L. Scott Caldwell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids L. Scott Caldwell
Caldwell in 2007
Born	Laverne Scott 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Scotty Caldwell
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1974–present
Spouse(s)	John Caldwell ​ (divorced)​ Dasal Banks ​ ​ (m. 2004; died 2005)​
Children	1

L. Scott Caldwell (born Laverne Scott in 1950) is an American actress. She is well-known for her roles as Deputy U.S. Marshall Erin Poole in the movie The Fugitive (1993). She also played Rose in the TV show Lost.

Early Life and Education

Laverne Scott was born in Chicago, Illinois. She was the middle child of parents who worked hard. She grew up in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. When she was in elementary school, it was very busy. She went to school in the mornings, and her older brothers and sisters went in the afternoons. After school, a friend of her mother's would look after her at a local theater.

While attending Hyde Park High School, she joined the drama club. Her class went to see a play called A Day of Absence. It featured Douglas Turner Ward, who helped start The Negro Ensemble Company. This was the first time she saw professional Black actors performing on stage.

After finishing high school in 1967, she went to Northwestern University. She left after one year and started working full-time as an operator. She got married and had a son. Later, she continued her studies at Loyola University-Chicago. She earned a bachelor's degree in Theater Arts and Communications.

Acting Career Highlights

Caldwell first planned to be a teacher. She taught at the Chicago High School of the Performing Arts. She also worked for a year as an artist for the Chicago Council on Fine Arts. While in Chicago, Caldwell acted in plays at local theaters. These included the Body Politic, Court Theater, and Eleventh Street Theater.

In 1978, she moved to New York to try out for Uta Hagen's HB Studio acting school. While waiting, she saw an advertisement for The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). After her audition at Hagen's school, she went to the NEC. She was first turned away, but she insisted on meeting with Douglas Turner Ward. She used the same acting pieces she had performed for Hagen. Both Hagen and Ward accepted her.

During her first season at NEC, Caldwell acted in several plays. One play, Home by Samm Art Williams, took her to Broadway in 1980. Broadway is a famous theater district in New York City. The play was highly praised and earned a Tony Award nomination for Charles Brown. A Tony Award is a very important award for theater performances.

After Home finished, Caldwell worked in many regional theater shows. These included Boesman and Lena and A Raisin in the Sun.

Overcoming Challenges and Tony Award Win

In December 1984, while working in a play, Caldwell was hit by a car in New York. She suffered a bad back injury and could not work for almost two years. Her first audition after getting better was for August Wilson's play Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Her performance as Bertha Holly earned her a Tony Award in 1988.

Soon after winning the Tony, she moved to southern California. There, she started working in television and movies. She has been very busy, acting in many cities across the U.S., Canada, and South Africa. She also continues to perform in theater. She returned to Broadway in 1997 in Neil Simon's play Proposals.

Recent Roles and Recognition

In 2006, she performed at the Goodman Theatre in The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove. In 2011, she played Lena Younger in A Raisin in the Sun again. This play was directed by Phylicia Rashad. Caldwell and the whole cast were nominated for an Ovation Award. She won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for her role as Lena.

In 2016, she was part of the PBS Civil War drama series Mercy Street.

Involvement in Actor's Guild

Caldwell is an active member of Unite For Strength. This group supports actors joining together in unions. She has served on the national board of directors for the Screen Actors Guild. She has also been involved in committees for women, seniors, and healthcare.

Personal Life

In her early twenties, Laverne Scott married John Caldwell. They had a son named Ominara. She divorced in the early 1980s. In 2004, she married artist and photographer Dasal Banks. Banks had cancer and passed away in May 2005. Caldwell finished her husband's last film, My Brothers and Me. This documentary was made to teach people about prostate cancer in Black men.

Caldwell often gives talks and joins discussions about African American actors. She has participated in tributes to playwright August Wilson. She has also moderated panels about how African Americans are shown in Hollywood.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

• 2017 Gem of the Ocean as Aunt Ester Tyler
• 2014 What I Learned In Paris as Eve Madison
• 2014 The Wife's Story as She
• 2011 A Raisin in the Sun as Lena Younger
• 2011 The Circle as Donna
• 2009 Reverse Transcription Staged Reading as Ottoline
• 2006 The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove as Sarah Breedlove / Madam C.J. Walker
• 2000–2005 Going to St. Ives (radio broadcast and recording) as May N'Kame
• 1998 St. Louis Woman as Leah
• 1997 Proposals as Clemma Diggins
• 1997 Macbeth as Lady Macbeth
• 1995 American Medea as Medea
• 1991 The Piano Lesson as Berniece
• 1990 From the Mississippi Delta as Miss Rosebud / Brother Pastor
• 1987–1988 Joe Turner's Come and Gone as Bertha Holly
• 1987 A Month of Sundays as Understudy Mrs. Baker
• 1986 Elegies for the Fallen Staged Reading
• 1984 A Play of Giants as Ambassador
• 1983 About Heaven & Earth as Black Woman, The Redeemer / Raimy, Nightline
• 1982 A Raisin in the Sun as Ruth Younger
• 1982 Colored Peoples Time as Catherine / Addie / Nadine / Ida
• 1982 Boesman and Lena as Lena
• 1980–1981 Home as Pattie Mae Wells / Woman One (Broadway debut)
• 1979 A Season to Unravel as Afrodite
• 1979 Plays From Africa – Everyman & The Imprisonment of Obatala
• 1979 Old Phantoms as Ruth
• 1978 Daughters of the Mock as Gail
• 1977 The Thesmophoriazousae as Sosie (Chicago – Court Theatre)
• 1975 The Other Cinderella (Chicago – Club Misty)
• 1974 No Place to Be Somebody: A Black-Black Comedy as Cora Beasley (Loyola University student production)
• A Raisin in the Sun as Travis Younger (Hyde Park High School student production)

Director

• 2009 My Brothers and Me Documentary
• 2010 Standing On My Sisters' Shoulders Staged Reading

Commercials

• 1989 The United Negro College Fund – Little Brother as Mother
• 1992 McDonald's – Grapevine as Calvin's Mother

Radio

• 1982 WBAI – Reena by Paule Marshall as The Narrator

Awards and Nominations

Awards

• 2011 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Lead Performance and Ensemble Performance – A Raisin in the Sun
• 2006 BTAA Award for Best leading actress in a play – The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove
• 2005 Obie Award for Performance in a play – Going to St. Ives
• 1998 Helen Hayes Award for Supporting actress in a non-resident production – Proposals
• 1997 Drama-Logue Award for Performance in a play – Proposals
• 1990 Drama-Logue Award for Ensemble performance – From The Mississippi Delta
• 1988 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play – Joe Turner's Come and Gone

Nominations

• 2011 Ovation Award for Best Acting Ensemble in a Play – A Raisin in the Sun
• 2007 Gemini Award (Canadian television) for Best actress in a guest performance – Jozi-H
• 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding actress in a play – Going to St. Ives
• 1998 FANY (FAns of NY Theatre) Award for Outstanding actress in a play – Proposals