The Complete Lillian Randolph Biography, Age, Family, Career and Death

Lillian Randolph was a popular American actress and singer. Born December 14, 1898, she was a radio, film and television veteran who worked actively in the entertainment industry in America, until shortly before she died in 1930. She appeared in 100s of television shows, nightclubs, motion pictures, radio shows and short subjects, and included personal performances.

Lillian Randolph is recognized for her impressive roles and appearances in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Magic (1978), and The Onion Field 1979 which was her final onscreen project. She contributed her voice as Mummy Two Shoes, in several Tom and Jerry movies that were released between 1940 to 1952.

EARLY LIFE

Born on 14 December 1898 in Knoxville Tennesse, Lillian Randolph was the youngest daughter of a methodist minister and teacher, Jesse ‘Castello’ Randolph and Jane Randolph. She was the younger sibling of Actress Amanda Randolph. Amanda was a well-known performer in New York City nightclubs.

MARRIAGE

Lillian has at least two children (Male and Female) from three marriages. She was first married to boxer, Jack Chase. After she divorced Chase, she moved on to marry railroad dining car server, Edwards Sanders in August 1951 and the marriage lasted for two years, as the couple divorced in December 1953. There were unconfirmed reports that she went on to marry again, marrying and divorcing both Frank Baskett and Garcia McKee.

DEATH

Lillian Randolph’s recorded death date is on September 12, 1980. She died of cancer at Arcadia Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, California. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) with Amanda Randolph her sister, buried beside her.

Lillian Randolph’s professional career started with her singing on local radio stations in Detroit and Cleveland. The station owner and developer of  The Lone Ranger, George W. Trendle, noticed her. George W. Trendle enrolled her into a radio training course that paid off well, by getting roles for local radio shows. However, she did not obtain any role on local radio shows, until she was trained in racial dialect, by a white actor for three months.

She moved to Los Angeles in 1936, to work on Al Jolson’s radio show, Big Town, on the AI Pearce show, and to sing at the Club Alabama there.

Lillian and her sister Amanda continually searched for acting and radio show roles, to help make ends meet. In 1938, Lillian Randolph opened her home to Lena Horne who was in California for her first movie role in The Duke is Tops. The film had a tight budget and Lena Horne, had no money for a hotel room while filming.

During World War II, through American Women’s Voluntary Services in Los Angeles, her home was opened to service people in the area, offering them entertainment and weekly dinners.

She played the role of the maid Birdie Lee Coggins in The Great Gildersleeve, a radio comedy show and subsequent films. She also played the role of Madam Queen on the Amos ‘n’ Andy radio and television program from 1937 to 1953. Her illustrious career in the entertainment scene spanned five decades and included roles in television shows, nightclubs, motion pictures, radio shows, personal performances, and short subjects.

Below is the recorded filmography for Lillian Randolph.

Lillian Randolph in Movie

1. 1. Life Goes On (1938) – Cinthy
   2. The Duke Is Tops (1938) – Woman with Sciatica (uncredited)
   3. The Toy Wife (1938) – Black Nun with Rose (uncredited)
   4. Streets of New York (1939) – Judge’s Maid (uncredited)
   5. Way Down South (1939) – Slave (uncredited)
   6. The Marx Brothers at the Circus (1939) – Black Woman – ‘Swingali’ (uncredited)
   7. Am I Guilty? (1940) – Mrs. Jones
   8. Barnyard Follies (1940) – Birdie (uncredited)
   9. Little Men (1940) – Asia
   10. One Big Mistake (1940), a featurette starring Dewey “Pigmeat” Markham
   11. Tom and Jerry (1940-1952) – Mammy Two Shoes
   12. West Point Widow (1941) – Sophie
   13. Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1941) – Bethany Plantation Chorus Servant (uncredited)
   14. Gentleman from Dixie (1941) – Aunt Eppie
   15. Birth of the Blues (1941) – Dancing Woman (uncredited)
   16. All-American Co-Ed (1941) – Deborah, the Washwoman
   17. Mexican Spitfire Sees a Ghost (1942) – Hyacinth
   18. Hi, Neighbor (1942) – Birdie
   19. The Palm Beach Story (1942) – Maid on Train (uncredited)
   20. The Glass Key (1942) – Basement Club Entertainer (uncredited)
   21. The Great Gildersleeve (1942) – Birdie Lee Calkins
   22. No Time for Love (1943) – Hilda (uncredited)
   23. Happy Go Lucky (1943) – Tessie (uncredited)
   24. Hoosier Holiday (1943) – Birdie
   25. Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943) – Birdie
   26. Phantom Lady (1944) – Woman at Train Platform (uncredited)
   27. Up in Arms (1944) – Black Woman in Cable Car (uncredited)
   28. The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) – Black Woman (uncredited)
   29. Gildersleeve’s Ghost (1944) – Birdie, Gildersleeve’s Housekeeper
   30. Three Little Sisters (1944) – Mabel
   31. A Song for Miss Julie (1945) – Eliza Henry
   32. Riverboat Rhythm (1946) – Azalea (uncredited)
   33. Child of Divorce (1946) – Carrie, the Maid
   34. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – Annie
   35. The Hucksters (1947) – Violet (voice, uncredited)
   36. The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) – Bessie
   37. Sleep, My Love (1948) – Parkhurst’s Maid (uncredited)
   38. Let’s Live a Little (1948) – Sarah (uncredited)
   39. Once More, My Darling (1949) – Mamie
   40. Dear Brat (1951) – Dora
   41. That’s My Boy (1951) – May, Maid
   42. Bend of the River (1952) – Aunt Tildy (uncredited)
   43. Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) – Cleaning Woman

1. The Great White Hope (1970) – Housekeeper (uncredited)
2. How to Seduce a Woman (1974) – Matilda
3. Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins (1975) – Elderly Woman Driver
4. The Wild McCullochs (1975) – Missy
5. Jacqueline Susann’s Once Is Not Enough (1975) – Mabel
6. The World Through the Eyes of Children (1975) – Susan
7. Jennifer (1978) – Martha
8. Magic (1978) – Sadie
9. The Onion Field (1979) – Nana, Jimmy’s Grandmother (final film role)

Lillian Randolph became a very popular figure in the entertainment scene before her death in September, 1980.

THE SUMMARY of TYRESE GIBSON PROFILE