7.4
/10
Willie Ray Johnson is a fictional character portrayed by Frances Sternhagen in the TV series The Closer.
In the first episode they appeared in, titled Mom Duty (season 2), they were 76 years old.
They appear in 16 episodes out of a total of 109 aired

Willie Ray Johnson

by Frances Sternhagen

character

Episodes16

  • 7.9
    /10

    Mom Duty
    episode S2.E2 june 2006
    When a juror dies during a mob boss trial, Brenda has to finesse her way to questioning the remaining jurors. Meanwhile, an unannounced visit put her plans with Fritz on hold.
  • 8.2
    /10

    Slippin'
    episode S2.E3 june 2006
    The murder of two USC students in an apparent gang shooting that leaves another in the hospital has Brenda juggling responsibilities for entertaining her mother and solving the case.
  • 8
    /10

    Grave Doubts
    episode S3.E2 june 2007
    The discovery of a body at a building site dating back to the L.A. Riots puts Brenda on a collision course with a priest, a politician, and one of her team.
  • 8.7
    /10

    Blindsided
    episode S3.E9 august 2007
    A reporter dies while Brenda helps him profile the LAPD, but Pope bars her from participating in the case until the department psychiatrist clears her for duty. At home, she and Fritz await her parents for a visit.
  • 7.8
    /10

    Culture Shock
    episode S3.E10 august 2007
    Brenda leaves Fritz in charge of her visiting parents while she investigates the death of a Chinese tour bus guide, much to Fritz' and her parents' irritation.
  • 7.9
    /10

    Next of Kin: Part 1
    episode S3.E14 december 2007
    Brenda tracks a robbery-homicide suspect back to Atlanta, Georgia, where her parents resent being lead to believe she's returned home to visit them for Christmas.
  • 8.1
    /10

    Next of Kin: Part 2
    episode S3.E15 december 2007
    Brenda, her parents, Fritz, Wesley, Flynn and Provenza begin a cross-country RV trip to return her suspect to LA. Along the way, she administers one of her blackest lies.
  • 7.9
    /10

    Split Ends
    episode S4.E8 september 2008
    A movie studio hair-stylist is found beaten to death, making her physically abusive, soon-to-be-divorced husband the prime suspect.
  • 7.6
    /10

    Good Faith
    episode S4.E11 january 2009
    Dr. Morales calls in a favor when he believes a suicide is murder, interfering with Brenda planning her wedding with her parents.
  • 8
    /10

    Junk in the Trunk
    episode S4.E12 february 2009
    Brenda's personal day is ruined when the body of an obese jewel thief is found in the trunk of his car, without the diamonds he stole.
  • 8.1
    /10

    Double Blind
    episode S4.E15 february 2009
    Brenda and Fritz both deal with cases on the day before their wedding; Provenza puts his foot down, resulting in a resignation.
  • 8.2
    /10

    Identity Theft
    episode S5.E9 august 2009
    When a confessed killer gets an important detail of the murder wrong during his allocution, Brenda suspects that he may be covering for his schizophrenic son. Meanwhile, Brenda gets a visit from her mother and teenage niece.
  • 8
    /10

    Living Proof: Part One
    episode S6.E13 december 2010
    An apparent Albanian blood feud puts the kibosh on everyone's Christmas getaway plans, all but for Brenda, whose parents have come to announce that they're moving to Los Angeles.
  • 8.3
    /10

    Living Proof: Part Two
    episode S6.E14 december 2010
    The investigation into the Albanian blood feud uncovers a surprising secret about the identities of one of the family members, and somebody breaks into Brenda's parents' RV.
  • 7.9
    /10

    Relative Matters
    episode S7.E13 december 2011
    Brenda and Fritz butt heads when the FBI appears to sabotage her murder investigation because her main suspect is under their surveillance, and Brenda's parents come to town for the holidays with some bad news.
  • 8.5
    /10

    Last Rites
    episode S7.E19 july 2012
    Brenda gets in more trouble with Pope when the Catholic Church stonewalls her investigation into a priest's murder. Meanwhile she also faces pressure at home caring for her sick father.