Vonetta McGee | Actress, 65
Vonetta McGee, 65, a film and television actress originally known for blaxploitation pictures such as Blacula , Hammer , and Shaft in Africa , died July 9 of cardiac arrest in Berkeley, Calif., where she lived.
Vonetta McGee, 65, a film and television actress originally known for blaxploitation pictures such as
Blacula
,
Hammer
, and
Shaft in Africa
, died July 9 of cardiac arrest in Berkeley, Calif., where she lived.
In Blacula (1972), Ms. McGee portrayed the love interest of Mamuwalde (William Marshall), an African prince who, after an ill-fated trip to Transylvania centuries earlier, reemerges in modern Los Angeles as a member of the thirsty undead.
In Hammer (1972), Ms. McGee appeared opposite Fred Williamson in the tale of a young black prizefighter. In Shaft in Africa (1973), the third installment in the private-eye series starring Richard Roundtree, she played an emir's daughter.
Lawrence Vonetta McGee, named for her father, was born in San Francisco. While studying pre-law at San Francisco State College, she became involved in community theater. She left college before graduating to pursue an acting career.
In later years, Ms. McGee had recurring roles on several television shows, among them Hell Town, Bustin' Loose, L.A. Law, and Cagney & Lacey, on which she portrayed the wife of Detective Mark Petrie, played by Carl Lumbly. Ms. McGee and Lumbly were married in 1986.
- N.Y. Times News Service
