Marsha Warfield

Actress and comedian Marsha Warfield was born on March 5, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois, to Josephine and James Warfield. She was raised in the city’s South Side Englewood neighborhood and graduated from Calumet High School in 1971. She was known for her wit and writing ability before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment in 1976.

In 1977, Warfield landed a role on The Richard Pryor Show, appearing in three episodes before the show was canceled that same year. She was then cast in the 1978 television movie That Thing on ABC, an hour-long comedy special featuring performances by Shelley Long, Mandy Patinkin, John Ritter, and Warfield. In 1979, Warfield gained recognition by winning the San Francisco National Stand-Up Comedy Competition and went on to appear in the 1981 film The Marva Collins Story. She also had a brief role in the 1982 Kung Fu parody They Call Me Bruce. Her television career continued to grow in 1984 with a recurring role as Max in four episodes of the series Riptide. That same year, she made a guest appearance in an episode of season three of Family Ties, followed by a 1985 guest spot in season three of Cheers. Warfield’s breakout role came in 1986 when she was cast as bailiff Rosalind “Roz” Russell on the courtroom comedy series Night Court where she remained until 1992, appearing in a total of 136 episodes. From 1990 to 1991, Warfield produced and hosted the daytime talk show The Marsha Warfield Show, which featured guests such as Rosie O’Donnell, Brooke Shields, and Jean-Claude Van Damme. The show aired for ten months with over 200 episodes. Later, in 1997, she made guest appearances in one episode of Moesha and two episodes of Living Single.

From 2021 to 2023, Warfield was cast in the role of Toni Wilson on the Fox Network television series 9-1-1. In 2023, she reprised her role as Roz Russell in three episodes of the rebooted Night Court on NBC. In 2024, Warfield performed her stand-up comedy at the Comedy Cellar in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at Tommy T’s Comedy Club in Pleasanton, California, alongside comedians George Wallace and Ron G.

Warfield resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with her wife, Angie.

Marsha Warfield was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 8, 2024.