Kimberly Elise Trammel (born April 17, 1967) is an American film and television actress. She made her feature film debut in '' Set It Off'' (1996), and later received critical acclaim for her performance in ''

Beloved Beloved may refer to: Books * ''Beloved'' (novel), a 1987 novel by Toni Morrison * ''The Beloved'' (Faulkner novel), a 2012 novel by Australian author Annah Faulkner *''Beloved'', a 1993 historical romance about Zenobia, by Bertrice Small Film ...

'' (1998). During her career, Elise has appeared in films such as ''

John Q. ''John Q.'' is a 2002 American thriller drama film starring Denzel Washington and directed by Nick Cassavetes. The film tells the story of John Quincy Archibald (Denzel Washington), a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged h ...

'' (2002), ''

The Manchurian Candidate ''The Manchurian Candidate'' is a novel by Richard Condon, first published in 1959. It is a political thriller about the son of a prominent U.S. political family who is brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for a Communist conspiracy. Th ...

'' (2004), ''

Diary of a Mad Black Woman ''Diary of a Mad Black Woman'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Darren Grant and written by Tyler Perry. Inspired by the play of the same name, it marks the debut feature film of Perry, in addition to being the first ...

'' (2005), ''

The Great Debaters ''The Great Debaters'' is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by and starring Denzel Washington. It is based on an article written about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman for the spring 1997 issue of ''American Legacy'' ...

'' (2007), ''

For Colored Girls ''For Colored Girls'' is a 2010 American drama film adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1975 original choreopoem ''for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf''. Written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry, the film featu ...

'' (2010), '' Dope'' (2015), '' Almost Christmas'' (2016), '' Death Wish'' (2018), and '' Ad Astra'' (2019). She received a nomination for Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in the 2004 drama film, ''

Woman Thou Art Loosed ''Woman Thou Art Loosed'' is a 2004 American drama film directed by Michael Schultz and written by Stan Foster. It was produced by Stan Foster and Reuben Cannon. It is the 44th film or series directed by Schultz and is adapted from the self-h ...

'', and played the leading roles in a number of made for television movies. Elise also starred in the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

crime drama series, '' Close to Home'' (2005–07), and in 2013 began starring in the VH1 comedy-drama series, '' Hit the Floor''. She is a four-time

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

winner.

Early life

Elise was born as Kimberly Elise Trammel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Erma Jean ( née Johnson), an elementary school teacher, and Marvin Trammel, who owns an executive search firm. She has three siblings. She attended The American Film Institute as a Directing Fellow and at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

earned a BA in

Mass Communications Mass communication is the process of imparting and exchanging information through mass media to large segments of the population. It is usually understood for relating to various forms of media, as its technologies are used for the dissemination o ...

Career

1990s

Elise made her big screen debut in the 1996 crime action film '' Set It Off'' (1996) directed by

F. Gary Gray Felix Gary Gray (born July 17, 1969) is an Americans, American film director, film producer, and music video director. Gray began his career as a director on numerous critically acclaimed and award-winning music videos, including "It Was a Good ...

, in which she played one of four women who resort to robbing a bank for money.

Jada Pinkett Smith Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (; née Pinkett; born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show '' Red Table Talk'', for which she has received a Daytime Emmy Award. ''Time'' name ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

and

Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and television host. Fox began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983). She eventually continued her career with roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of O ...

co-star in film which became a critical and box office success, grossing over $41 million. In 1997 she was cast in the Family Channel original television movie ''The Ditchdigger's Daughters'', based on the Pulitzer-prize nominated and critically acclaimed 1995 memoir ''The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story'', written by Yvonne S. Thornton and Jo Coudert. She received critical acclaim for her role in this film, and in 1997, she was recognized as Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries at the 19th annual

CableACE Awards The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Ame ...

. Her performance helped her land a role the next year in ''

'' alongside Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, a horror-drama film based on

Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...

's 1987 novel of the same name, directed by Jonathan Demme. Despite being a

box office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

, Elise received praise for her performance, and well as Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress and

Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture The Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture is one of the Satellite Awards presented annually by the International Press Academy The International Press Academy (IPA) is an American association of professional entertainm ...

. She also received her first NAACP Image Award nomination.

