Vanessa Bell Calloway Biography

Fast Facts

• Her first NAACP Image Award nomination for acting came in 1996 for her lead performance in "Under One Roof․"
• Earned her eighth NAACP Image Award nomination for playing Gail Strummer on "Hawthorne․"
• Graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree
• Began her career as a dancer in Michael Bennett's Broadway production of "Dreamgirls" after studying dance with Alvin Ailey
• Starred in a one-woman-show about Zora Neale Hurston called "Letters from Zora․"
• Best known for her roles in the financially successful films "Coming to America" and "What's Love Got to Do with It․"
• Joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority while she was in college