Post by Laurence Aikens

Shirley Ann Hemphill (July 1, 1947 – December 10, 1999) was a stand-up comedian and actress. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, she moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. After working the Los Angeles comedy club circuit, her routine attracted attention, leading to guest-starring roles on television. In 1976, she landed the role of brassy waitress Shirley Wilson on What’s Happening!!. She was cast in One in a Million. In 1985, she reprised her role as Shirley Wilson in the syndicated revival of What’s Happening!! Titled What’s Happening Now!! She returned to stand-up comedy and made occasional appearances in films and television until her death. She attended Hill Street School and Stephens-Lee High School and won an athletics scholarship to Morristown College, where she majored in Physical Education. She sent a cassette tape of one of her comedy routines to Flip Wilson. He was impressed by her routine and, in turn, sent her a cassette recorder and a dozen roses. He invited her to visit the set of The Flip Wilson Show. She returned to her job in Asheville but decided to pursue a comedy career instead. She quit her job and traveled to Los Angeles by bus. She worked as a waitress during the day and performed at The Comedy Store at night. She had a guest role on Good Times, which led to another guest-starring role on All’s Fair after the show saw her performance. She spent most of the early 1980s working in nightclubs around the US and doing the occasional guest appearance on TV shows, including The Love Boat, Trapper John, M.D., Martin, and The Wayans Bros. She appeared in her first movie, CB4. She co-starred in her second movie, Shoot the Moon. She performed her stand-up routine on several popular TV shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, A&E’s An Evening at the Improv, Black Comedy Showcase, and Black Comedy Tonight. She was a regular at The Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles. She appeared in an episode of The Jenny Jones Show in a What’s Happening!! reunion show. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence