Olivia Cole

Biography

Olivia Carlena Cole was an American actress born on November 26, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee. She studied drama at Bard College and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating with honors in 1964. Cole won an Emmy Award for her role as Matilda in the 1977 miniseries Roots, becoming the first African American actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Series.