Hemphill was born in
Asheville, North Carolina, to Richard and Mozella Hemphill. She had a brother, William. Hemphill attended Hill Street School and Stephens-Lee High School, and later won an athletics scholarship to
Morristown College where she majored in
physical education. Hemphill returned to Asheville two years later and got a job in a factory manufacturing nylons. An aspiring stand-up comedian, Hemphill sent a cassette tape of one of her comedy routines to
Flip Wilson. Wilson was impressed by her routine and in turn, sent her a cassette recorder and a dozen roses. Wilson also invited Hemphill to visit the set of
The Flip Wilson Show. After the visit, Hemphill returned to her job in Asheville but decided to pursue a career in comedy instead. She quit her job and traveled to Los Angeles by bus. Hemphill got a job waitressing during the day and performed at
The Comedy Store at night. By 1976, Hemphill's stand-up routine started to get noticed and caught the attention of casting agent Joan Murray. In the series' second season, Fred Berry and Ernest Thomas staged a
walkout over conditions in their dressing rooms which they said were unsuitable. Following the cancellation of ''What's Happening
, Hemphill auditioned for the role of the cook on Archie Bunker's Place, but the role went to Anne Meara. The day after losing the role, Hemphill was offered the starring role in her own sitcom One in a Million''. On the series, she portrayed Shirley Simmons, a taxi driver who inherited a huge corporation and fortune from one of her customers. The series debuted on ABC on January 8, 1980, but failed to attract a sufficient audience. ABC canceled the series in June 1980. Afterward Hemphill spent most of the early 1980s working in nightclubs around the U.S. and making occasional guest appearances on TV shows, including
The Love Boat and
Trapper John, M.D.. In 1985, she was invited to co-star on the revival of ''What's Happening!!
entitled What's Happening Now!!, which aired in syndication from 1985 to 1988. After What's Happening Now!!'' ended its three-year run, she again worked the nightclub scene and doing the occasional acting gig on a number of '90s comedy sitcoms, including
Martin and
The Wayans Bros.. A year before her death, Hemphill appeared in an episode of
The Jenny Jones Show in a ''What's Happening!!'' reunion show; actors
Ernest Thomas and
Haywood Nelson also appeared. ==Death==