Gloria Foster

Any scholar of Black Cinema is familiar with the ground breaking film, Nothing But A Man, which featured an ensemble of incredible performances that are just as impressive today as they were when the movie debuted in 1964. It's hard to walk away from that film and not be moved by the honest acting of Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln, Yaphet Kotto, Julius Harris, and today's pick for the Not Very Famous...but should be, Gloria Foster.

Remembered mostly today for her role as, The Oracle, in the first two Matrix films, Gloria Foster's forty year career spanned from the early 1960's to her sudden death in 2001. It was a creative journey that took her from Broadway and Off Broadway, where she won 3 Obie Awards, to the big screen and the small one.

Unlike her many talented peers, she was not a part of the Black cinema phase of the 1970's, often referred to as the Blaxploitation era. It was a time in Hollywood where Black actors thrived in low budget action films, only to be pushed aside when the market became saturated with an abundance of knockoffs of lesser quality. So while the opportunities for Black actors became scarce, Gloria Foster continued on, mostly in television ranging from guest starring in shows that range from American Playhouse to Law and Order.

She certainly had the talent, but never had the high profile project for anyone to discover her in. Co-staring in Leonard Part 6, considered one of the worse films ever made, didn't help, although that was no fault of hers. With The Matrix films she was certainly on her way to being noticed, even though those movies, as good as they were, never showcased her true talent like her early work did in Nothing But A Man.

One can only wonder what wonderful work she could have given the world had she just had more opportunities. I guess we'll never know, but by the work she left behind, I think we already do.