The tenth of 18 children born to Bahamian immigrants, Esther Rolle danced in her early years and played in numerous stage productions and small roles in films before being "discovered" in middle age by TV producer Norman Lear and turned into a TV star playing Florida Evans, the maid, on "Maude" (CBS, 1972-74), and Florida Evans, the projects mother, on "Good Times" (CBS, 1974-77, 1978-79).Rolle was actually born in Florida, but studied at Spelman College in Atlanta, the New School for Social Research and Hunter College in New York. She broke into show business as a dancer with the Shogola
