bernnadette stanis

Bernnadette Stanis is an American actress who is popular among the people for her role as Thelma Evans from Good Times, a CBS sitcom. Her role in Good Things is the daughter of the main characters, Florida Evans and James Evans Sr.

Stanis is also remembered as the black woman to have broken up the stereotypes of ghetto and black woman. Her name is also used as Bern Nadette Stanis on various billboards. 

Stanis Is The First Black "IT" Girl

Yes, you heard it right that Bernnadette Stanis is the first Black American woman to be labeled as the "IT Girl." In the show, she depicted the true definition of an IT girl with her sophisticated charms and gracefulness. 

Even more so, Stanis' character proved many stereotypes wrong. She was a beauty with ambitions, dreams, intelligence, respect, and grace. Moreover, she came off as natural while depicting her character. She introduced a new image of the young black girl and woman.

Stanis Doesn't Belong To Any Religious Group

In an interview with Jet Magazine, Stanis revealed that she doesn't belong to any particular religious group. However, she said that she does pray and meditate a lot. She revealed that it was a way for her to stay grounded, calm, and relaxed when her career and time around her felt like they were flowing fast. 

Stanis also said that she believes that all religions were means to god. And she has been to all the holy places of prayers. She said;

I don't belong to any group or sect. I do believe that all religions are just a means to an end-everybody's trying to reach God. So if I'm n the neighborhood of a Baptist church I go in; a synagogue, I go in there. Believe me, I've been to all of them.

What Is The Net Worth Of Bernnadette Stanis?

Did you know that the Good Times actress Stanis is also a painter and author? Well, the fact that she has written books can be quite common among her fans; however, the fact that she has put her artworks on auction was not publicized.

So, apart from acting, Stanis also collects her money from the royalties of her books and her paintings. And hence, the net worth of Bernnadette Stanis, Thelma, from the Good Times, is reported to be over $6 million. 

Does Stanis Use Social Media?

Yes, Impact Award Winning actress Stanis is indeed available on social media. She often posts her and her family's moments on social media. On Instagram, she is active under the username @thelmaofgoodtimes and has over 150k followers. 

She uses her official Twitter account under the same username as @thelmaofgoodtimes. However, she doesn't have much Twitter presence and only 7k followers.

Early Life & Education

Stanis was born and brought up in Brownsville, Brooklyn. She is a black American born on December 22, 1953, as Bernadette Stanislaus. She grew up in a Christian household and in a family of seven with four siblings.

Stanis is reported to have attended Erasmus Hall High School. After high school graduation, she later attended the Juilliard School, the same as Doug Hutchison. Moreover, she auditioned for her famous role as Thelma Evans while still in college. And she left college when she was taken for the role.

When Stanis was still a teen, she entered Miss Black America pageants. She eventually ended up becoming Miss Brooklyn. Then, she became the first runner-up in the Miss New York state pageant.

Stanis' Marriage Timeline: She Married Four Times

It may not come as a surprise to many of you since this blew up years ago when it happened, but our graceful beauty, Bernnadette Stanis, has already been married four times. Yes, it's true. Moreover, she even made headlines for taking four marriages to find true happiness. Nonetheless, right now, she is happily married to Kevin Fontana.

Stanis first married her high school lover, Thomas Fauntleroy, in the summer of 1974. The couple is reported to have been in a relationship for quite a while before getting married. However, their relationship didn't last, and they got separated in 1978 after four years of marriage. Then, a year later, she married to Darnell Johnson, the owner of Brooklyn nightclub, in 1979. 

However, Stanis' second marriage also didn't last, and the pair got separated. Her third marriage was to a mechanical engineer named Terrence Tedd around 1981. Unfortunately, her third marriage was also in ruins. Then finally, she married Kevin Fontana, her current husband, on December 27, 1981. 

Now forty years later, Stanis is still together with her fourth husband, Kevin. She keeps posting about her husband and kids on her social media and shows that she is happy in her life. And according to her Twitter profile, her husband, Kevin, now works as her manager.

Stanis Broke Up With Her High School Sweetheart Because Of Her Career

In the interview with Jet Magazine, Bernnadette Stanis revealed that the reason behind her separation from her first husband was their careers. She said;

It was what my career was doing and what his career was doing. We just decided to be apart. He's back East now, doing engineering.

And after the pair got separated and worked through their differences, the two of them became friends. She said that both of them were mature in this relationship. In that interview, she expressed: 

It's like people who go together, you know they break up and go back. Well, when it's a marriage thing, everybody sets their mind to 'for life, till death do us part' and when you break up it's, wow! a trauma. But, hey, it;s not lke that, not if you're mature and I was mature in my way.

Family Background: Alzheimer’s Disease In Stanis' family

Stanis' mother, Eula Stanislaus, sadly passed away on 6 October 2011 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She said the disease was why she invited her mother to live with her.

Her mother was wonderful, and it was troubling for Stanis to lose her bit by it. The progression of the disease was so devastating that her mother no longer recognized her. She said;

I knew something was going on but it was only slight forgetfulness of things. I really noticed a change when she stopped cooking. She would always order in. I decided it was time for my mom to come live with my family and me. I watched mom go from a person very concerned about everything to a person less and less concerned. That’s the way it appears but her love and concern for me still remain even today.

Alzheimer's is often linked with genetics, and Stanis herself could be a victim of this disease. She later opened a foundation named Remembering The Good Times to increase awareness about the disease and raise money.

The Black Beauty Is The Mother To Two Daughters 

Bernnadette Stanis, the Good Times star, is also the mother of two daughters, Dior Ravel Fontana and Brittany Rose Fontana. She gave birth to her first daughter Dior Ravel in 1982. However, she shares the child with her former partner, Terrence Redd. 

On the other hand, Stanis shares her second daughter, Brittany Rose, with her husband, Kevin. Although these sisters are step-siblings, they reside with their mother. 

Career As An Author

Along with being a glamorous actress and a beautiful dancer, Stanis is also an author. Altogether, she has written and published four books. Her first book is Situations 101: Relationships, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. 

Then, she wrote and published For Men Only - a Poetry book, and Situations 101: Finances. More importantly, she wrote The Last Night: A Caregiver's Journey Through Transition and Beyond in 2011 after her mother's passing. She wrote that to honor her mother and her experiences caring for her. 

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