Madame Sul-Te-Wan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Madame Sul-Te-Wan
Born	Nellie Crawford (1873-03-07)March 7, 1873 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	February 1, 1959(1959-02-01) (aged 85) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, U.S.
Resting place	Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Other names	Sul-Te-Wan Madame Sultewan Madame Wan
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1915–1958
Spouse(s)	Robert Reed Conley ​ ​ (m. 1906, divorced)​ Anton Ebentheuer ​ ​ (m. 1950; div. 1953)​
Children	3, including Onest Conley

Madame Sul-Te-Wan (born Nellie Crawford; March 7, 1873 – February 1, 1959) was an amazing American actress. She was the first black actress to sign a film contract. This meant she was officially hired and paid for her movie work. She acted on stage, in movies, and on TV for over 50 years!

Madame Sul-Te-Wan was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1986. This honor recognized her important contributions to film.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Nellie Crawford was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Her parents were formerly enslaved people. Her father left when she was young. Her mother worked as a laundress for actresses in Louisville. Young Nellie loved watching the actresses practice when she delivered laundry. This made her dream of becoming an actress herself.

When she grew up, Nellie moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. She joined a theater group called Three Black Cloaks. She started calling herself "Creole Nell." She even created her own theater groups and toured the East Coast.

After moving to California, Nellie started her film career. She got small, uncredited roles in movies. One of her first big chances was in director D. W. Griffith's 1915 movie, The Birth of a Nation. Nellie had heard Griffith was filming in her hometown. She wrote him a letter. Griffith was impressed by her unique style. He hired her for $3 a day. This soon became $25 a week, making it the first film contract for a black woman.

In the early 1900s, Nellie married Robert Reed Conley. They had three sons. Sadly, her husband left the family when their youngest son was just three weeks old. Two of her sons, Odel and Onest Conley, also became actors. They even appeared in some films with their mother.

It's not known exactly when Nellie Crawford started using the stage name "Madame Sul-Te-Wan." Her new name first appeared on a cast list in 1931. She chose this unique name to suggest a diverse background. This helped her play many different types of characters. These included roles that were East Asian, Native American, Spanish, or African.

Early Film Career

After working with Griffith, Madame Sul-Te-Wan continued acting. In 1916, she appeared in The Children Pay with Lillian Gish. In 1917, she was in Stage Struck with Dorothy Gish. Many of these early roles were uncredited. This means her name wasn't shown in the movie's credits.

Sul-Te-Wan appeared (uncredited) in Tarzan of the Apes in 1918

Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Sul-Te-Wan became a well-known character actress. In 1918, she played Esmeralda, Jane's maid, in Tarzan of the Apes. She often played "Mammy" roles, which were usually domestic servants. She acted alongside famous silent film stars like Tom Mix and Lillian Gish. She also appeared in the 1927 Buster Keaton comedy College. In 1929, she was in Queen Kelly starring Gloria Swanson.

Madame Sul-Te-Wan easily moved into the "talkie" era, when movies started having sound. She continued to appear in many films. She worked with big stars like Barbara Stanwyck and Lucille Ball. However, during this time, there was segregation in the United States. This limited the types of roles black actors could play. Sul-Te-Wan was often cast as minor characters. These were usually convicts, "native women," or domestic servants. For example, she was an "Native Handmaiden" in the 1933 hit King Kong. Even with these limits, Sul-Te-Wan worked steadily through the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1937, Sul-Te-Wan got her first important credited role. She played Tituba in the film Maid of Salem. This movie told the story of the Salem Witch Trials. The film was very successful. Sul-Te-Wan's acting in this role received good reviews.

Later Career

Sul-Te-Wan around 1950

On September 12, 1953, a special dinner was held in Hollywood to honor Sul-Te-Wan. About 200 actors and film personalities attended. Many famous people were there, including Louise Beavers and Mae Marsh.

In 1954, Sul-Te-Wan appeared in the musical drama Carmen Jones. She played Hagar, Carmen's grandmother. This role was different from her usual "Mammy" characters. Some people mistakenly thought she was Dorothy Dandridge's real grandmother because they acted together. But they were not related.

At age 77, Sul-Te-Wan married for the second time. Her husband was Anton Ebentheuer. Their marriage lasted three years. In the 1950s, even in her 80s, she kept acting. She appeared in several films, often in small, uncredited parts. Her last movie role was in the 1958 adventure film The Buccaneer.

Death

Madame Sul-Te-Wan passed away on February 1, 1959. She was 85 years old and had suffered a stroke. She died at the Motion Picture Actors' Home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. She was buried at the Pierce Brothers' Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Legacy and Honors

Sul-Te-Wan was honored for her contributions to film. She was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1986.

Quotes

• "We never did discover the origin of her name. No one was bold enough to ask." – Lillian Gish.

Filmography