Theresa Harris
Known for Acting · 82 credits
- Born
- 1906-12-31
- Died
- 1985-10-08
- Place of birth
- Houston, Texas, USA
- Also known as
- Teresa Harris · Theresa Robinson · The Beautiful Maid
Biography
Theresa Harris (December 31, 1906 [some sources indicate 1909] – October 8, 1985) was an American film and television actress, singer and dancer.
In 1929 Harris traveled to Hollywood, where she embarked on an acting career. She made her film debut in Thunderbolt, singing the song "Daddy Won't You Please Come Home". As she entered the 1930s she found herself playing maids to fictitious Southern belles, socialites and female molls. These parts were sometimes uncredited. She also floated around studios doing bit parts, usually at Warner Bros. or MGM. Aside from maids, she specialized in playing blues singers, waitresses, tribal women, prostitutes, and hatcheck girls.
Harris had a featured role as a friend of Jean Harlow in MGM's Hold Your Man (1932). In 1933 she appeared as Chico in the Warner Bros. pre-Code production of Baby Face, starring Barbara Stanwyck. That same year Harris starred in a substantial role opposite Ginger Rogers in Professional Sweetheart. As Rogers' character's maid, Harris' character subs for Rogers' character as a singer on the radio. Despite the fact that Harris' character was a major point for the story's plot development, she was uncredited for the role.
Throughout the 1930s, Harris played many uncredited parts in films such as Horse Feathers (1932), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Mary Stevens, M.D. (1933) and Morning Glory (1933). She also played Bette Davis's maid Zette in the film Jezebel (1938). In 1937 she appeared in the race film Bargain With Bullets opposite Ralph Cooper for Million Dollar Productions. While doing promotion for the film, Harris spoke about her frustration over the difficulty African American actors faced in the film industry, stating, "I never had the chance to rise about the role of maid in Hollywood movies. My color was against me anyway you looked at it. The fact that I was not "hot" stamped me either as uppity or relegated me to the eternal role of stooge or servant....My ambition is to be an actress. Hollywood had no parts for me."
Harris continued to lobby for better parts but found few opportunities within Hollywood. In the 1939 movie Tell No Tales she was credited for her part as Ruby, the wife of a murdered man. Harris played an emotional scene with Melvin Douglas at the funeral. She appears in a small but vivid role as Kathie Moffat's ex-maid Eunice Leonard in Jacques Tourneur 1947 Out of the Past.
Known For
TV Shows (4)
Movies (78)
Out of the Past
1947
as Eunice Leonard (uncredited)
Miracle on 34th Street
1947
as Cleo (uncredited)
The Women
1939
as Olive (uncredited)
Jezebel
1938
as Zette
Cat People
1942
as Minnie (uncredited)
Morocco
1930
as Camp Follower (uncredited)
Black Moon
1934
as Sacrificed Girl (uncredited)
Baby Face
1933
as Chico
Our Wife
1941
as Hattie
42nd Street
1933
as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
The Lady from Shanghai
1947
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Finishing School
1934
as Evelyn (uncredited)
Blood Money
1933
as Jessica (uncredited)
Santa Fe Trail
1940
as Maid (uncredited)
Grand Slam
1933
as Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
Professional Sweetheart
1933
as Vera (uncredited)
Angel Face
1953
as Nurse Theresa (uncredited)
Al Jennings of Oklahoma
1951
as Terese
I Walked with a Zombie
1943
as Alma
Gold Diggers of 1933
1933
as Black Woman in "Pettin' in the Park" Number (uncredited)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1941
as Mother Listening to Hurdy-gurdy (uncredited)
Free Wheeling
1932
