Who played the Oracle in the first Matrix film?

In The Matrix, Gloria Foster played the Oracle. Her performance helped define one of the trilogy’s most memorable figures: a warm, chain-smoking woman who offers cryptic advice while baking cookies.

The Oracle is eventually revealed to be more than a fortune-teller. She is a sophisticated program designed to study human psychology, and her understanding of choice and human behavior helps make the Matrix stable enough for people to accept. Neo first meets her in an apartment surrounded by children known as “Potentials.”

Foster also played the Oracle in The Matrix Reloaded. She died in 2001, before filming her role in The Matrix Revolutions was completed, so Mary Alice took over the part in the third film. That casting change is the most common source of confusion: Mary Alice played the Oracle later, but Gloria Foster originated the role in the first Matrix film.