Actor Kimberly Hebert Gregory, best known for her performance as Dr. Belinda Brown on HBO's comedy series "Vice Principals," has died at age 52.
Her Friday death was announced by her ex-husband, actor and singer Chester Gregory, in a post shared on Facebook.
"Kimberly Hébert Gregory
You Were Brilliance Embodied,
A Black Woman Whose Mind Lit Every Room,
Whose Presence Carried Both Fire And Grace.
You Taught Us Lessons In Courage,
In Artistry, In Resilience,
And In How To Keep Showing Up,
Even When Life Demanded More Than Its Share."
Born in 1972 in Houston, Kimberly Gregory attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts before earning a bachelor's degree in psychology from Massachusetts' Mount Holyoke College, according to Variety. She later received a master's degree in social work from the University of Chicago.
While in Chicago, she built a stage career with the Chicago Theatre Company, earning a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1998 for her role in "Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery."
Gregory began her on-screen career with a role in "I Think I Love My Wife" (2007), starring Chris Rock and Kerry Washington. Over the following years, she appeared in a range of TV series, including "Grey's Anatomy," "Gossip Girl," "Two and a Half Men," "Law & Order," "Barry," "The Act," "Dollface," "Better Call Saul," and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
She gained widespread recognition through her recurring part in Lifetime's "Devious Maids" before joining HBO's "Vice Principals" in 2016.
In the series, Gregory portrayed Belinda Brown, a high school principal at odds with two vice principals played by Danny McBride and Walton Goggins.
Goggins paid tribute to Gregory in an Instagram post on Saturday, calling her "one of the best I've ever worked with."
"I had the honor … the good fortune of getting to know, getting to spend months working with this Queen on 'Vice Principals,'" he wrote. "She made me laugh like no other. A professionals professional. A gatdamn SOPRANO that never missed a note."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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