Honestly, if you ask three different people about Della Reese, you'll probably get three completely different answers. One person will swear she’s the sarcastic angel from that 90s show your grandma loved. Another might remember her as the terrifyingly funny madam who once punched Eddie Murphy in a movie. And then there’s the crowd that knows her strictly as a jazz powerhouse who could out-sing anyone in a smoke-filled 1950s club.
Most fans today associate Della Reese movies and tv shows with a very specific, wholesome image. But her career was a wild, multi-decade pivot from gospel prodigy to talk show pioneer, and finally to the "heavenly" supervisor we all knew as Tess. She wasn't just an actress; she was a force of nature who broke barriers that most people don't even realize were there.
The Angel Everyone Remembers (And the Drama Behind It)
You can't talk about Della Reese without starting with Touched by an Angel. It’s basically the law. From 1994 to 2003, she played Tess, the tough-love supervisor to Roma Downey’s Monica. It was a massive hit, but here’s the thing: it almost didn't happen.
The show was actually canceled after its first short season. The ratings were bad. Critics hated it, calling it "treacly" and "syrupy." But the fans? They revolted. They wrote letters—actual physical letters back then—and forced CBS to bring it back.
What made that show work wasn't just the "message of the week." It was the chemistry. Della and Roma weren't just acting; they were incredibly close in real life. Della even became an ordained minister and performed Roma’s wedding. On screen, Della brought a certain grit to the role of an angel. She wasn't all harps and halos. She was sarcastic, she was funny, and she had that deep, gravelly voice that made you listen. She called Monica "angel girl" or "Miss Wings," and it felt like a real relationship.
Why Harlem Nights Changed Everything
Long before she was a divine being on CBS, Della Reese was scaring the living daylights out of Eddie Murphy.
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If you haven't seen the 1989 film Harlem Nights, you’re missing out on a masterclass in comedic timing. Della played Vera, a madam at an illegal casino. There is a legendary scene where she gets into a full-on street brawl with Eddie Murphy’s character, Quick. It’s foul-mouthed, it’s violent, and it’s absolutely hilarious.
Eddie Murphy actually wrote that part specifically for her. He knew her from her nightclub days and wanted that "Della Reese energy." It was a huge departure from her earlier, more polished image. It proved she could hang with the heavyweights of comedy—Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx—and honestly, she kind of stole the movie from them. People were shocked to see "the singer" acting like a seasoned tough girl, but she had that Detroit grit in her DNA.
The Talk Show Pioneer History Forgot
We talk a lot about Oprah or Joan Rivers, but Della Reese was a trailblazer in a way that often gets buried in her bio. In 1969, she launched Della!, her own syndicated talk show.
She was the first Black woman to ever host her own variety talk show. Think about that for a second. 1969.
The show was cool. It was filmed in LA and had this mix of heavy-hitting interviews and musical performances. She’d have Muhammad Ali on one day and Gladys Knight the next. She wasn’t just a talking head; she was a host who could jump up and sing a duet with her guests.
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Sadly, it only lasted about a year. Why? Because the industry wasn't ready. There's a famous, somewhat heartbreaking story she told later in life where a TV executive told her they couldn't sell the show because her "gums were black" when she smiled. It was blatant racism masked as "marketability." But even though it was short-lived, she had already kicked the door down. A year later, in 1970, she became the first Black woman to guest-host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
The Voice That Started in Detroit
Before the cameras, there was the voice. Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early) was a child prodigy. By thirteen, she was touring with Mahalia Jackson, the queen of gospel.
She eventually moved into "secular" music, which was a big scandal in the church world at the time. Her 1959 hit "Don't You Know?" (based on a Puccini aria, of all things) went to number two on the charts. She was a massive recording star with Grammy nominations and a regular spot on the Las Vegas circuit.
When you look at her filmography, you see that musicality everywhere:
- The Blues Fairy in Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child.
- Eema the dinosaur in Disney’s Dinosaur (2000). She voiced a literal Styracosaurus and somehow made it soulful.
- Ma Wright in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. She played Martin Lawrence’s mom and, once again, brought that perfect blend of warmth and "don't mess with me."
A Career of Constant Rebirth
Della Reese didn't just have one career; she had about four. She’d get bored or the industry would try to box her in, and she’d just... pivot.
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When the jazz scene started to fade in the late 60s, she moved into acting. When her talk show failed, she became a staple on sitcoms. You can find her in everything from Sanford and Son to The Love Boat and MacGyver. She even starred in a short-lived sitcom with Redd Foxx called The Royal Family in 1991. Tragically, Redd Foxx had a fatal heart attack on set during a rehearsal, and Della was the one who was there with him. It was a devastating blow, but she kept going.
That’s the thing about Della. She was a survivor. She survived a brain aneurysm in 1979 that nearly killed her on the set of The Tonight Show. She survived the fickle nature of Hollywood. And she did it all while staying remarkably true to herself.
Key Roles You Should Revisit
If you're looking to dive into the best of Della Reese movies and tv shows, skip the generic "best of" lists and look for these specific performances:
- Chico and the Man (1975-1978): She played the landlady Della Rogers. It was her first big recurring sitcom gig and showed she had serious acting chops beyond just "guest-starring."
- Nightmare in Badham County (1976): A gritty TV movie where she played a prisoner. It earned her an Emmy nomination and proved she could do dark, serious drama.
- Anya's Bell (1999): A smaller TV movie where she played a blind woman who befriends a boy with a disability. It’s quiet, beautiful, and shows a much softer side than her Harlem Nights persona.
- Beauty Shop (2005): One of her later film roles where she played Queen Latifah’s mother-in-law. It’s a fun, lighthearted look at her legacy as the "matriarch" of Black cinema.
The Real Legacy
Della Reese passed away in 2017 at the age of 86, but her footprint is everywhere. She wasn't just an actress who took jobs; she was a woman who defined her own space. She refused to be just a singer, or just a preacher, or just an angel.
What most people get wrong is thinking she was "just" a TV star. She was a pioneer who made it possible for women of color to lead shows, host talk segments, and command respect on a film set without compromising their voice.
If you want to truly appreciate her, go back and watch her sing "And That Reminds Me" from 1957, then jump forward to her fight scene in Harlem Nights, and finish with an episode of Touched by an Angel. You’ll see a woman who lived about ten lives in the span of one career.
To get the full experience of her range, start by tracking down her early 1960s live albums like Della Reese at Mr. Kelly’s. It captures the raw, improvisational wit that she eventually brought to her acting. Then, look for her guest spots on 1970s sitcoms like Sanford and Son to see how she paved the way for the "strong matriarch" archetype that dominated television for the next thirty years.