Evelyn Ellis (February 2, 1894 – June 5, 1958) was an American
character actress
A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...
of stage and film. Devoting herself to the theatre, her film roles were few, but she appeared in films including ''
The Joe Louis Story
''The Joe Louis Story'' is a 1953 American film noir drama sport film directed by Robert Gordon and starring Coley Wallace, Hilda Silmms and Paul Stewart.
Plot
Biographical film about the story of boxer Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow (Ma ...
'' and ''
The Lady from Shanghai
''The Lady from Shanghai'' is a 1947 American film noir directed by Orson Welles (uncredited) and starring Welles, his estranged wife Rita Hayworth, and Everett Sloane. It is based on the novel ''If I Die Before I Wake'' by Sherwood King.
Altho ...
''. Toward the end of her career, Miss Ellis, as she was referred to in the press also directed a few theater plays, including an all-black Broadway production of ''Tobacco Road''. The ''Baltimore Afro American'' newspaper in its issue in October 26, 1929, described her as a “quiet and unassuming young lady with a very charming personality".
Early life
Evelyn Ellis was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on February 2, 1894. Not much is known about her early life and introduction to acting, but she became a prominent actor within the black community starting in 1919 until 1955. Ellis made her theatrical debut at the
Lafayette Theatre in Harlem in a production of ''Othello'' in 1919. She then moved to Broadway, making her debut in the production of ''Roseanne'' by Nan Bagby Stephens. Her next big Broadway show was ''
Porgy'' in 1927, in which she is known for creating the character of Bess, and appeared with
Rose McClendon
Rose McClendon (August 27, 1884 – July 12, 1936) was a leading African-American Broadway actress of the 1920s. A founder of the Negro People's Theatre, she guided the creation of the Federal Theatre Project's African American theatre units n ...
and
Frank H. Wilson. That same year, she played a lead role in Ernest Howard Culberston’s production of ''Goat Alley'' which dealt with black life in the slums of Washington, D.C. She played the character of Lucy Bell Dorsey and was praised by the ''New York Times'' Theatre Review for “her telling portrayal".
She was inactive a few years due to the stock market crash of 1929 that led to
the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, but she came right back and even started directing.
Ellis played in various other theatrical plays, such as
Arnaud d'Usseau
Arnaud d'Usseau (April 18, 1916 – January 29, 1990) was a playwright and B-movie screenwriter who is perhaps best remembered today for his collaboration with Dorothy Parker on the play '' The Ladies of the Corridor''.
Career
D'Usseau was born ...
and James Gow's ''Deep Are the Roots'' on Broadway in 1945, in which she played Bella Charles, the mother of the returned African-American war veteran,
and
''The Royal Family'' in 1952. Her next big role, however, was in
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
's original Broadway production of ''
Native Son
''Native Son'' (1940) is a novel written by the American author Richard Wright. It tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black youth living in utter poverty in a poor area on Chicago's South Side in the 1930s.
While not apologizing f ...
'', in which she played Hannah Thomas, the mother of Bigger Thomas, who was played by actor
Canada Lee. She also played the same role a year later in a successful revival of the play. The ''Afro American Baltimore'' states her role was "so realistic that she had already earned the praised of Broadway critics".
Ellis continued to play various lead roles through her year working with the Dunbar Players of Philadelphia. During this year, she also started a drama school in Long Island for youth.
Directing career
Ellis directed ''Horse Play'' in 1937 and then put on the play ''
Little Woman
"Little Woman" is a 1969 song recorded by Bobby Sherman and composed by Danny Janssen.
Background
Session musicians on this recording included James Burton and Alton Hendrickson on guitar, Don Randi on piano, Jerry Scheff on bass, Richard Hyde on ...
'' in 1938 with the junior department at the Negro Little Theatre. Her most notable work as a director as well as an actress is in the all-black production of ''
Tobacco Road'' in 1950. She played the role of a starving mother which the ''New York Times'' singled out as “truthful elements that left a lasting impression”.
Through her directing of a youth play and her creation of the drama school, Ellis was active in getting younger kids interested in the art of drama.
Other works
* ''Blue Holiday'' (1945),
* ''Supper for the Dead'' (1954).
* ''
Easy Money'' (1921)
* ''
A Son of Satan'' (1924)
Death
Ellis made her last Broadway appearance in 1953 and ended her acting career in 1955 with the film ''
Interrupted Melody
''Interrupted Melody'' is a 1955 biographical musical film, filmed in CinemaScope and Eastman Color, directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Glenn Ford, Eleanor Parker, Roger Moore, and Cecil Kellaway. The film was produced for Metro-Goldwyn-Ma ...
''. Two years later, she died from a heart ailment on June 5, 1958, at the age of 64. She was hospitalized from December 1957 until her death at the
Will Rogers Memorial Hospital in
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406, making it the largest community by population in the Adirondack Park. The village is named after Upper, Middle and Lower Saran ...
.
[Truitt, Evelyn Mack, ''Who Was Who On Screen'' 2nd Edition. p. 141, c.1977.]
Filmography
See also
*
Abbie Mitchell
__NOTOC__
Abriea "Abbie" Mitchell Cook (25 September 1884 – 16 March 1960), also billed as Abbey Mitchell, was an American soprano opera singer. She performed the role of Clara in the premiere production of George Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bes ...
*
Florence Mills
Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey; January 25, 1896 – November 1, 1927), billed as the "Queen of Happiness", was an American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian.
Life and career
Florence Mills (Florence Winfrey) was born a daughter of for ...
*
Rose McClendon
Rose McClendon (August 27, 1884 – July 12, 1936) was a leading African-American Broadway actress of the 1920s. A founder of the Negro People's Theatre, she guided the creation of the Federal Theatre Project's African American theatre units n ...
References
External links
*
*
Evelyn Ellis portraits(NY Public Library, Billy Rose Division)
1925 portraitEvelyn EllisKinotv)
portraitsCity Museum/New York)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Evelyn
1894 births
1958 deaths
Actresses from Boston
African-American actresses
American stage actresses
20th-century American actresses
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people