Maidie Norman
Known for Acting · 69 credits
- Born
- 1912-10-16
- Died
- 1998-05-02
- Place of birth
- Villa Rica, Georgia, USA
- Also known as
- Mady Norman · Madie Norman · Maidie Ruth Norman
Biography
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, Norman was an artist-in-residence at Stanford University and, throughout the seventies, she was lecturer, director, and acting teacher at UCLA. At the same time, Norman was highly visible on television, appearing in Mannix, Adam 12, Streets of San Francisco, Kung Fu, The Jeffersons, and others. She was also part of the cast of Roots: The Next Generation in 1979.
Norman was a founding member of the American Negro Theater West; in 1977, she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame; and an award in her name is presented each year for outstanding research by an undergraduate in Black Theater at UCLA. She died on May 6, 1998.
Known For
TV Shows (36)
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Mrs. Henry
Dragnet
1951
Mannix
1967
Adam-12
1968
as Ethel May / Mary Handlin
Ironside
1967
Matinee Theater
1955
Simon & Simon
1981
The Twilight Zone
1959
as Maid (uncredited)
Hotel
1982
as Carrie Garland
Ben Casey
1961
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Mrs. Johnson
Cannon
1971
The F.B.I.
1965
as Caregiver
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Coralee
Cagney & Lacey
1982
as Elevator Operator
Police Woman
1974
The Incredible Hulk
1977
as Mrs. Dennison
The Jeffersons
1975
Baretta
1975
Matt Houston
1982
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1964
as Mama Lou
Rhoda
1974
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Eloise
Good Times
1974
Harry O
1974
Judd, for the Defense
1967
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
1974
as Librarian
Cavalcade of America
1952
as Aunt Nellie
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Flora / Maid
CBS Playhouse
1966
as Mrs. Pierce
Roots: The Next Generations
1979
as Sister Scrap Scott
Letter to Loretta
1953
as Flora / Josi
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Lurie
Funny Face
1971
Kung Fu
1972
as Omar's Mother
Movies (33)
Airport '77
1977
as Dorothy
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
1982
as Nurse Agnes
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
1962
as Elvira Stitt
Torch Song
1953
as Anne
Forever Female
1953
as Emma (uncredited)
Movie Movie
1978
as Gussie ("Baxter's Beauties of 1933")
Bright Road
1953
as Mrs. Hamilton - Tanya's Mother
Written on the Wind
1956
as Bertha
Executive Suite
1954
as Housekeeper (uncredited)
The Opposite Sex
1956
as Violet (uncredited)
A Star Is Born
1976
as Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
4 for Texas
1963
as Burden's Maid
Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami
1988
as Edna
Thornwell
1981
as Ruth Thornwell
Man with the Gun
1955
as Sarah (uncredited)
Maurie
1973
as Mrs. Stokes
Susan Slept Here
1954
as Georgette
Sixteen
1972
as Aunt Ada
The Well
1951
as Martha Crawford
Be Pretty and Shut Up!
1981
as Self
Say Goodbye, Maggie Cole
1972
as Nurse Ferguson
Manhandled
1949
as Christine, Bennet's Maid (uncredited)
Delphine and Carole
2020
as Self (archive footage)
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle
1955
as Suma
About Mrs. Leslie
1954
as Camilla
The Lie
1973
as Janine
Secrets of a Mother and Daughter
1983
as Neddy
Another Part of the Forest
1972
as Coralee
No Greater Love
1960
as Queto's Mother
Sty of the Blind Pig
1974
as Weedy Warren
A Dream for Christmas
1973
as Jennie Daley
The Peanut Man
1947
as Lucretia
Mad at the World
1955
as Miss Lovett
About Maidie Norman
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; Ab… With 69 credits spanning from 1947 to 2020, Maidie Norman has appeared in 33 films and 36 TV shows.
Fans searching for Maidie Norman movies, Maidie Norman filmography, or the latest projects starring Maidie Norman can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Maidie Norman Movies
- Airport '77 (1977) — as Dorothy
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) — as Nurse Agnes
- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) — as Elvira Stitt
- Torch Song (1953) — as Anne
- Forever Female (1953) — as Emma (uncredited)
Where to Watch Maidie Norman Films
Most Maidie Norman movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Maidie Norman, check our movies catalogue and browse page.