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Dorothy ‘Tootie’ Ramsey was a fictional character on "The Facts of Life." She was played by actress Kim Fields through the run of the series. Fields portrayed Tootie from the ages of 12 to 21.

Bio[]

Tootie and her family hail from Washington, D.C. She attended Eastland Academy in Peekskill, New York and was most remembered for her penchant for roller skates, her gossipy nature and her braces. Her gossiping often got her and her friends in trouble, and she was noted for her catchphrase, "We're in trou-ble!," typically expressed when she was up to mischief or breaking school rules. She once befriended a boy named Fred who insisted that she only associate with black people in an attempt to realize "her true roots." At another time, she was chosen by a photographer to model for newspaper advertisements, but she was actually lured into a borderline kiddie porn operation and had to be saved by Edna Garrett, her mentor, at the last minute. During a trip to New York City by herself, Tootie was almost strong-armed into prostitution before Mrs. Garrett found her and took her home.

Tootie still struggled with the race issue when her best friend Natalie Green dated a relative of hers, and she intervened, causing conflict between Natalie and herself. As a teenager, her favorite singer was Jermaine Jackson, and through him, she learned a hard lesson about idol worship.

In her later years at Eastland, Tootie helped Mrs. Garrett with her bakery, Edna's Edibles after school and worked full-time at the gift shop, Over Our Heads after she graduated in 1986. She later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London to pursue an acting career and later became a Hollywood-based talk show host. At some point, she married Jeff Williams, her long-term boyfriend. They had a daughter, Tisha Williams, but Jeff's passing left her a single mother. By this point, she had stopped using her nick-name, "Tootie," and was known by her real name. Eventually, she decided to quit her talk show, "Wake Up With Dorothy," and move to New York to take up theater once more, leading to her becoming the co-owner of the Peekskill Playhouse. Staying in Peekskill, she chose to let Tisha attend the re-opened Eastland Academy.

Trivia[]

  • In the pilot episode, Tootie is nick-named "Speak Up America" because of her duplicity for gossip.
  • In real life, Kim Fields had to wear braces for three years, finally having them removed in 1984.
  • Tootie's roller skates were used by The Facts of Life producers to mask Fields' short stature and give her more height.
  • Tootie was involved in almost every major storyline in the series.
  • Tootie has the Zodiac sign Taurus. (Who's On First)
  • The character, Grace, from the SEGA video game Fighting Vipers was reportedly based on Tootie.

Gallery[]

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