Elise Neal

Elise Demetria Neal (born March 14, 1966 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American actress whose career spans more than three decades across film, television, and music videos. Raised by a nurse mother and a construction‑worker father, Neal showed an early passion for movement, studying ballet and cheerleading at Lakeview Elementary and later joining the Tennessee Ballet Company before attending the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Although she left college after two years, she migrated to New York City where she cut her teeth in musical theatre, touring internationally and eventually transitioning to Los Angeles to pursue on‑screen work. Her breakthrough came in 1997 with a string of high‑profile roles in Rosewood, Money Talks and the horror sequel Scream 2, the latter casting her as Hallie, a part originally written as a killer before script changes. From 1998 to 2002 Neal anchored the sitcom The Hughleys as Yvonne Hughley, earning two NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. She continued to diversify her résumé with supporting turns in Mission to Mars (2000), Restaurant (1998) and the critically acclaimed Hustle & Flow (2005), the latter bringing a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. In 2017 she appeared as Kathryn Munson in Logan, demonstrating her adaptability to blockbuster superhero fare. Beyond acting, Neal has leveraged her dance background to appear in numerous hip‑hop and R&B videos, including works for Chubb Rock, Black Sheep, Aretha Franklin, and Vanessa Williams, and she has explored production through a development deal with Mandalay Bay Entertainment. Her recent projects include a portrayal of Gladys Knight in Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B (2014) and a guest‑spot on Into the Dark. Throughout her career, Neal has combined performance, production, and entrepreneurship, solidifying her status as a versatile talent in the entertainment industry.