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
Our Wife
1941
as Hattie
Professional Sweetheart
1933
as Vera (uncredited)
The Lady from Shanghai
1947
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Angel Face
1953
as Nurse Theresa (uncredited)
Finishing School
1934
as Evelyn (uncredited)
Grand Slam
1933
as Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
Black Moon
1934
as Sacrificed Girl (uncredited)
Cat People
1942
as Minnie (uncredited)
Blood Money
1933
as Jessica (uncredited)
Baby Face
1933
as Chico
Morocco
1930
as Camp Follower (uncredited)
42nd Street
1933
as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Thunderbolt
1929
as Singer
Al Jennings of Oklahoma
1951
as Terese
Horse Feathers
1932
as Laura (uncredited)
Union Depot
1932
as Black Woman (uncredited)
Gold Diggers of 1933
1933
as Black Woman in "Pettin' in the Park" Number (uncredited)
Free Wheeling
1932
as Maid (uncredited)
Santa Fe Trail
1940
as Maid (uncredited)
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1941
as Mother Listening to Hurdy-gurdy (uncredited)
Blossoms in the Dust
1941
as Cleo
Tension
1949
as Woman in Drugstore (uncredited)
I Walked with a Zombie
1943
as Alma
The Company She Keeps
1951
as Lilly Johnson (uncredited)
Arrowsmith
1931
as Native Mother (uncredited)
Desirable
1934
as Ladies Room Maid at Party
Tell No Tales
1939
as Ruby
The French Line
1954
as Clare (uncredited)
Alias Nick Beal
1949
as Opal
Penthouse
1933
as Lili (uncredited)
Faithless
1932
as Amanda
Back from Eternity
1956
as Mamie (uncredited)
Neptune's Daughter
1949
as Matilda the Maid (uncredited)
Big Town Girl
1937
as Maid
The Velvet Touch
1948
as Nancy
The Big Clock
1948
as Daisy (uncredited)
The Lady Escapes
1937
as Maid (uncredited)
And Baby Makes Three
1949
as Maid
Charlie Chan at the Olympics
1937
as Athlete
Small Town Girl
1953
as Backstage Maid
Private Detective 62
1933
as Janet's Maid (Uncredited)
The Half-Naked Truth
1932
as Emily (uncredited)
The Flame of New Orleans
1941
as Clémentine
City of Chance
1940
as Beulah - Powder Room Attendant
Strange Illusion
1945
as Maid
Hold Your Man
1933
as Lily Mae Crippen (uncredited)
The Toy Wife
1938
as 'Pick'
Mary Stevens, M.D.
1933
as Andrews' Maid Alice (uncredited)
Merrily We Go to Hell
1932
as Powder Room Attendant (uncredited)
Go Into Your Dance
1935
as Dressing Room Maid / Luana's Maid
The Gift of Love
1958
as Dora - Sam's Wife (uncredited)
Night After Night
1932
as Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
The File on Thelma Jordon
1949
as Esther
Week Ends Only
1932
as Chloe (uncredited)
The Road to Reno
1931
as Maid at Dude Ranch
Love Thy Neighbor
1940
as Josephine
Grounds for Marriage
1951
as Stella, Ina's Maid
Broadway Thru a Keyhole
1933
as Joan's Maid
Miss Susie Slagle's
1946
as Maid (uncredited)
Spoilers of the Forest
1957
as Nancy the Maid
The Green Pastures
1936
as Angel (uncredited)
Smooth as Silk
1946
as Louise (Maid)
Buck Benny Rides Again
1940
as Josephine
The Worst Woman in Paris?
1933
as Lily - the Maid
Sing Your Worries Away
1942
as Hat Check Girl
Success at Any Price
1934
as Marie
The Trespasser
1947
as Julia, the maid
The Sport Parade
1932
as Nightclub Dancer (uncredited)
Swingtime Jamboree
1946
as Herself
Tough as They Come
1942
as Bessie Mae
One Hour to Live
1939
as High Yaller girl
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 CineFlixo, 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
- Our Wife (1941) — as Hattie
Where to Watch Theresa Harris Films
Most Theresa Harris movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo 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.