She took care of James Earl Jones when he was an infant, while she was
a member of his father's acting troupe.
Her father was one of the first licensed plumbers in New York State.
Was a Broadway producer.
Her mother died of pneumonia at age 27 after giving birth to her
brother in a Harlem hospital corridor because segregationist policies
barred her from using a room.
Suffered from rickets as a child and had to wear leg braces for 13
years.
Suffered from diabetes for many years.
She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1999 for her
services to the arts.
Was directed by Orson Welles in a landmark, all-black version of
"Macbeth" in the 1930s.
Husband Egbert Brown, who owned a fleet of cabs, died in 1974.
Survived by her son William, one sister, Mary A. Francis, two brothers Wilmote Burton, and Warren Burton, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.