Hattie Bell Fishburne is the mother of American actor Laurence Fishburne who has won the Tony and Emmy awards three times. Hattie lived with her husband Laurence John Fishburne Jr in Augusta, Georgia, before they separated. The reasons for their separation are unknown. Hattie Bell Fishburne moved with her son to Brooklyn, New York, after divorcing her husband.
Professional Career
Hattie Bell Fishburne is a retired teacher; she taught as a science and mathematics teacher in junior high schools around New York and Los Angeles. Hattie used her earnings from teaching to provide for her son and support his acting career.
Personal Life
At the time of her divorce from her first husband, Hattie only had one child born in 1961. It is unclear when Hattie Bell met Fishburne’s father, but he was to visit his son once a month. While living in New York, it is unclear if Hattie met another man and remarried since that information is not on the internet.
Eviction Claims
In 1994, while her son had the best years of his career, Hattie claimed that she was evicted from her apartment and had to stay with a friend for about two years. She then got another apartment which she made home, and in 2015, Hattie came out again, saying she was facing eviction for rent arrears.
Hattie Bell Fishburne mentioned that she was broke and was only surviving on pension money and social security. She told the media that she tried reaching out to her son for help but could not get to him. Hattie funded her son’s acting career for two decades and hoped he would help her financially once he made it in the acting industry.
Her Son
Despite raising him all alone, Hattie and her son seem not to have a good relationship. Despite her challenges, he never publicly came to her aid. However, it is unclear if he at least helped her with eviction issues and made sure she was not evicted.
Hattie’s son has influenced the acting industry and has appeared in several shows in his career, which has spanned over fifty years. Laurence Fishburne started acting when he was eleven, appearing in several plays. He also appeared in some films, including Cornbread, Earl and Me.
In the 1980s, Hattie’s son was featured in some shows, including Red Heat, where he appeared alongside the former governor of California and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hattie’s son came into the spotlight for playing Morpheus in the film The Matrix, a role for which he is known up to date.
Laurence Fishburne seems to have a dysfunctional relationship with his mother and his firstborn daughter Montana. He stopped talking to her when he discovered that she appeared in porn videos; she has also worked as a stripper.
Health Issues
Hattie suffered a car accident and had massive injuries; she also has high cholesterol, arthritis and an underactive thyroid. She mentioned that her medical expenses are more than what she gets from her pension and social security, which is insufficient to cater to her other needs.