MADAME SUL -TE -WAN FIRST BLACK ACTRESS BORN 1873 MARCH 7 -1959 FEBRUARY 1
MADAME SUL -TE -WAN FIRST BLACK ACTRESS BORN 1873 MARCH 7 -1959 FEBRUARY 1 Madame Sul-Te-Wan (born Nellie Crawford; March 7, 1873 – February 1, 1959) was the first black actress to sign a film contract and be a featured performer. [1] She was an American stage, film and television actress for over 50 years. The daughter of former slaves , she began her career in entertainment touring the East Coast with various theatrical companies and moved to California to become a member of the fledgling film community. She became known as a character actress , appeared in high-profile films such as The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916), and easily navigated the transition to the sound films . In 1986, she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame . Early life [ edit ] Nellie Crawford [2] was born in Louisville, Kentucky , US to fo...