Madame Sul-Te-Wan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Madame Sul-Te-Wan (born Nellie Crawford; March 7, 1873 – February 1, 1959) was the first African-American actress to sign a film contract and be a featured performer. 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.

Madame Sul-Te-Wan, nascuda Nellie Crawford ( Louisville, Kentucky, 7 de març de 1873 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, 1 de febrer de 1959), va ser la primera actriu afroamericana a signar un contracte de pel·lícula i ser una intèrpret destacada. Va ser una actriu d'escenari, cinema i televisió nord-americana durant més de 50 anys. Era mare de l'actor Onest Conley.