Early life

Morgan was born in Dunn, North Carolina, the daughter of Lora, a teacher, and George Morgan, Jr., a butcher. She has a younger sister, Terry. She moved to New York City when she was three months old. Her father died of leukemia when she was eight, and she was raised by her mother, who worked as a secretary and a typing instructor at Junior High School 80 in the Bronx. Morgan attended parochial school.

Career

Morgan's earliest film role was in the movie Mandingo in 1975. She played the role of Dite. Morgan's earliest recurring role was on What's Happening!! from 1976 to 1977 as Diane Harris, and also appeared on Good Times. In 1979, she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Alex Haley's great-aunt Elizabeth Harvey on the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations, and her guest-starring role as Curtis Jackson's ex-girlfriend turned prostitute on The White Shadow. Her most famous role was Angie Baxter Hubbard on the soap opera All My Children, a role she originally played from January 1982 to July 1990. Her portrayal of Angie struck a chord with many Black viewers across America. Angie and her love interest, Jesse Hubbard (Darnell Williams), became the first African-American "supercouple" on the daytime serials. In 1989, Morgan won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (which she shares with Santa Barbara actress Nancy Lee Grahn). She and Williams also co-hosted a music video show titled New York Hot Tracks in the mid-1980s.

After leaving All My Children, Morgan played the role of Chantal Marshall on the NBC soap opera, Generations (replacing actress Sharon Brown) and remained with the show until it ended. She then reprised her role as Angie Hubbard on ABC's Loving in 1991. In 1995, she brought the same character to The City (a retooled version of Loving), making Morgan one of the few performers to portray the same character on three different soap operas. From 1997 to 1998, she also played Dr. Ellen Burgess on Port Charles. In the 1980s and 1990s, Morgan became a de facto symbol for the possibilities for black women as all of her soap opera roles involved her playing a successful doctor.

Morgan garnered much acclaim from movie critics for her portrayal of clairvoyant Mozelle Batiste Delacroix in director Kasi Lemmons' drama film Eve's Bayou (1997). For her portrayal, she won a Chicago Film Critics Association Award and an Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for an Image Award. She later left soap operas and began her film career with roles in She's All That (1999), The Hurricane (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004), Coach Carter (2005), Relative Strangers (2006), and Color of the Cross (2006). On television, she had roles in The Practice, Strong Medicine, Boston Public, Providence, and Soul Food.

From 2002 to 2003, Morgan played lead character Lora Gibson, opposite Lea Thompson, on the Lifetime drama series For the People. She also played the role of the Seer in the fourth and fifth seasons of Charmed. Morgan, returned to All My Children in January 2008, after 10 years after leaving daytime television. In May 2009 and 2011, she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. In 2011, ABC cancelled All My Children, and Morgan joined the cast of The Young and the Restless as Yolanda "Harmony" Hamilton on October 7, 2011, exactly two weeks after All My Children aired its final television episode on September 23, 2011. In 2013, Morgan starred in the internet version of All My Children, reprising her role of Angie Hubbard. The series premiered on April 29, 2013 and was cancelled after single season. In November 2013, after All My Children was cancelled, Morgan was cast in Starz drama series, Power, opposite Omari Hardwick and Naturi Naughton. In 2015, she co-starred alongside Richard Lawson and Vivica A. Fox in two TV One holiday movies: Royal Family Thanksgiving and Royal Family Christmas. Morgan later played Toni Braxton's mother in the Lifetime biopic Un-Break My Heart.

