Background
Roker was born in Miami, Florida. Her mother, Bessie (née Mitchell), was from Georgia and worked as a domestic, and her father, Albert Roker, was a native of The Bahamas and a porter. She grew up in Brooklyn, New New York
Roker was born in Miami, Florida. Her mother, Bessie (née Mitchell), was from Georgia and worked as a domestic, and her father, Albert Roker, was a native of The Bahamas and a porter. She grew up in Brooklyn, New New York
Howard University.
Roker is known for her role as Helen Willis on The Jeffersons. She began her professional career with the Negro Ensemble Company and became a successful stage actress. She was a reporter on WNEW-television in New York in the 1970s and hosted a public affairs show for the station known as Inside Bed-Stuy, dealing with events in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
She appeared in guest starring roles on many United States television shows from the 1970s through the 1990s, including "Stone in the River" starring Hal Miller for National Broadcasting Company, Punky Brewster, Hangin" with Mr.
Cooper, A Different World, Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, 227, and Beat the Clock. She also had a role in the television miniseries Roots and in the movie Claudine.
Roker was also a children's advocate who was cited by the city of Los Angeles for her community work. Roker died in Los Angeles, California on December 2, 1995 of breast cancer at the age of 66.
Roker graduated from Howard University, where she was a member of the drama club and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.