as Maid (uncredited)
Penthouse
1933
as Lili (uncredited)
Thunderbolt
1929
as Singer
Blossoms in the Dust
1941
as Cleo
The Big Clock
1948
as Daisy (uncredited)
The Velvet Touch
1948
as Nancy
The Flame of New Orleans
1941
as Clémentine
Tension
1949
as Woman in Drugstore (uncredited)
The File on Thelma Jordon
1949
as Esther
The French Line
1954
as Clare (uncredited)
Arrowsmith
1931
as Native Mother (uncredited)
Charlie Chan at the Olympics
1937
as Athlete
Back from Eternity
1956
as Mamie (uncredited)
Neptune's Daughter
1949
as Matilda the Maid (uncredited)
Alias Nick Beal
1949
as Opal
Union Depot
1932
as Black Woman (uncredited)
And Baby Makes Three
1949
as Maid
Desirable
1934
as Ladies Room Maid at Party
The Company She Keeps
1951
as Lilly Johnson (uncredited)
Merrily We Go to Hell
1932
as Powder Room Attendant (uncredited)
Small Town Girl
1953
as Backstage Maid
The Green Pastures
1936
as Angel (uncredited)
Tell No Tales
1939
as Ruby
Miss Susie Slagle's
1946
as Maid (uncredited)
Horse Feathers
1932
as Laura (uncredited)
Night After Night
1932
as Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
Go Into Your Dance
1935
as Dressing Room Maid / Luana's Maid
Strange Illusion
1945
as Maid
Big Town Girl
1937
as Maid
Private Detective 62
1933
as Janet's Maid (Uncredited)
Week Ends Only
1932
as Chloe (uncredited)
City of Chance
1940
as Beulah - Powder Room Attendant
Mary Stevens, M.D.
1933
as Andrews' Maid Alice (uncredited)
Love Thy Neighbor
1940
as Josephine
Smooth as Silk
1946
as Louise (Maid)
Grounds for Marriage
1951
as Stella, Ina's Maid
Buck Benny Rides Again
1940
as Josephine
Faithless
1932
as Amanda
The Toy Wife
1938
as 'Pick'
The Road to Reno
1931
as Maid at Dude Ranch
Broadway Thru a Keyhole
1933
as Joan's Maid
The Gift of Love
1958
as Dora - Sam's Wife (uncredited)
Hold Your Man
1933
as Lily Mae Crippen (uncredited)
The Worst Woman in Paris?
1933
as Lily - the Maid
Sing Your Worries Away
1942
as Hat Check Girl
The Trespasser
1947
as Julia, the maid
Spoilers of the Forest
1957
as Nancy the Maid
The Lady Escapes
1937
as Maid (uncredited)
The Half-Naked Truth
1932
as Emily (uncredited)
Success at Any Price
1934
as Marie
Tough as They Come
1942
as Bessie Mae
The Sport Parade
1932
as Nightclub Dancer (uncredited)
One Hour to Live
1939
as High Yaller girl
Swingtime Jamboree
1946
as Herself
The Outskirts of Town
1942
as Wife
Bargain with Bullets
1937
as Grace Foster
Someday Sweetheart
1930
as Tessie Maize (Self)
About Theresa Harris
Theresa Harris (December 31, 1906 [some sources indicate 1909] – October 8, 1985) was an American film and television actress, singer and dancer. In 1929 Harris traveled to Hollywood, where she embarked on an acting career. She made her film debut in Thunderbolt, singing the song "Daddy Won't You Please Come Home". As she entered the 1930s she found herself playing maids to fictitious Southern belles, socialites and female molls. These parts were sometimes uncredited. She also floated around studios doing bit parts, usually at Warner Bros. or… With 82 credits spanning from 1929 to 1958, Theresa Harris has appeared in 78 films and 4 TV shows.
Fans searching for Theresa Harris movies, Theresa Harris filmography, or the latest projects starring Theresa Harris can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Theresa Harris Movies
- Out of the Past (1947) — as Eunice Leonard (uncredited)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947) — as Cleo (uncredited)
- The Women (1939) — as Olive (uncredited)
- Jezebel (1938) — as Zette
- Cat People (1942) — as Minnie (uncredited)
Where to Watch Theresa Harris Films
Most Theresa Harris movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Theresa Harris, check our movies catalogue and browse page.