Angelou was most famous as the author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which became a 1979 TV movie.
The poet gave a heartbreaking performance on “The Richard Pryor Special?” in 1977 as the wife of Pryor’s Willie, a drunk. When he passes out, she delivers a powerful monologue about lost hopes, the consequences of alcoholism and why the N-word isn’t an affectionate term.
Also in 1977, Angelou appeared in Alex Haley’s “Roots,” a monumental miniseries about slavery and the African-American experience.
Angelou skipped on-screen appearances in the 1980s, but returned for John Singleton’s 1993 film “Poetic Justice,” playing one of several older women at a family reunion. The film is built around Angelou’s poems, read by Janet Jackson’s young poet, Justice.
Angelou played patty-cake with Elmo on “Sesame Street” in 1995, telling him about foods she likes that start with M, the first letter of her name. They include mangoes and marshmallows. She later narrated his Christmas movie.
Angelou talked with Dave Chappelle about comedy and their writing processes for Sundance’s “Iconoclasts” in 2005. She told Chappelle that she begins her writing day by going to a hotel room early in the morning, so she can leave everything else behind.
Tyler Perry brought Angelou back together with “Roots” co-star Cicely Tyson in “Madea’s Family Reunion” in 2006.
In what appears to be the last TV interview of her lifetime, Angelou called in to “The Arsenio Hall Show” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She recalled how she was about to go raise money with King when he was killed on her birthday, and talked about the importance of laughter.
