Daphne Maxwell Reid

Personal context

Summary

Daphne Maxwell Reid is an actor, photographer, designer, and author known for playing Aunt Vivian on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and for roles in Frank’s Place and other television series. Her photography often focuses on doors and other details as metaphors for curiosity and life’s journeys. Reid has described participating in the 1968 Northwestern University sit-in seeking better resources for black students, attending the 1963 March on Washington, and continuing to act through her ballot and contact with her congressman. She has also spoken about her family’s civil rights activism and her own response to racial discrimination.