Virginia Capers, born Eliza Virginia Capers on September 22, 1925, in Sumter, South Carolina, was an acclaimed American actress and singer. She attended Howard University and later studied voice at the Juilliard School in New York. Early in her career, she was hired by bandleader Abe Lyman for his radio program, and she spent years singing and performing in the Yiddish theatre, making her Broadway debut in the 1957 musical "Jamaica."

She later appeared in "Saratoga" and achieved major success in 1974 by winning the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Lena Younger in "Raisin," a musical adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun".

Her film and television career spanned several decades, with notable roles in films such as "The Great White Hope," "Lady Sings the Blues," where she played the mother of Billie Holiday, "Trouble Man," "The Toy," "Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling," "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" as Nurse Sparrow, and "What’s Love Got to Do with It." 

On television, she made frequent guest appearances on dramas like "Have Gun – Will Travel," "Dragnet," "Mannix," and comedies such as "Evening Shade," "The Golden Girls," and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," where audiences fondly remember her recurring role as Hattie Banks. She also provided a celebrated narration for the 1993 adventure game "Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers," earning critical recognition for her voice work.

Determined to open more doors for Black actors, Virginia Capers founded the Lafayette Players, a Los Angeles repertory theatre company devoted to African-American performers.

Her work garnered her the National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the Paul Robeson Pioneer Award, and the NAACP Image Award for theater excellence. After a lifetime challenging stereotypes and expanding the roles available to Black women in entertainment, Virginia Capers died of complications from pneumonia in Los Angeles on May 6, 2004, at the age of 78.