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Regina Cross, known as Nana Mama, is the grandmother who took Alex in as a boy and became the heart of the house. Stubborn, tough and loving, she looks after her great-grandkids, pushes her grandson and never holds back an opinion.
In James Patterson's books, Nana Mama took Alex in when he was 10. Widowed from a husband she adored, she never remarried. Close to 90, she's still going strong, raising Alex's kids and treating his friends and loves like family.
On screen, she's played by Cicely Tyson in the 2012 film and by Juanita Jennings in the series Cross.
In the 2012 film, Nana Mama, played by Cicely Tyson, lives with Alex, Maria and the kids, Damon and Janelle, in Detroit. That full house is what Cross stands to lose when the Picasso case turns personal.
When Picasso has Maria killed, the grandmother is left holding the house and the kids together.
On the show, Nana Mama helps Alex raise Damon and Jannie after Maria's death. While he sinks into the Ed Ramsey case, someone tied to Deirdre Nolan is stalking the family.
Late in the season, Peter Lenox breaks into the Cross home and attacks Nana Mama. That's what leads Cross to the truth about who was behind Deirdre's confession.
In Season 2, Nana Mama remains one of Cross's few allies, along with Sampson and Elle, as the Rebecca case pits him against the FBI itself.
In the finale, when Cross turns down the promotion and leaves the force, the family, led by Nana Mama, is still his foundation.
In the books, Nana Mama has been around since the first novel, Along Came a Spider (1993), and she's one of the series' most constant characters, there for almost every one of her grandson's cases.
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