Novella Nelson is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actress and singer.

Nelson was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Evelyn Hines and James Nelson. Her career in film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

s did not begin until she was approaching middle age, with a small part in 1978's An Unmarried Woman

An Unmarried Woman

An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American comedy-drama film that tells the story of the wealthy New York wife Erica Benton whose “perfect” life is shattered when her stockbroker husband Martin leaves her for a younger woman. The film documents Erica's attempts at being single again, where she suffers...

. Over the next thirty years, she continued to play small roles in movies. Additionally, she established a career as a singer, both on the stage and in cabaret

Cabaret

Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...

-style locales. Nelson works as an instructor for voice-over actors. In June, 2009, she was appearing in a Boston production of Oedipus

Oedipus (Dryden)

The heroic drama Oedipus: A Tragedy, is an adaption of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, written by John Dryden and Nathaniel Lee. After being licensed in 1678 and published in 1679, it became a huge success on stage during the Restoration period....

.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1978	An Unmarried Woman An Unmarried Woman An Unmarried Woman is a 1978 American comedy-drama film that tells the story of the wealthy New York wife Erica Benton whose “perfect” life is shattered when her stockbroker husband Martin leaves her for a younger woman. The film documents Erica's attempts at being single again, where she suffers...	Jean Starret
1979	The Seduction of Joe Tynan The Seduction of Joe Tynan The Seduction of Joe Tynan is a 1979 American political film drama directed by Jerry Schatzberg and produced by Martin Bregman. The screenplay was written by Alan Alda, who also played the title role....	Carla Willis
1984	The Cotton Club The Cotton Club (film) The Cotton Club is a 1984 crime-drama, centered on a famed Harlem jazz club of the 1930s, the Cotton Club.The movie was co-written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, choreographed by Henry LeTang, and starred Richard Gere, Diane Lane, and Gregory Hines...	Madame St. Clair
1984	The Flamingo Kid The Flamingo Kid The Flamingo Kid is a 1984 comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, written by Marshall, Neal Marshall and Bo Goldman. It stars Matt Dillon, Richard Crenna, Hector Elizondo, and Janet Jones...	Lizzy the Housekeeper
1987	Orphans Orphans (film) Orphans is a 1987 film directed by Alan J. Pakula. It was written by Lyle Kessler, based on his play.-Plot:Brothers Treat and Philip have lived alone since they were kids when a small time criminal enters their lives....	Mattie
1990	Privilege	Yvonne Washington
1990	The Bonfire of the Vanities The Bonfire of the Vanities (film) The Bonfire of the Vanities is a 1990 American film adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Tom Wolfe. The film was directed by Brian De Palma and stars Tom Hanks as Sherman McCoy, Bruce Willis as Peter Fallow, Melanie Griffith as Maria Ruskin, and Kim Cattrall as Judy McCoy,...	Media Jackal
1991	Strictly Business	Olivia
1993	Weekend at Bernie's II Weekend at Bernie's II Weekend at Bernie's II is a comedy film released in 1993 by TriStar Pictures and was the sequel to the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie's.- Plot :...	Mobu
1994	Dead Funny	Frances
1995	The Keeper	Mrs. Lemont, Mother
1996	Girl 6 Girl 6 Girl 6 may refer to:*Girl 6, a 1996 film by Spike Lee*Girl 6 , the soundtrack for the film, composed by Prince*“Girl 6” , the title song for the soundtrack...	Angela's Aunt
1997	The Devil's Advocate The Devil's Advocate (film) The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 American horror film directed by Taylor Hackford starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron, and based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman....	Botanica Woman
1998	A Perfect Murder A Perfect Murder A Perfect Murder is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. It is a modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, though the characters' names are all changed, and over half the plot is completely...	Ambassador Alice Wills
2002	Antwone Fisher Antwone Fisher (film) Antwone Fisher is a 2002 American drama film directed by Denzel Washington, marking his directorial debut. He also stars in the film as the psychiatrist Jerome Davenport, alongside Hollywood newcomer Derek Luke, who plays the title role , and ex-model Joy Bryant, as Fisher's girlfriend.The film is...	Mrs. Tate
2003	The West Wing episode "Gaza Gaza Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,... "	Gail Fitzwallace
2003	The West Wing episode "N.S.F. Thurmont"	Gail Fitzwallace
2004	Birth Birth (film) Birth is a 2004 film directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston and Cameron Bright.The story is about a young widow from a prominent Manhattan-based family named Anna who slowly becomes convinced that her husband, Sean, who died ten years previously, has...	Lee
2005	Dear Wendy Dear Wendy Dear Wendy is a 2005 film directed by Thomas Vinterberg, and starring Jamie Bell, Bill Pullman, Mark Webber and Alison Pill among others.It is a co-production of Denmark, Germany, France and the UK.The script was written by Lars von Trier....	Clarabelle	2005	"Preaching To The Choir"	Ruth
2007	The Ten The Ten The Ten is a 2007 American comedy film, directed by David Wain and cowritten by Wain and Ken Marino, released through ThinkFilm. The film was released on August 3, 2007...	Judge Sophia R. Jackson
2010	Night Catches Us	Eloise Johnson
2010	30 Rock 30 Rock 30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live... episode "The Moms The Moms "The Moms" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 78th overall episode of the series. It was written by co-producer Kay Cannon and co-show runner and executive producer Robert Carlock. The episode was directed by co-executive producer... "	Herself

Discography

• Arcana A1001, made by Desto Records, NYC, unknown date, "Novella Nelson".
• Songs: Mean World; Long Road Home; (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay; Lilac Wine; Johnny (Guns and Drums); I'm Troubled; Do What You Gotta Do; Cold Water Flat; Porgy; I Wish I Knew How It Would feel To Be Free.
• Musicians: Phil Moore, piano; Richard Davis, bass; Frederick Waits, drums; Warren Smith, percussion; Emmanuel Green and Gene Orloff, violins; Selwart Clarke, viola; Kermit Moore, cello.
• Information on this LP from Black Shellac, Records for Collectors, Spring City, PA

External links