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Kimberley Elise is an American TV and film actress, who is known well for appearing in various films including “Beloved,” “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” and “For Colored Girls.”
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Kimberly Elise Trammel hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was born under the Aries zodiac sign on 17 April 1967, which makes her 56 years old as of 2023. Her parents are Marvin Trammel, who runs an executive search company, and his wife Erma Jean, who was an
elementary school teacher. She has a younger sister and two older twin brothers, but hasn’t revealed their names. Elise’s roots include tracing back to the West African ethnic group, the Songhai.
Elise attended Wayzata High School, situated in Plymouth, Minnesota, then received filmmaking training at the Minneapolis Community College, and directing training at the American Film Institute. Elise is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication.
Facts and Hobbies
Kimberly is keen on working out to maintain her slim body. She also follows a vegan diet.
The “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” starlet is an avid animal lover, who supports People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
She was a member of Northern Warehouse Artists Co-operative, formerly known as Foley Brothers and Kelley Warehouse, which is a housing development project for low-income artists.
The Minneapolis native bears striking resemblance to her “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” mother, the late multiple Emmy Award-winning actress, Cecily Louise Tyson.
Career – ‘90s
Elise made her film debut with the starring role of T.T. Williams in the 1996 heist crime action “Set It Off,” which also starred Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett. In 1997, she played Jeanette in the film “The Ditchdigger’s Daughters,” which brought her a CableACE Award for Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries.
In the year that followed, she shared the screen with Oprah Winfrey and Thandiwe Newton in the psychological horror drama movie “Beloved,” which increased her popularity significantly. The Jonathan Demme-directed film brought her numerous awards including a Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, Drama, and a Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) Award, plus a nomination for an NAACP Image Award in 1999.
2000s
Kimberly landed numerous career-defining roles in the 2000s. She shared the screen with Jamie Foxx in the 2000 action comedy “Bait,” Gregory Hines in the 2001 musical drama “Bojangles,” and Denzel Washington in the thriller drama “John Q.” which was a critical success with a box office collection of over $102 million. In 2004, she portrayed an abused young lady named Michelle, who eventually gets the help she needs in the drama movie “Woman Thou Art Loosed” – for her praised performance, Elise was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Female Lead. She landed another significant film role as Helen Simmons-McCarter in the 2005 Tyler Perry-written drama “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”, and her performance saw her win her first NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
From 2005-2007, Kimberley starred as Marion County prosecutor M. Scofield, in the CBS drama TV series “Close to Home.” In 2009, she starred alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the biographical TV drama movie “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” which follows the success story of the neurosurgeon-turned-politician, Dr. Carson.
Kimberly Elise know she can cry.
I wanna see her and Viola go at it. pic.twitter.com/fi1bN4wyRo
— Mel (@TheBaddestMitch) November 13, 2021
2010s and 2020s
Some of Kimberly’s noteworthy film appearances in the 2010s are in “For Colored Girls” (2010), “Almost Christmas” (2016), and the Brad Pitt-starred psychological sci-fi “Ad Astra” (2019). From 2013 to 2016, Kimberly starred as Sloane Hayes in the first, second, and third seasons of the sports drama series “Hit the Floor,” which was originally entitled “Bounce.”
She also played recurring roles in the musical drama series “Star” and the drama “The Mosquito Coast”, in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
Awards and Nominations
Elise has bagged 16 awards, and been nominated for 15 others. She scooped four NAACP Awards in 2006, ‘07, ‘10 and ‘011 for her performances in various projects including “For Colored Girls,” “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story,” and “Close to Home.” Kimberly has also won three Black Reel Awards, for her performance in “Bojangles” in 2002, “Woman Thou Art Loosed” in 2005, and “Diary of a Mad Black Woman in 2006; two MovieGuide Awards, both for her performance in “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” in 2010, a BET Comedy Award for “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” in 2005, and a Satellite Award for her performance in “Beloved” in 1999.
Elise is active on Instagram (@ikimberlyelise) with around 575,000 followers. She joined Twitter in March 2011 and is followed by over 95,000 fans (@iKimberlyElise) as of July 2023.
Personal Life
Elise was previously married to the photographer, Maurice Oldham – they exchanged vows in 1989, and the duo welcomed two daughters together: AjaBleu Arial Oldham in June 1990 and is currently a model and travel/beauty blogger, whereas their second born, Butterfly Rose Oldham was born in October 1998. Elise and Oldham dissolved their marriage in 2005 after spending over one and a half decades together; in 2007, Oldham succumbed to a massive blood clot.
In 2004 and 2005, Elise had an affair with her “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” co-star, Shemar Moore, who is perhaps best known for his appearances in the TV series “The Young and the Restless,” “S.W.A.T.,” and “Criminal Minds.” Moore is currently in a relationship with the professional model and actress, Jesiree Dizon, with whom he has a daughter. On the other hand, Elise has confirmed that she’s single, as of 2023.
Elise is seemingly very close with her children, and takes parenting responsibilities very seriously. She likes encouraging them to pursue their dreams, and previously stated ‘It’s what I tell my daughters: Know that your birthright is to shine your light, and don’t let anybody deny you of that right. Take responsibility for your life.’
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Elise is of Afro-American ethnicity and has a pair of dark brown eyes and curly black hair. She is slim, weighs around 120lbs (54kgs), and is 5ft 7ins (1.70m) tall, with vital statistics of 31-25-34. She wears shoe and dress sizes 8(US) and 4(US) respectively, and has pierced ears.
Net Worth
Kimberly’s long and successful career in the showbiz industry has brought her fame and wealth. She’s estimated to be worth around $2 million, as of 2023.
