About
Maidie Norman was born Maidie Ruth Gamble on October 16, 1912, in Villa Rica, Georgia, to Louis and Lila Gamble. She received a B.A. from Bennett College in 1934 and a master's degree from Columbia University three years later. She also attended the Actors Lab in Hollywood from 1946 to 1949. Norman first appeared on film in The Peanut Man in 1947. Throughout the fifties-not a good time for film roles for black women-she appeared in a number of films, such as Bright Road with Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Poitier and Torch Song, both in 1953; About Mrs. Leslie and Susan Slept Here in 1954; and 1956's Written on the Wind. These were often servant roles, with a special fifties blandness. Still, Norman was skillful and professional in her execution of them. In 1962, she got a chance to chew up the scenery with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? In 1968-69,...
Known for
Little House on the PrairieSeries • 1974
IronsideSeries • 1967
MannixSeries • 1967
Adam-12Series • 1968
The Twilight ZoneSeries • 1959
Matinee TheaterSeries • 1955
CannonSeries • 1971
Dr. KildareSeries • 1961
DragnetSeries • 1951
Four Star PlayhouseSeries • 1952
HotelSeries • 1982
The Incredible HulkSeries • 1977
Simon & SimonSeries • 1981
Cagney & LaceySeries • 1982
Police WomanSeries • 1974
Ben CaseySeries • 1961
The JeffersonsSeries • 1975
The F.B.I.Series • 1965
RhodaSeries • 1974
Matt HoustonSeries • 1982
Alfred Hitchcock PresentsSeries • 1955
BarettaSeries • 1975
Good TimesSeries • 1974
The Streets of San FranciscoSeries • 1972