Yvette Freeman facts for kids

Yvette Freeman is an American actress, singer, and director. She is well-known for her work on stage, in movies, and on TV shows. She first appeared on Broadway in 1979 in a musical called Ain't Misbehavin'.

Yvette won an award called the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress in 1998. This was for her amazing performance as Dinah Washington in a play called Dinah Was. On television, she is famous for playing Nurse Haleh Adams in the medical drama ER. She also played Evelyn Smalley in Working and Irma Lerman in Orange Is the New Black.

Yvette Freeman's Life and Career

Yvette Freeman was born and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. Later, she moved to New York City. She first wanted to work in graphic design. But soon, she started acting in plays. She appeared in famous shows like The Wiz and Ain't Misbehavin'. At the same time, she also sang in nightclubs.

Moving to Los Angeles and TV Roles

In 1990, Yvette moved to Los Angeles. This is where she started acting on television. She appeared in popular shows such as Tales from the Crypt, Knots Landing, and L.A. Law.

Her Role as Nurse Haleh Adams in ER

Yvette Freeman is most famous for her role as Nurse Haleh Adams on the TV show ER. This was a medical drama on NBC. She played this role for a very long time, from 1994 until the show ended in 2009. She was in 184 episodes! This made her one of the characters who stayed on the show the longest. She was in every season from the very first episode.

While still on ER, she also had a regular role. She played Evelyn Smalley in the NBC sitcom Working from 1997 to 1999. In 2002, during a break from ER, Yvette lost a lot of weight. She now talks about how important it is to be healthy.

Music and Stage Performances

In 1999, Yvette Freeman released her first music album. It was called A Tribute to Dinah Washington. She made this album after her successful performance in the play Dinah Was. As mentioned, she won the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress for this role in 1998.

In 2012, she played Ma Rainey. Ma Rainey was known as the "Mother of the Blues." Yvette played her in a play called Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Later TV Appearances

In the 2000s, Yvette had recurring roles on daytime soap operas. These included Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful. She also appeared as a guest star on shows like Judging Amy, Boston Public, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

In 2014, Yvette Freeman joined the cast of the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black. She played a character named Irma. She was part of a group called "The Golden Girls" on the show. Along with the other actors, Yvette received an award. It was the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Selected Film and Television Roles

Yvette Freeman has appeared in many movies and TV shows throughout her career. Here are some of her notable roles:

Film Roles

• 1991: Switch as Mae the Maid
• 1991: Dead Again as Nurse
• 1995: Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest as Samantha
• 1995: Angus as Science Teacher
• 2002: The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina as Leola (voice)
• 2009: The Revenant as Scientological Nurse
• 2017: The Last Word as Housekeeper
• 2020: Blindfire as Gayle Hughes
• 2021: The Starling as Mrs. Oberhoffer

Television Roles

• 1990: Tales from the Crypt as Jury Forewoman
• 1991: Step by Step as Doris
• 1992: Knots Landing as Gwen
• 1994: L.A. Law as Anelda Hightower
• 1994-2009: ER as Nurse Haleh Adams (Recurring cast)
• 1997-1999: Working as Evelyn Smalley (Main cast)
• 2000: Judging Amy as Claire Reeves
• 2000-2001: Boston Public as Gladys Crenshaw
• 2008-2010: Days of Our Lives as Nurse Lesley (Regular Cast)
• 2009-2012: The Bold and the Beautiful as Dr. Lewis (Regular Cast)
• 2014: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as Cynthia Hughes
• 2014-2015: Orange Is the New Black as Irma Lerman (Recurring cast)
• 2019: A Black Lady Sketch Show as Denise Garrett
• 2023: Will Trent as Bonnie