# Kellita Smith
**Kellita Smith** is an American actress and comedian best known for playing Wanda McCullough, the wife of [Bernie Mac](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernie-mac)'s character, on the Fox sitcom *The Bernie Mac Show* (2001–2006), and Lieutenant Roberta Warren on the Syfy zombie-apocalypse series *Z Nation* (2014–2018)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/). In interviews she has been described as the first African-American woman to lead a Syfy series[2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/), and the Los Angeles Sentinel called her the first Black lead for any Syfy network series[3](https://lasentinel.net/kellita-smith-on-black-ownership-overcoming-fears-hollywood.html). Published sources disagree on her birth date: IMDb gives 1969[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/bio/), while Rotten Tomatoes, TV Insider, and NNDB list July 11, 1969[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith) • [6](https://www.nndb.com/people/328/000160845/). She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in [Oakland, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakland-california)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Chicago, Illinois; birth date reported as 1969 (IMDb)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/bio/) or 1969 (Rotten Tomatoes, TV Insider, NNDB)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith) |
| Signature role | Wanda McCullough on *The Bernie Mac Show* (Fox, 2001–2006), 104 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/) |
| Second signature role | Lt. Roberta Warren on *Z Nation* (Syfy, 2014–2018), 61 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/) |
| Firsts | Described in a 2019 interview as the first African-American woman to lead a Syfy series[2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/) |
| Awards | NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress (1996, *Feelings*); 2005 BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith) • [7](https://www.wttw.com/dusable-to-obama/about-narrator) |
| Other series lead | First Lady Katherine Johnson in *The First Family* (2012–2015, 35 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/) |
| Film ratings | Highest-rated film on the Tomatometer: *Roll Bounce* at 66%; lowest: *King's Ransom* at 2%[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith) |
## Early life and path to acting
Smith grew up in Oakland, California, and attended a school founded by the [Black Panther Party](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-panther-party), the Oakland Community Learning Center; she has said that the women of the Party were the children's caretakers there, and that Erica Huggins in particular taught her that "the skin we are in is everything"[3](https://lasentinel.net/kellita-smith-on-black-ownership-overcoming-fears-hollywood.html). She attended Santa Rosa Junior College and studied political science[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/bio/) • [2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/). Before acting she worked office jobs and was fired from several of them in a row; in interviews she has given the count as three[2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/) and as four[3](https://lasentinel.net/kellita-smith-on-black-ownership-overcoming-fears-hollywood.html). She has said that a childhood sweetheart who went on to play in the NBA showed her what committing to a dream looked like, and that a first acting class "just clicked" despite a rough start[3](https://lasentinel.net/kellita-smith-on-black-ownership-overcoming-fears-hollywood.html). In her early years she worked as a model before turning to acting full time[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/bio/).
Her first stage role came in the play *Tell It Like It Tiz*, which toured the United States for two years[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith). Los Angeles stage work followed: *No Place to Be Somebody* at the K.C. Theatre Company, and *Feelings* at the Hudson Theatre, for which she won an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1996. That same year the NAACP nominated her for Best Actress for *The Thirteenth Thorn*[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith).
## Television career
Smith's television work began in 1993 with an episode of *Living Single* (Fox)[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kellita-smith/). Through the 1990s she built a record of recurring and guest parts: Tracy on *Martin* (Fox, 1992–1997), Tonya on *Sister, Sister* (1993–1999), Danielle on *[Malcolm & Eddie](https://www.edgepedia.org/malcolm-and-eddie)* (UPN, 1996–2000), Cherise, a love interest of [Jamie Foxx](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-foxx)'s character, on *The Jamie Foxx Show* (WB, 1996–2001), plus appearances on *Moesha*, *Nash Bridges*, *The Steve Harvey Show*, and *NYPD Blue*[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kellita-smith/).
**The Bernie Mac Show.** Smith landed the role of Wanda McCullough at the last minute, and Bernie Mac joked that she had "stolen" the part[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith). The series ran on Fox from 2001 to 2006 and produced 104 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/), and Wanda was written as a no-nonsense, career-oriented wife and mother[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith). For the role she received the 2005 BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series[7](https://www.wttw.com/dusable-to-obama/about-narrator). After Bernie Mac's death in 2008, Smith told [Larry King](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-king) that the cast had become like family after five years of 14-hour days, five days a week[9](https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2008-08-12/segment/01).
