- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJeannette Theresa Dubois
- Height5′ 5½″ (1.66 m)
- Ja'Net DuBois was a multi-talented and diverse performer. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York and began her career on Broadway. She has appeared in various plays, including "Golden Boy" with Sammy Davis Jr. and Louis Gossett Jr., and "A Raisin in the Sun". She moved onto TV roles, receiving a Peabody Award for a 1969 CBS children's movie J.T. (1969). She then appeared in a daytime serial, Love of Life (1951); she is the first African American actress to have a regular serial role.
She was best known for her role as the sexy, confident, gossipy "Willona Woods" on Good Times (1974). She composed and sang the theme song, "Movin' On Up", for another Norman Lear series, The Jeffersons (1975). She appeared in many films, including the blaxploitation parody, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), as a tough and loving mother. She also did voice-over work, for which she received two Emmys.
She co-founded the "Pan African Film & Arts Festival", which showcases global films about people of African descent and fine arts. She is a community activist whose DuBois Care Foundation's mission is to empower youth by supporting after-school programs. She was also a painter who regularly exhibited her work. She released a CD in 2008, "Hidden Treasures", which includes the well-known TV theme song, "Movin' On Up".
- IMDb mini biography by: Unknown Source (corrections made by Rms125a@hotmail.com)
- SpouseSajit Krishna Gupta(1950 - 1958) (divorced, 4 children)
- ChildrenDr. Kesha B. Grupta-FieldsProvantRani
- ParentsLillian GouedyGordon DuBois
- RelativesLillian(Sibling)
- Wrote and sang the theme song to The Jeffersons (1975) before she ever knew what the show was about.
- She is credited as the first African-American woman to appear regularly on a daytime soap, Love of Life (1951).
- Best-known for her portrayal of Willona Woods, on the classic 1970s TV series Good Times (1974), that's her voice you hear on the "Movin' on Up" theme from The Jeffersons (1975), which she also co-wrote and composed.
- Member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
- Ja'net DuBois's death certificate listed Cab Calloway as her father and Lillian Gouedy as her mother. Most sources cite Gordon DuBois as her father. Dr. Kesha B. Grupta-Fields, listed as DuBois's daughter and as the informant for the obituary, indicated that Gordon DuBois was Gouedy's husband and "instrumental" in raising the actress.
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