2000s

In 2000, Elise starred in ''The Loretta Claiborne Story'' playing

Loretta Claiborne Loretta Claiborne is an American global speaker and multi-sport athlete who competes in the Special Olympics. She has been honored with the 1996 Arthur Ashe ESPY Courage Award presented to her by Denzel Washington. Claiborne was the first Special ...

. The movie was aired as a part of ''

The Wonderful World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...

'' at ABC in early 2000. She received good reviews for performance as Claiborne. Later that year, she was female lead in

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

's movie '' Bait'', the film was a huge financial failure, and received mostly negative reviews from critics. The following year, she starred opposite

Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...

in the biographical drama '' Bojangles''. In 2002–2003, she made guest appearances on the UPN comedy series '' Girlfriends'' in which she played an

HIV-positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immun ...

woman, and in the Showtime drama ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

''. In 2002, Elise starred alongside Denzel Washington in the crime film ''

John Q John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

''. It became a box office success, grossing over $100 million. She next had a leading role in the independent drama ''

'' portraying Michelle, an abused young woman who finally got the help she needed behind bars. This role won her a Black Reel award for Best Actress and well as received Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead nomination. She later starred in the political thriller ''

'', co-starring with Denzel Washington second time. In 2005, Elise went to star in the comedy drama film ''

'' written by

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

and directed by

Darren Grant Darren Grant is an American television, film and music video director. He has directed over eighty music videos for mostly R&B and hip hop artists. In 2005, Grant directed his debut film Tyler Perry's '' Diary of a Mad Black Woman''. In 2008, ...

. she received positive reviews for her performance, while film received mostly negative reviews. The film still was huge box office success, grossing over $50 million against a budget of $5 million. She won her first

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The award has also been called Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture. Out of 12 films which featured African-Americans in lea ...

for this movie. From 2005 to 2007, Elise starred in the

crime drama series '' Close to Home'', playing the Marion County, Indiana ( Indianapolis) prosecutor Maureen Scofield. Her character was killed off in the last episode of the series. The series was cancelled in May 2007. She received

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. Not to be confused with the Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Currently, Della R ...

in 2006 for this series. She later guest starred in two

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'', ...

' dramas; ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

'' in 2007, and ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

'' in 2009. In 2007, Elise has appeared in two biographical drama films. First was ''

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...

'' opposite

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films ''Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema roles ...

based upon the true story of Philadelphia swim coach Jim Ellis. Later, she appeared again opposite Denzel Washington in ''

'', based on an article written about the

Wiley College Wiley College is a private historically black college in Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is one of the oldest predominantly black col ...

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

team by Tony Scherman for the spring 1997 issue of ''

American Legacy ''American Legacy'' is a quarterly magazine that covers the subjects of African-American history and culture. The magazine is headquartered in Mount Vernon, New York and was founded in 1995 by Rodney J. Reynolds as a joint venture with Forbes Inc. ...

''. in 2009, she starred opposite

Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy nomination. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), he appear ...

in the television film '' Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story'', winning

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. Currently, Alfre Woodard holds the record for most wins in this category with six. Winners and nom ...

2010s

In 2010, Elise starred in the drama film ''

'' as the battered wife Crystal. The film is based on

Ntozake Shange Ntozake Shange ( ;
FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018. October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018) ...

's 1975 original choreopoem ''

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf ''for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf'' is Ntozake Shange's first work and most acclaimed theater piece, which premiered in 1976. It consists of a series of poetic monologues to be accompanied by dance moveme ...

'', and was written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. While the film itself received mixed to negative reviews, her performance was praised by many critics. One journalist described her as "the great lost Best Supporting Actress contender of the 2010 season". Lisa Schwarzbaum of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' comments: "The female cast is great, with especially fierce performances from

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress, singer and voice actor. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of '' Dreamg ...

, Kimberly Elise,

Phylicia Rashad Phylicia Rashad ( ) ( née Ayers-Allen; born June 19, 1948) is an American actress, singer and director who is dean of the College of Fine Arts at Howard University. She is best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby ...

, and

Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for voicing Tiana, Disney's first African-American princess, as seen in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legend in 2011. ...

