Madame Sul-Te-Wan
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- March 7, 1873, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- Died
- February 1, 1959
- Movies
- 57
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.
Best-Known Movies
Filmography
| 1960 | Tarzan and the Trappers | Witch Woman |
| 1958 | The Buccaneer | Good Luck Charm Vendor |
| 1957 | Band of Angels | Flower Vendor (Uncredited) |
| 1957 | Something of Value | Midwife (Uncredited) |
| 1954 | Carmen Jones | Hagar – Carmen's Grandmother (Uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Story of Seabiscuit | Libby |
| 1949 | Mighty Joe Young | Young Family Servant (Uncredited) |
| 1943 | Thank Your Lucky Stars | Bit in "Ice Cold Katie" Number (uncredited) |
| 1943 | Revenge of the Zombies | Beulah |
| 1942 | Mokey | Miss Cully (uncredited) |
| 1941 | Sullivan's Travels | Church Harmonium Player (Uncredited) |
| 1941 | King of the Zombies | Tahama |
| 1940 | Love Thy Neighbor | Lady McBeth |
| 1940 | Maryland | Naomi |
| 1940 | Safari | Native Woman |
| 1939 | Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite | Ruby (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Tell No Tales | Jim Alley's Mother (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Kentucky | Lily |
| 1938 | The Affairs of Annabel | Benzedrina (uncredited) |
| 1938 | The Toy Wife | Eve, a Black Servant (Uncredited) |
| 1938 | In Old Chicago | Hattie |
| 1938 | Island in the Sky | Scrubwoman (Uncredited) |
| 1937 | Maid of Salem | Tituba |
| 1936 | San Francisco | Earthquake Survivor (Uncredited) |
| 1935 | So Red the Rose | Slave (Uncredited) |
| 1934 | Imitation of Life | Cook (uncredited) |
| 1934 | Black Moon | Ruva |
| 1934 | Operator 13 | Slave at Medicine Show ( Uncredited) |
| 1934 | A Modern Hero | Mme. Azais' Neighbor ( Uncredited) |
| 1933 | King Kong | Native Handmaiden (uncredited) |
| 1933 | Ladies They Talk About | Mustard (uncredited) |
| 1932 | Jungle Mystery | Native Woman in Stockade (Uncredited) |
| 1931 | Heaven on Earth | Voodoo Sue |
| 1931 | The Pagan Lady | Carla the Servant |
| 1930 | The Thoroughbred | Sacharine |
| 1930 | Sarah and Son | Belloc's Maid (Uncredited) |
| 1929 | Queen Kelly | Kali Sana - Aunt's Cook (uncredited) |
| 1929 | Thunderbolt | Bit Role |
| 1929 | The Carnation Kid | The Maid (Uncredited) |
| 1927 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Slave at Wedding (uncredited) |
| 1927 | College | Cook (uncredited) |
| 1925 | The Golden Bed | Boarding House Maid (Uncredited) |
| 1925 | The Narrow Street | Easter |
| 1924 | The Lightning Rider | Mammy |
| 1922 | Manslaughter | Prison Inmate (uncredited) |
| 1922 | The Show | Maid (uncredited) |
| 1920 | Why Change Your Wife? | Sally's Maid (Uncredited) |
| 1919 | His Musical Sneeze | Maid (uncredited) |
| 1918 | Who's Your Father? | Black Mother (uncredited) |
| 1918 | Old Wives for New | Viola's Maid (uncredited) |
| 1918 | Tarzan of the Apes | Esmeralda - Jane's Maid (uncredited) |
| 1917 | Stage Struck | Uncredited |
| 1916 | The Children Pay | Uncredited |
| 1916 | Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages | Girl at the Marriage Market (uncredited) |
| 1916 | Hoodoo Ann | Black Cindy |
| 1915 | The Birth of a Nation | Black Woman (uncredited) |
| 1915 | The Cause of It All | Mary - The Hotel Cook |
Data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.