As no-nonsense mom Emma in this 2012 remake, Whitney Houston was the epitome of a stage mom: nurturing when necessary and always on the look out for her singing daughters’ best interests.
Lena Younger (Rashad in a role previously played by actress Claudia McNeil in the 1961 film version of the stage play ) is the matriarch charged with deciding her family’s financial future after her husband’s death. “Mama Younger” moves with a quiet resilience as she navigates between her children’s wants and her own.
Moore portrays Annie Johnson, a doting mom whose light-skinned daughter Sarah Jane (Sarah Kohner) is passing for white in this 1959 classic. Annie not only raises Sarah Jane, she is also a motherly figure to her boss Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) and her daughter Susie. Moore received an Oscar nod for the role.
In this touching scene from the 2012 Steel Magnolias remake where M’Lynn (Queen Latifah) prepares to donate one of her kidneys to Shelby (Condola Rashad), we are reminded of the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter.
Woodard played Carolyn Carmichael in the beloved 1994 film classic based on Spike Lee’s life. Tough, yet loving, Carolyn was the kind of no-nonsense matriach we could all relate to.
Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel Beloved was inspired by African-American slave Margaret Garner who escaped slavery by fleeing from Kentucky to free state Ohio in 1856. Oprah Winfrey adapted the book into the iconic film of the same name, and starred in it alongside Danny Glover and Thandie Newton.
In this 1995 box office smash, Devine (far left) plays Gloria, a single mom getting her feet back into the dating pool and finding her sexy again.
Queen Aoleon (Sinclair) is the kind of regal and all-knowing mom everyone loves.
Family matriarch Mama Joe (Hall) was everything, to everyone. And her Sunday dinners kept her family together.
Who better than mom to give you sound advice about grace and forgiveness when you’re in the midst of relationship turmoil? Tyson’s role as Myrtle Evers in Tyler Perry’s 2005 big screen debut was just that.
Mama Lucas (Dee) is the voice of reason for her drug kingpin son Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) in the 2008 film. For her portrayal, Dee received her first Oscar nomination at the age of 83.
