Tonea Stewart (born February 3, 1947),[1] also Tommie Stewart, is an American actress and university professor. She is the former dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts of Alabama State UniversityinMontgomery, Alabama.[2]
From the beginning of her acting career until 2019, Stewart concurrently worked as an actress and educator; she did not act full time until her retirement from teaching.[3][4]
Stewart was born in Greenwood, Mississippi,[5] the daughter of Hattie (née Leonard) and Thomas Harris.[1] Her father worked as an electrician and plumber, while Stewart's mother was an educator.[5] They would divorce when Stewart was 4 years old.[5] Her sister, Beverly Branson, is a singer, and the two have performed together on stage.[6]
Her original intention was to become a doctor, and she studied biology at Jackson State University. However, after acting in a school production, Stewart changed her major to theater.[5] She earned a BS degree in speech and theater at Jackson, and then studied theater at the University of California at Santa Barbara. In 1989, Stewart received a PhD in theater arts from Florida State University.[2]
Stewart began teaching in 1971,[4] educating high school students.[1] At her alma mater, Jackson State University, she taught speech to her students.[19] By 1983, Stewart was assistant professor for the dramatics and speech departments at Jackson.[20]
Starting in 1990, she was a professor at the College of Visual and Performing Arts for Alabama State University, also chairing the theater department.[4] Stewart eventually became dean before retiring in 2019 after 48 years in education.[4] One of her students was Stephen Boss.[21]
In the Heat of the Night (1988) as Aunt Etta (Virgil's widowed maternal aunt Etta Kibbee. She resides with Virgil and Althea Tibbs and is caretaker of their twins, William Calvin and Sarah Ruth. (Seasons 4–7) Prior to her role as Kibbee, Stewart also appeared on the Season 2 episode "Prisoners" as Ms. Gray, the mother of slain prison victim, Eric Gray.
^Hane, Bobb (August 17, 2007). "District's opening summit speaker calls to mind the strength, wisdom of our grandmothers, urges teachers to find it". The Herald Independent. p. 3.
