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] as nurse Althea Robinson on The Big Bang Theory (2007–2016) and Young Sheldon (2017–2019), and as 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.