She launched her film career in 1968 in Italy, where she appeared in the spaghetti western The Great Silence and played the title role in the comedy Faustina.. WebActress Vonetta McGee attends the NBC Fall TV Affiliates Party on May 12, 1985 at century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Either way, McGee deserves to be remembered; for her unmistakable talent, her condemnation of injustice, and her championing of Black excellence. When singer Diana Ross landed lead roles and was hailed as proof of equal opportunity Hollywood, McGee argued otherwise. By using this site, you agree to our updated, Count Dracula (Charles McCauley) insults Mamuwalde (William Marshall) and his wife Luva (Vonetta McGee) then unleashes his goons and inflicts an eternal curse in an introductory scene from, Mamuwalde's (William Marshall, a.k.a. "Vonetta McGee was like a lot of actors and actresses at that time, like myself, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, Billy Dee Williams and Pam Grier, in that we had more talent than we were allowed to show because everything was perceived as a black project. Julien also said he would want McGee to have everything and be comfortable if they ever split up. Not strictly no one. We all needed a certain amount of protection. McGee compared it to racism, noting that she preferred to label the movies as "black-film genre. She eventually dropped out of college and went abroad to seek active work.[5]. Two years after they tied the knot, McGee and Lumbly welcomed their first child and son, Brandon. ", Vonetta McGee appearing in the ABC TV movie 'Superdome' in 1978. That included playing Sister Indigo on Robert Blake's short-lived 1985 dramatic series "Hell Town" and playing a social worker who takes a con man played by Jimmie Walker into her home in the syndicated 1987-88 sitcom "Bustin' Loose." | Photo: Getty Images, The Hollywood star's life went on excellently after her separation, with the actress getting more roles. So why did she languish in obscurity until her death? McGee and Lumbly were married in 1986 and had a son, Brandon, in 1988. Vonetta McGee, an actress whose big-screen heyday during the blaxploitation era of the 1970s included leading roles in Blacula and Shaft in Africa, has died. "This is where a lot of us fell short. Vonetta McGee, an actress whose big-screen heyday during the blaxploitation era of the 1970s included leading roles in "Blacula" and "Shaft in Africa," has died.