Jo Marie Payton

Birth Name:

Jo Marie Payton

Birth Place:

Albany, Georgia, United States

Profession

Actress, Soundtrack

Earned numerous accolades for her role on "The Proud Family," including three Image Award nominations as well as three NAMIC Vision Award nominations
Earned a Bachelor's degree from Albany State University
Made her screen acting debut in the TV movie "The Plant Family" in 1978
Rose to prominence after her "Perfect Strangers" character gained a large enough cult following that show executives order a spinoff for her, eventually releasing the ABC sitcom "Family Matters" in 1989
Quote: "(On "Family Matters" focusing on the Steve Urkel character): "When you're headed to the moon, you don't give a damn who the captain of the ship is․""
Quote: "(On reactions to her leaving "Family Matters"): "It made me look like this scandalous person, that was jealous of this kid [Jaleel]․․․I would be the first person in the world to apologize to someone if I thought I hurt their feelings․""
After leaving "Family Matters" halfway through the final season, she would again gain recognition by the early 2000s for her voiceover work on the Disney Channel animated series "The Proud Family․"
Released her debut jazz album, "Southern Shadows," in 1999
Appeared on the game shows "The Weakest Link" in 2002 and "Lingo" in 2003
Was the co-host of the NAACP Theatre Awards with Glynn Turman in 2005

2003Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special:Nominated
2003Vision Award - Best Performance - Comedy:Nominated
2004Vision Award - Best Comedic Performance:Nominated
2005Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special:Nominated
2005Vision Award - Best Comedic Performance:Nominated
2006Image Award - Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special:Nominated

Fast Facts