Beah Richards, seen here with Oprah Winfrey and Stedman at the Los Angeles premiere of "Beloved," of which Theatre Of Hearts/Youth First was the designated official charity.

Beah Richards, a remarkable woman and an artist ahead of her time, was a teacher and an inspiration to all that knew her. While most widely known for her acting in stage, film, and television productions, she was also a poet and a playwright. Her widespread talent, in conjunction with her wisdom regarding important social concerns such as race, education, and women’s issues, renders her an indelible persona of the entertainment industry.

Beginning her career in 1948 at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Richards dedicated her life to the thespian craft. She performed in The Little Foxes at the Yale Repertory Theatre and in The Crucible, with Charlton Heston, at the Ahmanson Theatre. Her career later expanded onto the screen. Richards participated in films that face important racial issues, such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, with Sidney Poitier, for which she received an Academy Award nomination, and Otto Preminger’s Hurry Sundown, the first film with an interracial cast and crew shot in the south. While filming in New Orleans, members of the company received death threats, causing producers to demand protection from State Troopers.

Ms. Richards later appeared in numerous television shows, winning an Emmy for her performance in the series Frank's Place. Her performance in The Practice garnered her another Emmy in 2000, just months before she died of emphysema.

Actress Lisa Gay Hamilton compiled footage of Richards into a critically acclaimed documentary film, Beah: A Black Woman Speaks, whose title is adapted from a book of poetry Richards published in 1950 and later performed on national tour, entitled A Black Woman Speaks. Beah Richards leaves behind a legacy of remarkable talent and insight that will be sorely missed.

Words of wisdom from Beah Richards:

"There are a lot of movies out there that I would hate to be paid to do, some real demeaning, real woman-denigrating stuff. It is up to women to change their roles. They are going to have to write the stuff and do it. And they will."

“Both class and race survive education, and neither should. What is education then? If it doesn't help a human being to recognize that humanity is humanity, what is it for?”