Ladies Of Character Character Actresses
Ernestine Wade
Amos 'N Andy (TV)/ Sapphire Stevens
Amos 'N Andy (Radio)/ Sapphire Stevens
The Girl He Left Behind/ Lorna
The Guns Of Fort Petticoat/ Hetty
Ernestine Wade was an African American actress who was born at Jackson, MS in 1906.
Her most famous role was that of Sapphire Stevens on the Amos ' N Andy show on both radio and television.
She was trained as a singer and organist . Her family was strongly connected with the theater. Her mother, Hazel Wade , was a performer in vaudeville and her grandmother, Mrs. Johnson, worked for the Lincoln Theater in Baltimore, MD.
Ms. Wade grew up in Los Angeles and started her acting career at age four.
She was a member of the Four Hot Chocolates singing group and did bit parts in films as well.
Ms. Wade was the voice of the Butterfly in the Walt Disney production Song Of The South.
She was a member of the choir organized by actress Anne Brown for the filming of the George Gershwin biographical film Rhapsody In Blue. She also appeared as one of the Catfish Row residents in the film.
On radio, Ms. Wade began playing the the role of Sapphire Stevens in 1939. She was originally was going to play the part of Valada Green, but eventually got the role of Sapphire.
On the radio program she also did the roles of The Widow Armbruster, Sara Fletcher and Mrs. Van Porter.
She was the natural choice for the role of Sapphire on the TV series.
Ernestine Wade also appeared in films and her film roles were:
Santa Fe Trail (1940) in A Bit Role
Cabin In The Sky (1943) as A Churchgoer
The Girl he Left Behind (1956) as Lorna
Three Violent People (1956) as The Maid
The Guns Of Fort Petticoat (1957) as Hetty
Bernadine (1957) as Cleo
High Time (1960) as Judge Carter's Maid
Critics Choice (1963) as Thelma
She starred as Sapphire Stevens in the Amos 'N Andy TV series from 1951 to 1955.
Other TV series that Ms. Wade appeared in were Playhouse 90, The Adventures Of Jim Bowie, The Untouchables, Family Affair, Julia, The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie, Love, American Style and That's My Mama.
She also did voice work for radio and cartoons. After the Amos 'N Andy TV series ended she did voice work in both radio and television commercials.
Ms. Wade said that she could always get extra radio work because of her ability to let out a blood curdling scream.
She continued her career through 1975.
When not working on radio , television or in films, she supported herself as a professional seamstress.
She was an accomplished organist as well. She played at churches and at funeral parlors,
Ernestine Wade passed away in 1983 at the age of 76.
I do not remember her on radio, but I do remember her on the TV series. She was superb as Sapphire Stevens and I don't think anyone else could have played that part as well.
I also remember seeing her in the films The Guns Of Fort Petticoat, Bernadine and Critics Choice.
Louie The Movie Buff