Olivia Cole (1942-2018) won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie for her portrayal of Matilda, wife of Chicken George, in the 1977 television miniseries Roots, based on Alex Haley's 1976 book by the same name. Born Olivia Carlena Cole in Memphis, Tennessee, she graduated from Hunter College High School in Manhattan (1960), studied drama at Bard College, was awarded a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London (1964—with honors), and earned a masters in theater arts from the University of Minnesota (1967). During her long career she performed in television, film, and theater. She spent her last thirty-five years in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, where she created a Shakespeare Club and held readings of Shakespeare's thirty-seven plays for three decades.