Smith returned to a series lead in 2012 as First Lady Katherine Johnson in the syndicated sitcom *The First Family*, which ran 35 episodes through 2015[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/). Later work includes Cheryl on [Bounce TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/bounce-tv)'s *In the Cut* (2016–2019, 15 episodes), Lynn Wheeler in the Netflix miniseries *[From Scratch](https://www.edgepedia.org/from-scratch-tv-series)* (2022, 8 episodes), Elizabeth Dubois on *This Is Us* (2021, 1 episode), Dr. Nya Brown on *BET Her Presents: The Couch* (2021, 2 episodes), and Judge Vonetta Sears on *Lace* (2023, 7 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/).
## Z Nation and Roberta Warren
From 2014 to 2018 Smith played Lieutenant Roberta Warren on Syfy's *Z Nation*, a post-apocalyptic series in which a team escorts Murphy, a zombie-human hybrid whose blood may hold a cure, from New York toward a lab in California; she appeared in 61 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/) • [2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/). In interviews she has described the role as the first African-American woman lead on a Syfy series[2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/); the Los Angeles Sentinel similarly called her the first Black lead for any Syfy network series[3](https://lasentinel.net/kellita-smith-on-black-ownership-overcoming-fears-hollywood.html).
The character began as Lieutenant Warren, a former Missouri National Guard officer, and grew into the group's leader after the deaths of earlier commanders, including Lt. Hammond ([Harold Perrineau](https://www.edgepedia.org/harold-perrineau)) and Charles Garnett, in the first season[10](https://thepcprinciple.com/interview-kellita-smith/). Creator Karl Schafer had not initially decided whether the character would be a man or a woman[2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/). Smith had been taking martial arts for about a year when she auditioned, and performed fight and weapons work with the show's stunt coordinators[2](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/). She also reprised the character as Sergeant Roberta Warren in the 2015 TV movie *Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/).
## Film work
Smith's film career started with a small role in [Sean Penn](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-penn)'s psychological drama *The Crossing Guard* (1995), which starred [Jack Nicholson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-nicholson)[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kellita-smith/). Other credits include *House Party 3* (1994), *Kingdom Come* (2001) with [Whoopi Goldberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/whoopi-goldberg), *Hair Show* (2004) as a Beverly Hills salon owner opposite Mo'Nique, *Roll Bounce* (2005), *King's Ransom* (2005) as the scheming wife of Anthony Anderson's millionaire, *Feel the Noise* (2007), and *Three Can Play That Game* (2007)[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kellita-smith/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/bio/). On Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer her highest-rated film is *Roll Bounce* at 66% and her lowest is *King's Ransom* at 2%[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith).
## Recognition and other work
Smith has received seven nominations in total per IMDb[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/), including the NAACP Image Award nomination for *The Thirteenth Thorn* and the BET Comedy Award win[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith). Away from acting she hosted and narrated WTTW's Chicago documentary *DuSable to Obama: Chicago's Black Metropolis* and has written as a columnist for *Girlfriend* Magazine[7](https://www.wttw.com/dusable-to-obama/about-narrator). In interviews she has advocated for Black ownership in media and business, arguing that the images audiences want come from positions of control[3](https://lasentinel.net/kellita-smith-on-black-ownership-overcoming-fears-hollywood.html). Her IMDb page lists upcoming credits including the film *Bad at Being Bad* (2026) and a voice role in the video game *World of Warcraft: Midnight* (2026)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/).
## References
1. [Kellita Smith, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/)
2. [Kellita Smith On Bad Ass Role in Syfy's 'Z-Nation', Parlé Mag (2019)](https://parlemag.com/2019/01/kellita-smith-interview/)
3. [Kellita Smith On Black Ownership, Overcoming Fears, & Hollywood, Los Angeles Sentinel (2019)](https://lasentinel.net/kellita-smith-on-black-ownership-overcoming-fears-hollywood.html)
4. [Kellita Smith Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808917/bio/)
5. [Kellita Smith, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kellita_smith)
6. [Kellita Smith, NNDB](https://www.nndb.com/people/328/000160845/)
7. [About: Kellita Smith, WTTW Chicago](https://www.wttw.com/dusable-to-obama/about-narrator)
8. [Kellita Smith, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kellita-smith/)
9. [Larry King Live transcript, CNN (August 12, 2008)](https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2008-08-12/segment/01)
10. [Interview: Kellita Smith, Pop Culture Principle](https://thepcprinciple.com/interview-kellita-smith/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Sh to So*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license