Roz Ryan (born Rosalyn Bowen; July 7, 1951) is an American actress who has worked for productions in film, television, and Broadway theatre for over 40 years. Ryan's first role on Broadway was in Ain't Misbehavin', a Fats Waller-influenced musical revue that debuted in 1978. She is well known for her part in the television show, Amen, for her character Amelia Hetebrink, for being the voice of Thalia, the Muse of Comedy in the 1997 Disney animated film, Hercules, and for guest starring on the Disney Channel sitcom, K.C. Undercover as Grandma Gayle.
Roz Ryan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ryan singing the National Anthem at Citi Field in 2011 | |
| Born | Rosalyn Bowen July 7, 1951 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
| Website | www |
Life and career
Ryan was born Rosalyn Bowen in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Gertrude and Thomas Bowen, who worked for the Board of Education.[1] She is a 1969 graduate of Mackenzie High School.[1] A year later, she recorded the Stax/Volt 45, "You're My Only Temptation." For 13 years, Ryan worked as a nightclub singer in Detroit before a friend suggested she audition for Ain't Misbehavin, a Broadway musical revue featuring the music of Fats Waller.[2] Her audition was successful, and she was on stage only 10 days later.[2] Ryan continued to star in numerous Broadway musicals including the Tony Award-winning Chicago, for which she holds the record of longest tenure for the character Matron "Mama" Morton.[3][4] Other plays Ryan has appeared in are A Christmas Carol, Dreamgirls, One Mo' Time, and the 2006 revival of The Pajama Game.[4]
In television and film, Ryan is better known for her roles as Amelia Hetebrink on Amen, Mrs. Dixon on Good News and Flo Anderson on All About the Andersons. She also guest starred on an episode on Barbershop. She was the voice of Thalia, the Muse of Comedy in Disney's animated film Hercules and Hercules: The Animated Series. She is the voice of Bubbie the whale in the 2008 animated television series The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. She had roles in the films I Think I Love My Wife, The Invention of Lying and Waiting for Forever. She voices Kick's teacher Ms. Fitzpatrick in the animated series Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil. She was the voice of Witch Lezah in The Looney Tunes Show. She has also played Jake's female feline counterpart Cake in the Adventure Time episodes "Fionna and Cake", "Bad Little Boy", "The Prince Who Wanted Everything", and "Five Short Tables"—and voiced the character in the spin-off series Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. She has also starred in TVOne's The Rickey Smiley Show.
She most recently starred on Broadway in Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson. In late May 2016 Ryan begun her 13th run in Chicago as Matron "Mama" Morton.
Broadway stage
- Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson (2012)
- The Pajama Game (2006)
- One Mo' Time (2002)
- Chicago (1996–2019)
- Dreamgirls (1981–1985)
- Ain't Misbehavin' (1978–1981)
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Hercules | Thalia, the Muse of Comedy (voice) | |
| The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue | Computer Parts / Additional voices (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
| 1998 | Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five | Nurse | |
| 1999 | Hercules: Zero to Hero | Thalia (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| Nikita’s Blues | Mildred | Short film | |
| 2007 | I Think I Love My Wife | Landlady | |
| Divine Intervention | Mother Candice | ||
| Whatever Lola Wants | Postal Worker | ||
| 2009 | Steppin: The Movie | Roz | |
| The Invention of Lying | Nurse Barbara | ||
| 2010 | Waiting for Forever | Dorothy | |
| 2015 | Hello, My Name Is Doris | Nurse Patty |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–91 | Amen | Amelia Hetebrink | Main role, 110 episodes |
| 1997 | Sparks | Loretta | Episode: "Rehearsal of Fortune" |
| 1997–98 | Good News | Hattie Dixon | Main role, 22 episodes |
| 1998 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | Sister Louise Pittman | Episode: "Kirby/Dust/Malibu Cop/A Joyful Noise" |
| The Journey of Allen Strange | Merle | Episode: "The Truth About Lies" | |
| 1998–99 | Hercules | Thalia (voice) | Recurring role, 24 episodes |
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Madam President (voice) | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 2001 | Danny | Chickie | Main role, 9 episodes |
| 2002–07 | Kim Possible | Wade’s mom / Park Ranger (voice) | Episodes: "Crush", "Monkey Fist Strikes", "Mother’s Day" and "The Cupid Effect" |
| 2003–04 | All About the Andersons | Florence "Flo" Anderson | Main role, 16 episodes |
| 2004 | Half & Half | Josephine Baylor | Episode: "The Big Practice What You Preach Episode" |
| Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Dr. Gladys (voice) | Episode: "Spike: Experiment 319" | |
| 2005 | JAG | Loretta McKee | Episode: "Unknown Soldier" |
| Barbershop | Mae | Episodes: "Madonna Is a Ho", "Family Business" and "Debates and Dead People" | |
| 2008 | The Bobby Lee Project | Aunt Viola | Television film |
| 2008–10 | The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack | Bubbie (voice) | Main role, 44 episodes |
| 2010–12 | Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil | Ms. Fitzpatrick (voice) | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| 2011–13 | The Looney Tunes Show | Witch Lezah (voice) | Recurring role, 12 episodes |
| 2011–17 | Adventure Time | Cake (voice) | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Let's Stay Together | Mrs. Galloway | Episode: "All Juice, No Seeds" |
| Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Gorgeous G (voice) | Episode: "The Night the Clown Cried II: Tears of Doom!" | |
| General Hospital | Esther Love | Episode: "1.12632" | |
| 2012–14 | The Rickey Smiley Show | Aunt Sylvia | Main role, 22 episodes |
| 2014 | Teen Titans Go! | Cyborg's Grandma Voice (voice) | Episode: "Grandma Voice" |
| Bee and PuppyCat | Temp Bot No. 3 (voice) | Episode: "Cats" | |
| 2015 | Mickey Mouse | Cow (voice) | Episode: "Movie Time" |
| 2015–17 | K.C. Undercover | Grandma Gayle King | Episodes: "Off the Grid", "KC and Brett: The Final Chapter, Part 1", "The Legend of Bad, Bad Cleo Brown" and "Out of the Water and Into the Fire" |
| 2018 | Mighty Magiswords | Steel Magnolia (voice) | Episode: "Suitable Armor" |
| 2019 | Nowhere USA | Martha | Television film |
| Raven's Home | Miss Bertha | Episodes: "Friend-Ship" and "Lost at Chel-Sea" | |
| 2019–21 | Summer Camp Island | Elder Yeti / The Death Cap / Additional voices (voice) | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 2021; 2022 | That Girl Lay Lay | Velma | Episodes: "Ha-Lay-Lay-Lujah" and "Lay Lay’s Beauty Shop Day Day" |
| 2022 | Mickey Mouse Funhouse | Thalia (voice) | Episode: "Daisy and the Muses/Keep on the Ball" and "Farfus' Family!/The Adventure Parade!" |
| 2023-present | Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Cake (voice) | Main role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Disney’s Animated Storybook: Hercules | Thalia | |
| Disney’s Hercules | |||
| 1999 | Tonic Trouble | The Barmain | |
| 2022 | MultiVersus | Cake (Jake variant) |