KIMBERLY ELISE

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR GIRL• Full Name: Kimberly Elise Trammel • Born: April 17, 1967• Birth place: Minneapolis, Minnesota• Alma mater: University of Minnesota• Earned a B.A. in communications • Divorced from Maurice Oldham • Has two children, Ajableu Oldham and Butterfly Oldham • Parents: Erna Jean and Marvin Trammel • Has three siblings

LIL LIFETIME POINTS• Though she took filmmaking classes at Minneapolis Community College,

she got her degree in communications from the University of Minnesota, then went on to the American Film Institute.

• She was a member in good standing of the Northern Warehouse Artists' Cooperative, an experimental housing development for low-income artists located in warehouse district of downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.

• Her children are AjaBleu, 14 and Butterfly, 6 (as of 2004).• Starred with Denzel Washington three times, in The Manchurian

Candidate (2004), John Q (2002), and The Great Debaters (2007).• Bears a strong and uncanny resemblance to actress Cicely Tyson who

portrays her mother in the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) .• She won "The Best Supporting Actress" award at the 19th Annual Cable

Ace Awards in 1997 for her portrayal as "Jeanette" in The Ditchdigger's Daughters1997) (TV).

STARRING WITH DENZEL WASHINGTON

Starred with Denzel Washington three times, in The Manchurian Candidate (2004), John Q (2002), and The Great Debaters (2007).Bears a strong and uncanny resemblance to actress Cicely Tyson who portrays her mother in the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) .She won "The Best Supporting Actress" award at the 19th Annual Cable Ace Awards in 1997 for her portrayal as "Jeanette" in The Ditchdigger's Daughters1997) (TV).

KIM’S FILMOGRAPHY•

Elise began acting in Minneapolis professionally around the age of 20, and though she studied communications at the University of Minnesota, the prospect of becoming an actress full-time was always at the forefront of her intentions. Her dreams became a reality when a short film she had directed served as her entrance into the American Film Institute, and the experience of moving to Los Angeles and studying at the prestigious and fiercely competitive school gave Elise all the confidence needed to make a name for herself in Hollywood. Shortly after making her debut in the television series In the House, Elise made the leap to feature films as a down-on-her-luck young mother who participates in a robbery in Set It Off Though Elise did make quite an impression with her feature debut, the film was only a moderate success, and it wasn't until receiving critical acclaim and a Cable Ace award that her career truly took off. Her remarkable performance in Beloved followed shortly thereafter. In 2000, Elise stepped into the lead for the made-for-television feature The Loretta Claiborne Story, playing the mentally and physically disabled athlete who made a name for herself by overcoming tremendous odds and becoming a competitor in the Special Olympics. The film provided an excellent showcase for the versatile young actress, with roles in Bait and Bojangles quickly following. By the time she appeared in John Q as a financially strained mother whose husband's insurance won't cover their son's heart transplant, Elise had been singled out by many critics to be one of Hollywood's brightest young stars, and her strong performance in the film opposite Denzel Washington only helped to strengthen that sentiment. In 2004, Elise would once again appear with Washington -- an actor for whom she has publicly voiced great admiration -- in the cautiously anticipated but warmly received remake The Manchurian Candidate. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi w

SET IT OFF

Elise's first movie was Set It Off(1996), in which she played one of four women who resort to robbing a bank for money.

ANOTHER FILMOGRAPHY• Her big break came in 1997 when 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. A relative unknown at the time, she conveyed her anonymity upon receiving the award by saying "Who is Kimberly Elise?". Her performance helped her land a role the next year in Beloved alongside Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. She is often compared to a young Cicely Tyson whom she resembles.

• In 2004, she appeared in Woman Thou Art Loosed 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. She also appeared in John Q, The Manchurian Candidate and Diary of a Mad Black Woman(she won a NAACP Image Award for the latter). From 2005 to 2007 she starred on the CBScrime dramaClose to Home, playing Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis)prosecutor Maureen Scofield. Her character was killed off in the last episode of the 2006-2007 season. The series was cancelled in May 2007.

• She has since made a guest appearance on the sitcom Girlfriends in which she played an HIV-positive woman

GET FOR REAL ABOUT YOUR GIRL• An actresshose eyes seem able to peer directly into the souls of

audience members, Kimberly Elise has garnered notable critical acclaim for her roles in such features as Beloved and The Ditchdigger's Daughters. Though many actresses might have been intimidated at the prospect of portraying a character from the Toni Morrison novel that is often cited as one of the most important works in American literary history, Beloved, Elise's ability to channel her characters gave her all of the confidence and strength needed to. truly bring the character to life and hold her own opposite such formidable talents as Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover For as far back as Elise can remember, she wanted to become an actress, and she even wrote a letter to the local newspaper's "Fix-It" column at the age of ten asking for information on how to achieve her goal. Elise had already been doing stage work before the fateful letter was penned, so it was obvious to all who knew her that she was ready and capable to put in the effort needed to become a true star.

ROLES SHE PLAYED • Tisean 'T.T.' Williams in Set it Off (1996• Denver in Beloved (1998• Loretta Claiborne in The Loretta Claiborne Story (2000 • Lisa Hill in Bait (2000) • Denise Archibald in John Q (2002• Michelle in Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004• Rose in The Manchurian Candidate (2004) • Helen in Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005• Sue David in Pride (2007) • Pearl Farmer in The Great Debaters(2007 • Julia in Red Soil (2009

KIMBERLY ELISE