Personal life

Morgan has been married four times: to Charles Weldon (1980-84); to actor Charles S. Dutton (1989-94); and to photographer Donn Thompson (1997-2000). She has been married to Jeffrey Winston since June 2009.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971	Cry Uncle	Olga Winter
1974	Amazing Grace	Morgan State Student
1975	Mandingo	Dite
1976	Taxi Driver	Girl at Columbus Circle
1976	The Monkey Hu$tle	Vi
1979	Love's Savage Fury	Opal	Television film
1981	Thornwell	Katherine	Television film
1984	The Jesse Owens Story	Ruth Solomon Owens	Television film
1987	Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story	Marcia Hickson	Television film
1992	Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing	Maureen Gilman	Television film
1997	Eve's Bayou	Mozelle Batiste Delacroix	Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
1999	She's All That	Ms. Rousseau
1999	Spawn 3: Ultimate Battle	Granny Blake
1999	The Hurricane	Mae Thelma	Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
1999	Asunder	Lauren Hubbs
2000	Love & Basketball	Nona McCall
2000	The Runaway	Reba Monroe	Television film
2004	Woman Thou Art Loosed	Twana
2005	Coach Carter	Tonya
2005	Back in the Day	Mrs. Packer
2006	Relative Strangers	Mrs. Manoire
2006	Color of the Cross	Mary
2015	Royal Family Thanksgiving	Alfreda Royal	Television film
2015	Royal Family Christmas	Alfreda Royal	Television film
2016	Un-Break My Heart	Evelyn Jackson Braxton	Television film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976, 1977	Good Times	Ellen / Samantha	Episodes: "The Break Up" and "A Friend in Need"
1976-1977	What's Happening!!	Diane Harris	Recurring role, 6 episodes
1978	The Love Boat	Stephanie Jackson	Episode: "Second Chance/Don't Push Me/Like Father, Like Son"
1979	Roots: The Next Generations	Elizabeth Harvey	TV Mini-Series
1979	The White Shadow	Delores Raye	Episode: "Delores, of Course"
1980	The Incredible Hulk	Jody	Episode: "Falling Angels"
1981	Sanford	Charlene	Episode: "Love Is Blind"
1981-1982	Behind the Screen	Lynette Porter	Series regular, 13 episodes
1980, 1982	Trapper John, M.D.	Linda / Denise	Episodes: "Hot Line" and "Ladies in Waiting"
1982-1990, 2008-2011, 2013	All My Children	Dr. Angela Baxter Hubbard	Series regular Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1989) Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Lead - Daytime Drama (2009) NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (2009, 2010) Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (2009, 2011-12) Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series (1986) Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (2011) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama (1990) Nominated — Soap Opera Digest Awards for Outstanding Younger Lead Actress (1986)
1990-1991	Generations	Chantal Marshall	Series regular
1991	A Different World	Lisa Westin	Episode: "To Tell the Truth"
1992	The Cosby Show	Tracy	Episode: "Eat, Drink and Be Wary"
1992	Herman's Head	Melodie	Episode: "Brackenhooker"
1992, 1993	Roc	Linda	Episodes: "The Hand That Rocs the Cradle" and "Crazy George in Love"
1993-1995	Loving	Dr. Angela "Angie" Hubbard	Series regular
1995-1997	The City	Dr. Angela "Angie" Hubbard	Series regular Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series (1996)
1997-1998	Port Charles	Dr. Mary Eleanor 'Ellen' Burgess	Series regular
1997, 1998	General Hospital	Dr. Mary Eleanor 'Ellen' Burgess	Special guest star
1999	Spawn	Granny Blake	3 episodes, voice role
1999-2000	Any Day Now		Episodes: "Elephants in the Room" and "You Think I Am Lying to You?"
2000	City of Angels		Episode: "Smoochas Gracias"
2001	The Practice	Marsha Shinn	Episode: "The Day After"
2000, 2001	Strong Medicine	Chloe Simons	Episodes: "Pilot" and "Mortality"
2000-2001	Boston Public	Superintendent Marsha Shinn	Recurring role, 4 episodes
2001	Providence	Marilyn Chase	Episode: "Home Sweet Home"
2001-2002	Soul Food	Lynette Van Adams	Recurring role, 3 episodes NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2002)
2002-2003	Charmed The Seer	Recurring role, 8 episodes
2002-2003	For the People	District Attorney Lora Gibson	Series regular, 18 episodes
2004	Touching Evil	Aileen Mooney	Episode: "Pilot"
2006	Ghost Whisperer	Mrs. Riley	Episode: "Melinda's First Ghost"
2006	Close to Home	Lizette Carter	Episode: "Prodigal Son"
2006-2007	The Bold and the Beautiful	District Attorney Jennifer Tartaro	Recurring role, 14 episodes
2011-2012	The Young and the Restless	Harmony Hamilton	Series regular, 43 episodes
2014-present	Power	Estelle	Recurring role

Music video appearances

• Cameo - "Attack Me with Your Love" (1985), "Single Life" (1985)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]