DAPHNE
MAXWELL REID is most widely recognized for her role as Aunt Viv
on NBC's hit comedy "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." She is
also known for her role on the CBS comedy series "Frank's Place,"
in which she co-starred with her husband, Tim. The couple teamed up
again when she starred as Mickie Dennis on CBS' "Snoops,"
and also on the King World syndicated talk show, "The Tim and
Daphne Show" for 76 1-hour episodes. Currently, she stars as
Eartha on the Showtime series, "Linc's."
She is at home in comedy and drama and her television
credits include roles in "Simon & Simon," "Hardcastle
and McCormick," "WKRP in Cincinnati," "Cagney
and Lacey," "Hill Street Blues," "Murder, She
Wrote," "The Fall Guy," "The A-Team," "The
Cosby Show" and "Sister, Sister." She has also co-starred
in movies of the week for NBC, CBS, and PBS, as well as the feature
films "Protocol" and "Once Upon a Time ... When We
Were Colored."
Maxwell Reid was born and raised on Manhattan's
west side and was encouraged by several of her teachers to enroll
in the renowned Bronx High School of Science, where she graduated
as Senior Class President and Merit Scholarship recipient.
While pursuing a major in Interior Design and
Architecture at Northwestern University, an English teacher from her
high school submitted a photograph to a magazine editor and friend
who was preparing an article on college women. The result was a trip
to New York and Maxwell Reid's first full-page photograph in Seventeen
magazine. Quickly signed by the Eileen Ford Agency, she appeared in
many magazines, and was also the first black woman to grace the cover
of Glamour magazine.
Next, Maxwell Reid broke into the acting field.
She had the opportunity to audition for a part in the series "The
Duke" starring Robert Conrad, who promised her a continuing role,
and kept his word. In 1979, she headed to Los Angeles where she continued
to work with Robert Conrad, who enlisted her as the villainess in
his series, "A Man Called Sloane," and subsequently her
first movie of the week, "The Coach of the Year." It was
February of 1980 in LA that she met her husband, Tim Reid, who she
had previously known in Chicago.
Maxwell Reid is also a designer and creates most
of her own wardrobe. She was asked to display some of her designing
abilities as a guest co-host for ABC's "Home Show," which
led to a regular co-host spot. In 1992, she took her sewing talent
into a co-venture with the McCall Pattern Company and created, produced
and starred in a four-video and four-pattern kit titled, "Suddenly
You're Sewing." With monthly visits as a celebrity presenter
on QVC TV, Maxwell Reid sold over 10,000 kits and through retail outlets,
she sold another 15,000. The kit has been widely acclaimed and in
1992 won the prestigious PCM award for the "Best New Product"
from the home sewing and craft industry. She also designs a bi-annual
line of patterns for the McCall Pattern Company called the Daphne
Maxwell Reid Collection, available in fabric stores across the
country.
At NMS, she has earned the nickname of "Mama
Millennium" for her unbelievable ability to juggle the countless
tasks involved in running the studio, while also remaining calm, cool
and collected, with a ready ear for anyone who needs her valuable
advice and expertise.
