Marlene Clark

Quality 0.50 · 2 views · Updated 2 months ago

American actress and fashion model (1937–2023)

title: "Marlene Clark" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1937-births", "2023-deaths", "actresses-from-new-york-city", "american-film-actresses", "american-television-actresses", "20th-century-american-actresses", "20th-century-african-american-actresses", "actresses-from-los-angeles"] description: "American actress and fashion model (1937–2023)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Clark" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actress and fashion model (1937–2023) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

FieldValue
nameMarlene Clark
imageMarlene-Clark-Photo-1-e1685469555804_resize.jpg
birth_date
birth_placeNew York City, New York, U.S.
or Los Angeles, California, U.S.
(sources differ)
death_date
death_placeLos Angeles, California, U.S.
known_forJanet Lawson – Sanford and Son
Ganja Meda – Ganja & Hess
occupation
years_active1968–1988
spouse
::

|name = Marlene Clark |image =Marlene-Clark-Photo-1-e1685469555804_resize.jpg |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = |birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S. or Los Angeles, California, U.S. (sources differ) |death_date = |death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. |known_for = Janet Lawson – Sanford and Son Ganja Meda – Ganja & Hess |occupation = |years_active = 1968–1988 |spouse = |website =

Marlene Clark (December 19, 1937 – May 18, 2023) was an American actress, animator and fashion model. Clark was best known for her portrayals of Ganja Meda in the 1973 horror film Ganja & Hess and Janet Lawson, Lamont's girlfriend in the sitcom Sanford and Son from its fifth season in 1975 until the series conclusion in 1977.

Early life

Born on December 19, 1937, in New York City, or Los Angeles (sources differ), Clark was raised in the Harlem section of New York.

Career

Of the films Clark appeared in during the 1960s include For Love of Ivy (1968), starring Sidney Poitier, and Putney Swope (1969), which was directed by Robert Downey Sr. then cast her in his unreleased film, Stop! (1970). Clark also appeared opposite Jim Brown and Stella Stevens in Slaughter (1972). The same year, Clark was also in Night of the Cobra Woman (1972).

Clark collaborated with Gunn again when he cast her and Duane Jones in the 1973 horror film Ganja & Hess. A.H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote in his review of the film, "Miss Clark is an arresting presence as the enamored Ganja. Also, she occasionally invests an unbelievable character with style and humor." That same year, Clark also appeared in the Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon (1973), in which she portrayed a secretary.

Clark was also in Black Mamba (1974). In 1975, Clark was in Switchblade Sisters. On television, Clark portrayed Janet Lawson, the fiancée of Lamont Sanford in the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son.

Personal life and death

In 1968, Clark married Billy Dee Williams in Hawaii. She was the stepmother of his son Corey, from his first marriage. Their marriage lasted only three years, and they officially divorced in 1971. In a 2000 interview, Clark has said she was almost raped while filming a scene for Black Mamba.

Clark died on May 18, 2023, the same day as her Slaughter co-star, Jim Brown. She was 85.

Partial filmography

References

References

  1. McCann, Bob. (2009). "Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television". McFarland.
  2. Pierce, Ponchitta. (April 1974). "A Look into the Private Life of Billy Dee Williams".
  3. [http://www.hollywood.com/celebrities/marlene-clark-57395157/ Hollywood.com]
  4. Sergio. (April 4, 2014). "Bill Gunn's Controversial And Rarely Seen Film 'Stop' To Finally See The Light Of Day (Once Some Minor Problems Are Cleared)".
  5. Weiler, A.H.. (April 21, 1973). "Screen: Gunn's 'Ganja & Hess' Opens:The Cast". [[The New York Times]].
  6. Gitlin, Martin. (2013). "The Greatest Sitcoms of All Time". Scarecrow Press.
  7. (February 26, 1976). "Television: Ali Entertains Coopman, Public In Title Bout". Johnson Publishing Company.
  8. Matthews, David. (2007). "Ace of Spades: A Memoir". Macmillan.
  9. Sanders, Charles L.. (June 1983). "Billy Dee Williams: The Serious Side of a Sex Symbol".
  10. (2005). "Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African-American Experience 5-Volume Set". Oxford University Press.
  11. Goldweber, David Elroy. (2014). "Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film 1902-1982: A Complete Guide". Lulu Press, Inc.
  12. (January 18, 1979). "At Home With Billy Dee". Johnson Publishing Company.
  13. Armstrong, Lois. (July 7, 1980). "Out of this World".
  14. Poggiali, Chris. (April 2000). "Slinking Through the Seventies: An Interview with Marlene Clark". [[Fangoria]].
  15. (May 27, 2023). "Horror star Marlene Clark, ex-wife of Star Wars's Billy Williams, dies aged 85".
  16. (May 27, 2023). "Marlene Clark, prolific actress in '70s films, TV, dies in Los Angeles".
  17. (May 26, 2023). "Marlene Clark, Actress in 'Sanford and Son' and 'Ganja & Hess,' Dies at 85".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1937-births2023-deathsactresses-from-new-york-cityamerican-film-actressesamerican-television-actresses20th-century-american-actresses20th-century-african-american-actressesactresses-from-los-angeles