Landed the role of Puck in a musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream in high school, which offered her an early outlet for her love of performing
Made her film debut playing Olga Winter in the 1971 mystery crime comedy Cry Uncle
Was the first African-American to win the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and did so in 1989 for her role of Angie Baxter–Hubbard on the ABC soap opera All My Children
Performed on Broadway in the hit What the Wine Sellers Buy
Released her autobiography, The Monkey on My Back: A Memoir, in June 2015