Danitra Vance facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danitra Vance
Born	(1954-07-13)July 13, 1954 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 21, 1994(1994-08-21) (aged 40) Markham, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Dan Vance
Education	Roosevelt University, Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (MFA)
Occupation	Comedian, actress
Years active	1972–1994
Notable work	Saturday Night Live (season 11)
Partner(s)	Jones Miller
Awards	Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress

Danitra Vance (born July 13, 1954 – died August 21, 1994) was a talented American comedian and actress. She was known for being a cast member on the popular TV show Saturday Night Live (SNL). She joined the show during its eleventh season in 1985.

Danitra grew up in Chicago's South Side. She performed with a famous comedy group called The Second City. She was the first Black woman to be a main cast member on SNL. Her comedy often explored social issues. She also talked about how she was often given the same types of roles. Throughout her career, she won important awards like an Obie Award and an NAACP Image Award. She also appeared in movies such as Sticky Fingers and Jumpin' at the Boneyard.

In 1990, Danitra was diagnosed with breast cancer. She continued to perform even while battling her illness. She passed away in 1994. Before she died, she asked her family to hold her funeral at an amusement park.

Early Life and Comedy Start

Danitra Vance grew up in South Side, Chicago. She lived with her mother, younger sister, and grandparents. Storytelling was a big part of their family fun. She finished high school at Thornton Township High School in 1972. In high school, she loved theater and was on the debate team.

She later went to Roosevelt University in 1975. There, she studied writing plays and acting. She graduated with high honors. After that, she moved to London to study at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. She learned classic acting styles, including Shakespeare. She earned a special degree called a MFA.

Danitra began her career with The Second City, an improv comedy group. She moved to New York City in 1981 to act. But she faced unfair treatment and went back to the Midwest. She taught high school in Gary, Indiana. Her students helped her create new characters for her shows. She first performed these characters in Old Town, Chicago.

In late 1984, Danitra put on a show called "Danitra Vance and the Mell-o White Boys." A critic from The Village Voice newspaper wrote about her show. The critic said Danitra's comedy made people laugh but also think. She would use common ideas about people and then change them. This made the audience feel a mix of feelings. In this show, she played characters like Cabrini Green Jackson, a teenage mother. She also played Flotilla Williams, who was a "ghetto Shakespearean actress." Flotilla would act out parts of Romeo and Juliet from her fire escape.

Joining Saturday Night Live

In 1985, Danitra Vance made history on Saturday Night Live (SNL). She became the first Black woman to be a main cast member. She was also the only SNL cast member known to have a learning disability.

Danitra joined SNL when the show was going through many changes. She felt frustrated because writers often gave her roles that were stereotypes of young Black women. She left SNL at the end of the 1986 season. Many other cast members also left at that time. These included Joan Cusack and Robert Downey Jr..

Characters on SNL

Danitra Vance played several memorable characters on SNL:

• That Black Girl: This character was a Black actress trying to become famous. She often missed out on roles because of her race. This was a funny take on the TV show That Girl.

Famous People She Played

Danitra Vance also did impressions of well-known people:

• Diahann Carroll (as Dominique Deveraux from Dynasty)
• Lola Falana
• Cicely Tyson
• Leslie Uggams

Later Career and Awards

Danitra Vance received an NAACP Image Award in 1986. This award celebrates achievements by people of color. Later, she won an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress. This was for her role in a play called Spunk. This play was based on short stories by Zora Neale Hurston. In the same year, Danitra was in the first cast of George C. Wolfe's play, The Colored Museum. She later performed some of these roles again for a TV special in 1991.

Danitra also had important roles in movies. She was the second main actress in Limit Up. In this movie, she played Nike, a guardian angel sent by God. God was played by the famous musician Ray Charles. She had smaller parts in movies like The War of the Roses and Little Man Tate. She had a bigger role in Jumpin' at the Boneyard. For this movie, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Her Final Years

Danitra Vance was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990. She had surgery and used her experience in a solo comedy show. It was called "The Radical Girl's Guide to Radical Mastectomy." She shared more about her journey in another show called Pre-Shrunk. This show was planned for The Public Theater. However, her cancer returned in 1993, and she could not perform.

Danitra passed away the next year in Markham, Illinois. She was 40 years old. She had asked for her funeral to be held at an amusement park. Her family honored her wish by throwing a "going-away party." They had fun activities like apple bobbing and bean bag tossing. She was survived by her partner, Jones Miller.

Film and TV Roles

Film

Television