Marlene Warfield, ‘Network’ & ‘Maude’ Actress, Dies at 83

Born June 19, 1941, in Queens, New York, she established herself as a stage actor first, appearing in the legendary production of Jean Genet’s “The Blacks,” understudying for Cicely Tyson and working with James Earl Jones in 1962.

Warfield won the Clarence Derwent Award in 1969 for her Broadway debut in “The Great White Hope,” a performance she repeated in the 1970 film opposite Jones.

She made her greatest impression in Sidney Lumet’s “Network” (1976). In it, she played Laureen Hobbs. When Faye Dunaway’s character introduces herself to Hobbs, she says wryly, “Hi, I’m Diana Christensen, a racist lackey of the imperialist ruling circles.”

In response, Hobbs crisply identifies as a “bad-ass Commie” N-word.

In spite of being a power player in the Ecumenical Liberation Army, a fictional ultra-left faction, she quickly reveals she is intensely aware of the power of the media, and of money. “Don’t f**k with my distribution costs!” she barks as the action she’s leading becomes more show than news. “I’m making a lousy two-fifteen per segment and I’m already deficiting 25 grand a week with Metro! I’m paying William Morris 10 percent off the top, and I’m giving this turkey 10 thou per segment, and another five to this fruitcake! And Helen, don’t start no sh*t about a piece again! I’m paying Metro 20 thousand for all foreign and Canadian distribution, and that’s after recoupment! The Communist Party’s not gonna see a nickel of this goddamn show until we go into syndication!”

Warfield went on to play Victoria Butterfield, the third maid on the Norman Lear hit “Maude,” in 1977 and 1978, after Hermione Baddeley and Esther Rolle, who had left to star on “Good Times.”

Her TV appearances also included “The Name of the Game” (1970), the TV movie “Pomroy’s People” (1973), “Lou Grant” (1978), “Little House on the Prairie” (1981), “Hill Street Blues” (1983), “Cagney & Lacey” (1984), the TV movie “Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson” (1989), “Freddy’s Nightmares” (1990), “In the House” (1996), “ER” (1997), “The West Wing” (1999), “The Shield” (2002), and “Cold Case” (2003).

Aside from “The Great White Hope,” her feature-film appearances were limited to “Joe” (1970), “Across 110th Street” (1972), “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling” (1986), and “How I Got Into College” (1989).

Her final stage performance came in a 2000 production of “King Hedley II” in Pittsburgh.

Warfield was married to William Horsey from 1967 until his death in 1993.

Preceded in death by her brother Earl, she is survived by her son, her grandson, her sister, and her cousin Vivian Warfield, a noted percussionist.