Estelle Evans
Estelle Evans | |
|---|---|
 Evans in The Quiet One, 1948 | |
| Born | Estelle Rolle October 1, 1906 |
| Died | July 20, 1985 (aged 78) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1919–1984 |
| Spouse | Walter Evans |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Rosanna Carter Esther Rolle (sisters; both deceased) |
| Awards | 1969 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture The Learning Tree |
Estelle Rolle Evans (October 1, 1906 – July 20, 1985) was a Bahamian-American actress during the 20th century. Some of her more famous appearances were in the movies The Quiet One (1948), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and The Learning Tree (1969).
Evans was the older sister of actresses Rosanna Carter and Esther Rolle.
Biography
[edit]Evans was born Estelle Rolle on October 1, 1906, in Exuma, Bahamas[1] to parents Jonathan and Elizabeth Iris Rolle (née Dames). She was the oldest of 18 children.[2][3] Her father moved to Florida to work for the railway;[2] the family followed[2] in 1920.[1]
Evans attended Florida Memorial College[3] or Florida A&M University[1] and became a teacher at Pompano Beach Elementary School.[1][3] She married to Walter Evans, an architectural draftsman and the couple moved to New York City[1] in 1935.[3] Evans worked as a teacher at PS 156 in Manhattan.[4][5]
In New York, Evans studied drama at Hunter College, and at American Negro Theater[5] alongside Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte.[1]
Evans played the mother in The Quiet One[3] and Calpurnia in the 1962 film version of To Kill a Mockingbird[2] and acted in several other major movies and television shows. For her work in The Learning Tree, she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.[6]
Evans died on July 20, 1985, in New York City,[3] and she was buried in Westview Community Cemetery in Pompano Beach, Florida.[1] She was age 76.[1] She was survived by 1 son and 1 daughter.[1]
Filmography
[edit]| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daddy-Long-Legs | 1919 | Uncredited | |
| The Quiet One | 1948 | The Mother | documentary |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 1962 | Calpurnia | |
| Naked City | 1963 | Crossing Guard | TV series |
| The Learning Tree | 1969 | Sarah | |
| The Jeffersons | 1975 | Mary | TV series |
| Good Times | 1975 | Alice | TV series |
| A Piece of the Action | 1977 | Alberta Ballard | |
| See China and Die | 1981 | 1st Maid | TV movie |
| The Clairvoyant | 1982 | Francine | |
| Tales of the Unknown South | 1984 | TV movie, segment "The Half-Pint Flask" |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i Burns, Howard (July 24, 1985). "Veteran actress Estelle Evans, of TV, stage and film, dies at 76". The Miami News. pp. 4A. Retrieved January 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Durden, Douglas (November 19, 1979). "'We Were Poor... But I Didn't Know That'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. C1. Retrieved January 2, 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Estelle Rolle Evans, TV, Film Actress". The Miami Herald. July 24, 1985. Retrieved January 2, 2026 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Teacher and Actress: Estelle Evans". New York Amsterdam News. February 24, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved January 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Recommended for a Role She Didn't Even Seek". New York Amsterdam News. March 9, 1963. p. 17. Retrieved January 2, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Black Movie, Television People Honored in L. A." Jet. Vol. XXXVII, no. 4. Johnson Publishing Company. October 30, 1969. pp. 68–69. Retrieved August 5, 2020 – via Google Books.
External links
[edit]- Estelle Evans at IMDb
- Estelle Evans at Find a Grave
- Estelle Evans and the Learning Tree: How Bahamas-Born Actress Got Star Role in Parks' Film
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