Teresa Graves

1948-01-10 – 2002-10-10 · Houston, Texas, USA

Biography

Teresa Graves was an American actress and singer born on 10 January 1948 in Texas. She is best known for her leading role in the television series *Get Christie Love!* (1974–1975), in which she played an undercover detective, becoming the first Black woman to star in a primetime drama series in the United States. She began her career as a singer, appearing notably on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1971 with songs such as "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" and "Respect". Prior to that, she appeared on variety shows such as Our Place (1967) and Turn-On (1969). In addition to Get Christie Love!, famous for her line "You're under arrest, sugah!", she appeared in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (season 3) and films such as That Man Bolt (1973). She also toured with Bob Hope on a USO tour in 1969. Teresa Graves retired from the industry in 1983 for religious reasons and died on 10 October 2002 in an accidental fire in Los Angeles.