Odessa Cleveland

American film and television actress

Odessa Cleveland

Born|

Louisiana, U.S.

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1971–1986
Website| Odeapp3books

Odessa Cleveland is a retired American film and television actress.[1]

## Early years

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Born in Louisiana,[2] Cleveland graduated from Peabody High School. She graduated from Grambling State University[3] with a BS degree in physical education and English and a master's degree in business management and education.[4]

## Career

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A life member of The Actors Studio,[5] Cleveland is best known for her role as Lieutenant Ginger Bayliss, a recurring character on the television series M*A*S*H,[6] on which she appeared for 26 episodes from 1972 to 1975.

Cleveland also had a guest role in an episode of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H spin-off Trapper John, M.D. in 1986. Beginning as a receptionist and writer at the Watts Writer's Workshop/Theater in Los Angeles,[4] and under the tutelage of Budd Schulberg, Odessa began appearing in such productions as Black Girl in Search of God at Jim Wood's Studio Watts Theater in Los Angeles.

In 1974, she portrayed Jim's slave wife in the 1974 musical release of Huckleberry Finn.[7]

Cleveland taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District.[4]

## Filmography

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Year  | Film  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1974 | Huckleberry Finn | Jim's Wife  |

## Television works

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Year  | Series  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1971 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Barbara  | 1 episode: "Glass Cage"
1972–75 | M*A*S*H | Lt. Ginger Bayliss  | Total of 27 episodes (5 uncredited)
1975 | Sanford and Son | Audrey  | 1 episode: "The Over-the-Hill Gag"
1977 | Something for Joey | Judy  | TV movie
1982 | The Greatest American Hero | Nurse  | 1 episode: " The Hand-Painted Thai"
1983 | Simon & Simon | Nurse  | 1 episode: "Room 3502"
1986 | Trapper John, M.D. | Second Nurse  | 1 episode: "The Curmudgeon"

## References

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1. ^ McCann, Bob (2009-12-21). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5804-2.
2. ^ "Archive of Odessa Cleveland's official website". Archived from the original on 8 March 2018.
3. ^ Slaughter, Tony (September 9, 1972). "Dunbar Ex TV Regular". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 4. Retrieved November 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ a b c Sherman, Dale (2016). M.A.S.H. FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Best Care Anywhere. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4950-6379-4. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
5. ^ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
6. ^ Rossetti, Nicole (2016-09-08). "The Cast of M*A*S*H: Then And Now". Major10. Retrieved 2020-04-07.
7. ^ Rasmussen, R. Kent (2014-05-14). Critical Companion to Mark Twain: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-0852-0.

## External links

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* Odessa Cleveland at IMDb