found: African American National Biography, accessed June 20, 2015, via Oxford African American Studies Center database:(Avery, Margaret; stage / screen actor, cabaret singer; born c.1950 in Mangum, Oklahoma, United States; enrolled in San Francisco State University; moved to Los Angeles; had her debut in television with roles in “Something Evil” (1972) and “Louis Armstrong-Chicago Style” (1976); casted in feature films, including “Magnum Force” (1973) with Clint Eastwood; played roles in the television series “A. E. S. Hudson Street” (1978) and in the made-for-TV movies “The Sky Is Gray” (1980), “The Lathe of Heaven” (1980); the director Steven Spielberg brought Alice Walker's novel “The Color Purple” to the big screen and tapped her to play the role of Shug Avery (1985); earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress; was a guest star in TV series including “The Cosby Show”, “Walker, Texas Ranger”; performed in various feature films, including “White Man's Burden” (1995); appeared as herself in the documentary “The Collaboration of Spirits: Casting and Acting “The Color Purple” (2003))