Actor Denise Dowse, who portrayed Vice Principal Yvonne Teasley on Beverly Hills, 90210, Judge Rebecca Damsen on The Guardian and therapist Rhonda Pine on Insecure, passed away at the age of 64 after battling Meningitis.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the news of Dowse's departure was posted on her Instagram account on Saturday by her older sister Tracey Dowse, who referred to her as "the most amazing sister, a consummate, illustrious actor, mentor, and director." She was my last remaining family member and greatest friend.
On August 7, Tracey posted on Instagram that her younger sister was being treated for a "virulent strain of meningitis" that had put her in the hospital and in a coma.
Denise Dowse made an impression on the big screen in the roles of Marlene Andre, Ray Charles' manager, in Ray (2004), starring Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, and as another principal in Coach Carter (2005), starring Samuel L. Jackson and based on a real-life educator at Richmond (California) High School.
She worked as an operator at an answering service and then for five years as the office manager at a Westwood law company while she was developing her acting career.
Additionally, Dowse appeared frequently in the television shows Built to Last on NBC in 1997, Secrets and Lies on ABC in 2015-16, and Imposters on Bravo in 2017-18. She also appeared in episodes of the following shows: Roc, Seinfeld, Touched by an Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NewsRadio, Party of Five, Judging Amy, Charmed, Law & Order, Bones, Rizzoli & Isles, Murder in the First, 9-1-1, Grey's Anatomy, and Snowfall.
She appeared in the movies Sneakers (1992), Bio-Dome (1996), Starship Troopers (1997), Pleasantville (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), and Dr Dolittle 2 among others (2001).
Denise Yvonne Dowse was born in Honolulu on Feb. 21, 1958. Her father had a career in the U.S. Navy, and her family moved pretty much every two years. Meanwhile, her mother taught school.
At the Amazing Grace Conservatory, a weekend performing arts school in inner-city Los Angeles serving kids aged 8 to 18, Dowse spent 18 years instructing acting and directing plays.
She directed Daughters of the Mock for The Negro Ensemble Company in New York the following year after directing Recorded in Hollywood at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City in 2016. Throughout her career, she received numerous NAACP Image Awards for directing.
She said, "Of all of things, I love theater. Although it doesn't cover the expenses, it satisfies the soul.
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