. But stuck in a flailing production that might just as well invite Perry's signature drag creation Madea to the block party, the actors' earnest work isn't enuf." She won

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. The award was introduced in 1970 and was awarded sporadically until its permanent feature from 1995 onwards. Angela Bassett ...

for her performance. Elise has had starring roles in a number of independent films in 2000s, include a leading role in '' Ties That Bind'' (2011). She co-starred alongside

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

in the Lifetime television film ''A Day Late and a Dollar Short'' in 2014. In 2013, she began starring in the VH1 comedy-drama series '' Hit The Floor''. In 2015, she has appeared in the well-received comedy-drama film '' Dope'', and the following year co-starred opposite

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...

in the HBO film '' Confirmation''. Later in 2016, Elise starred in the Christmas comedy-drama film '' Almost Christmas'' opposite Danny Glover,

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films ''She's All That' ...

and

Mo'Nique Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes; born December 11, 1967), known professionally as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. She ...

. She next starred in '' Death Wish'' opposite

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

, a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. In 2019, she appeared in the science fiction film '' Ad Astra''.

2020s

In 2020, Elise was cast opposite

Justin Theroux Justin Paul Theroux (; born August 10, 1971) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film ''Mulholland Drive'' (2001) and the thriller film ''Inland Empire'' (2006). He also ...

in the

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

drama series ''The Mosquito Coast'' based on the 1981 novel by Paul Theroux.

Personal life

Elise was married to Maurice Oldham from 1989 to 2005. The couple had two daughters, born in 1990 and 1998. Not long after their divorce, in 2007, Oldham died from a "massive blood clot". Elise is

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

and has worked with PETA to promote the lifestyle.Fiza Pirani, "PETA, Kimberly Elise target African-American communities in ‘Go Vegan’ PSA,"
Atlanta Journal Constitution
', 3 January 2019. In 2022, soon after the overturning of

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and s ...

by the Supreme Court of the United States, Elise took to Instagram to praise the justices for their ruling when she wrote:

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Acapulco Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival) is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film—works by Black members of the film industry. It is held to recognize achievements of film ...

*1999: Nominated – Best Actress for ''Beloved'' (1998)

African-American Film Critics Association The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is the world's largest group of Black film critics that gives various annual awards for excellence in film and television. It was founded in 2003 in New York City. History The association wa ...

*2010: Won – Best Supporting Actress for ''For Colored Girls''

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

*2002: Won – Best Supporting Actress for ''Bojangles'' (2001) *2003: Nominated – Best Actress for ''John Q'' (2002) *2005: Nominated – Best Supporting Actress for ''The Manchurian Candidate'' (2004) *2005: Won – Best Actress, Independent Film for ''Woman Thou Art Loosed'' (2004) *2006: Won – Best Actress for ''Diary of a Mad Black Woman'' *2011: Nominated – Best Actress for ''For Colored Girls'' *2011: Won – Outstanding Ensemble for ''For Colored Girls''

CableACE Award The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Am ...

*1997: Won – Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries for ''The Ditchdigger's Daughters'' (1997)

Chicago Film Critics Association Awards The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is an association of professional film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The organization was founded in 1990 by film critics Sharon LeM ...

*1999: Won – Most Promising Actress for ''Beloved'' (1998) *1999: Nominated – Best Supporting Actress for ''Beloved'' (1998) Golden Satellite Awards *1999: Won – Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture – Drama for ''Beloved'' (1998) NAACP Image Awards *1999: Nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for ''Beloved'' (1998) *2002: Nominated – Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for ''Bojangles'' (2001) *2003: Nominated – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for ''John Q'' (2002) *2003: Nominated – Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for ''"Soul Food"'' (2000) *2005: Nominated – Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for ''Woman Thou Art Loosed'' (2004) *2006: Winner – Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for ''Diary of a Mad Black Woman'' *2006: Nominated – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for ''Close to Home'' *2007: Winner – Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for ''Close to Home'' *2010: Winner –

for ''Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story'' *2011: Winner – Image Award Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for ''For Colored Girls'' Independent Spirit Awards *2005: Nominated – Best Female Lead for ''Woman Thou Art Loosed'' (2004)

References

External links

* * *
Kimberly Elise Talks About ''Woman, Thou Art Loosed''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elise, Kimberly 1967 births Actresses from Minneapolis American people of Malian descent American people of Songhai descent Living people University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses African-American actresses American television actresses American film actresses African-American Christians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people