Sheila Frazier facts for kids

Sheila Elaine Frazier, born on November 13, 1948, is an American actress, producer, and model. She is best known for her role as Georgia in the 1972 film Super Fly. She played the same character again in the 1973 movie Super Fly T.N.T.

Growing Up

Sheila Elaine Frazier was born in New York City. Her parents were Dorothy Dennis and Eugene Cole Frazier. She lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattan until she was ten years old. Then, she moved with her mom to Englewood, New Jersey. There, she went to Liberty School.

When Sheila was a child, she had a stutter, which made her shy. In sixth grade, a teacher tried to help her. Before Sheila gave a presentation, the teacher told the class, "I don't want any laughter. Sheila has a stutter." Sheila said this made her even more nervous about speaking in front of people.

In Englewood, some of her neighbors were famous musicians like Clyde McPhatter and The Isley Brothers. Sheila went to Dwight Morrow High School. One of her classmates was Margaret Travolta, who is actress John Travolta's sister. Even though Sheila struggled with stuttering, she was inspired by actress Susan Hayward in the movie I'll Cry Tomorrow. This made her want to become an actress. After finishing high school in 1966, when she was 17, she moved back to New York City. She stayed with her godmother and worked as a secretary.

Becoming an Actress

One day, while riding the subway, a man asked Sheila if she had ever thought about modeling. This meeting led her to work with photographer Bert Andrews. She started doing runway modeling and print ads. However, she didn't really like being the center of attention.

Later, she met actor Richard Roundtree. He suggested she try out for the Negro Ensemble Company, a theater group. He told her to focus on the character she was playing. When she did this, she found that her stuttering went away! Five months later, she auditioned for the movie Super Fly and got the main female role of Georgia.

After that, Sheila worked in many other movies and TV shows, like Three the Hard Way. In 1980, she hosted a community show on KNXT-TV in Los Angeles. She also worked as a story editor for comedian Richard Pryor's company, Indigo Productions.

Movies and TV Shows

Her Family Life

Sheila Frazier has been married two times and has one child. Her son, Derek McKeith, is from her first marriage to Sam McKeith. In early 2008, Sheila married John Atchison in Manhattan, New York. Sheila currently lives in Los Angeles.