE Raw | Mama Benjamin | 10 episodes |
| 2006 | Ugly Betty | Cholli | Episode: "Queens for a Day" |
| 2006 | WWE New Year's Revolution | Mama Benjamin | Television special |
| 2006 | Royal Rumble | ||
| 2007 | Drake & Josh | Lula DuBois | Episode: "Really Big Shrimp" |
References
edit- ^O'Connor, John J. (September 29, 1993)."Review/Television; Finally, Mother Knows Best".The New York Times.
- ^abcdefghi"Comedienne Addicted To Laughter".The Victoria Advocate.Victoria, Texas. February 1, 1999. p. 6A.RetrievedJuly 30,2020– via Google News.continued onp. 12
- ^"ABC Comedy 'Thea' Falls Into Netherworld".Milwaukee Sentinel.September 8, 1993 – via Google News.
- ^abcdeAustin, Monette (May 20, 1994)."Will The Real Thea Vidale Do Stand-up?: Sassy TV Mom To Perform At Norfolk Comedy Theater May 20, 1994".Daily Press.Toronto.RetrievedJuly 30,2020.
- ^"Last Comic Standing: 32 minutes in".PunchlineMagazine.com.Retrieved2007-06-21.
And the LA winners are: Thea Vidale...
- ^"'Hot Tamales Live': Comedy with a twist ".San Antonio Express-News.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-10-08.
- ^MacIntyre, April (October 8, 2012)."TV Guide 'StandUp In Stilettos' Premiering on November 10".Monstersandcritics.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-29.
- ^Nave, Howie (August 27, 2008)."Improv welcomes Thea Vidale to Harveys".Tahoe Daily Tribune.
- ^"A Missing Breast Does Not An Annulment Make".AVN.com.March 22, 2000.RetrievedJuly 30,2020.
- ^"RAW results - January 2, 2006".onlineworldofwrestling.com.Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2007-06-21.
- ^"RAW results - January 9, 2006".onlineworldofwrestling.com.Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2007-06-21.
- ^"RAW results - January 16, 2006".onlineworldofwrestling.com.Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2007-06-21.
- ^PWI Staff (May 2006). "Pro Wrestling Illustrated".Arena Reports.Kappa Publishing. p. 130.
Shelton Benjamin pinned Goldust
- ^"RAW results - February 6, 2006".onlineworldofwrestling.com.Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2007-06-21.
- ^"RAW results - February 13, 2006".onlineworldofwrestling.com.Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2007-06-21.
- ^"RAW results - February 20, 2006".onlineworldofwrestling.com.Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2007-06-21.
- ^"RAW results - March 13, 2006".onlineworldofwrestling.com.Online World of Wrestling.Retrieved2007-06-21.
- ^abVidale, Thea (October 21, 2010)."Thea Vidale's Hard Life: The Howard Stern Show for October 21, 2010".HowardStern.com.Interviewed byHoward Stern.Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-24.RetrievedJuly 30,2020.