Vernee Watson-Johnson

Vernee Watson-Johnson
Born
Vernee Christell Watson

(1949-09-28) September 28, 1949 (age 75)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materNew York University (Bachelor of Arts)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • author
  • acting coach
Years active1970–present
Known for
Spouses
Joe Duckett
​
​
(m. 1976; div. 1977)​
Van Johnson
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 1991)​
Children2

Vernee Christell Johnson (née Watson; born September 28, 1949)[1][2][3] is an American actress, author, and acting coach. Watson-Johnson is known for her recurring roles as Vernajean Williams on Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979), as Viola "Vy" Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996), playing the mother of Will Smith's character[4] and head nurse Gloria Tyler on Bob Hearts Abishola (2019–2024). She is often featured in guest or recurring roles as a nurse.[5][6] Since 2017 she has played Stella Henry on General Hospital.

  1. ^ Company, Johnson Publishing (1982). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. Retrieved 18 April 2019. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "TV's Vernee Watson does some theater". The Daily American. 27 August 1979. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  3. ^ Bolden, Bonnie (7 January 1977). "Television Actress Claims Raleigh County Roots". Beckley Post-Herald. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  4. ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen; Burford-Johnson, Anne (October 3, 2014). "Watson, Vernee (1954-)". Historical Dictionary of African American Television. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 502. ISBN 978-0-8108-7917-1.
  5. ^ Thapa, Shaurya (11 May 2021). "Vernee Watson-Johnson's 10 Best Movie & TV Roles, Ranked By IMDb". ScreenRant. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Vernee Watson-Johnson". movietvdb. Retrieved 5 December 2021.