Pettiford’s first film role was in 1978 at the age of 18 while still at the High School of Performing Arts, as part of the ensemble in The Wiz. She starred as Mariah Carey’s mother in the 2001 film Glitter, had a part in Stomp the Yard in 2007, and played Aunt Geneva in the 2011 film, Jumping the Broom.

Pettiford was born in Queens, New York, to Ralph and Blanch Pettiford, and graduated from the High School of Performing Arts in 1978. She is married to her manager, actor and former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tony Rader. They got engaged in 1991.

Pettiford began her career as a dancer and choreographer in Bob Fosse productions on Broadway. Alvin Klein of the New York Times wrote of her role in the 1983 musical revue Ladies and Gentlemen, Jerome Kern! that “You will not for a moment take your eyes off Valarie Pettiford, the show’s standout: a sinewy dancer who can be sultry or sweet, measure for measure, as prescribed…. Miss Pettiford appears to be a superbly trained dancer, schooled in balletic finesse and Broadway-style razzmatazz – and a stunning presence.” Leah Frank, also in the NYT, wrote of Pettiford’s appearance in West Side Story in 1987: “The mainstay of the supporting cast is Valarie Pettiford, whose Anita is spicy, sensual and full of fire. She is an exciting actress who has a special quality needed to ignite a number such as America.”

In 1994, she played black lesbian Cassandra Keefer in The Naked Truth, and from 1995 to 1996 starred as Julie in a touring production of Show Boat.

Pettiford released a jazz album, Hear My Soul, in 2005.

In 2007 Pettiford won the Backstage Bistro Award for her cabaret debut at the Metropolitan Room, and won an NAACP Theatre Award for her lead role in The Wild Party. In 2008, she starred in a solo show, Valarie Pettiford – Thankful that played in New York and Los Angeles. In 2009, she starred in the solo show Valarie Pettiford – The Concert in Manhattan.