# Elise Neal

Elise Demetria Neal (born March 14, 1966) is an American actress known for her work in television and film. She rose to prominence in 1997 with roles in Rosewood, Money Talks, and Scream 2. She later starred as Yvonne Hughley in the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys (1998–2002), earning two NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Her notable film credits include Restaurant (1998), Mission to Mars (2000), and Logan (2017). For her performance in Hustle & Flow (2005), she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

## Early life

Neal was born on March 14, 1966, in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of a nurse and a construction worker. She attended Lakeview Elementary. She was a ballet dancer and a cheerleader. She broke her left wrist in a high toss cheerleading stunt; after the bones healed, her wrist never straightened back out completely. She graduated from Overton High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.
From 1984 to 1988, she attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Elise left college after two years and moved to New York City where she landed roles in musical theater and found herself traveling the world with various touring companies. Her experience in musical theater allowed her to easily transition into commercials, eventually bringing her to Los Angeles. Neal was a member of the Tennessee Ballet Company.

## Career

Neal was an accomplished dancer and appeared in several hip hop and R&B music videos in the early 1990s. One of her earliest jobs was as a background dancer in Chubb Rock's music video for "Just the Two of Us." Other music videos Neal has appeared in include Black Sheep's 1992 video for Strobelite Honey, Father MC's 1991 video for "Lisa Baby", Aretha Franklin's 1998 video for "A Rose Is Still a Rose", Trick Daddy's 2001 video "I'm a Thug", and Vanessa Williams' video "Work to Do". Neal was featured in the November 2007 edition of King Magazine. Neal also appeared as a backing dancer in the music video for Dannii Minogue's 1993 single "This Is It".
Neal made her film debut in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992). She landed the role of Janice Sinclair on the soap opera Loving. She then played fighter pilot J.J. Fredericks on the series seaQuest 2032. Neal was cast in the high-profile role of Hallie in Scream 2. Her character was originally written to be one of the killers of the movie, but due to a script leak her role was changed. She portrayed school teacher Scrappie in Rosewood.
Her breakout role was being cast as Yvonne Hughley, the wife of D.L. Hughley in the television sitcom The Hughleys (1998−2002). She received two NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in the series. Following The Hughleys, Neal portrayed Kindergarten teacher Tia Jewel in All of Us. She left the series in 2005.
She has made guest appearances on Law & Order, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and Method & Red. Other film credits include: Paid in Full, Money Talks, and Mission to Mars. In Restaurant, she played Jeanine, a waitress who aspires to be a singer. Neal acted in a 2001 remake of Brian's Song as the wife of Gale Sayers.
Neal received her third NAACP Image Award nomination in 2006, in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for the film Hustle & Flow as Yevette, the wife of Anthony Anderson's character. Her role in the 2007 film 4 Life also marked her first soundtrack single, "I'm Down Baby". She also appeared in the series K-Ville as Ayana Boulet.
Expanding her role as producer, Neal is creating and developing several multimedia projects: a reality show based on her R&B group, "Assorted Flavors", a fitness and lifestyle brand, and several feature projects through her development deal with Mandalay Bay Entertainment. She appeared on reality show Hollywood Divas.
She played Alana in Love Ranch (2010). Neal guest starred on an episode of The Soul Man. She portrayed singer Gladys Knight in biopic Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B (2014). In a negative review of the film, Jon Caramanica opined Neal was the best actor in the production. Neal played Kathryn Munson in the 2017 superhero film Logan and appeared on television series Into the Dark.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Hooker | |
| 1993 | Tales of the City | Young Woman | TV movie |
| 1995 | Let It Be Me | Carlita | |
| 1997 | Rosewood | Beulah (Scrappie) | |
| 1997 | Def Jam's How to Be a Player | Nadine | |
| 1997 | Money Talks | Paula | |
| 1997 | Scream 2 | Hallie | |
| 1998 | Chance of a Lifetime | Amy | TV movie |
| 1998 | Restaurant | Jeanine | |
| 2000 | Mission to Mars | Debra Graham | |
| 2001 | The Rising Place | Wilma Watson | |
| 2001 | Sacred Is the Flesh | Gabi Paige | |
| 2001 | Brian's Song | Linda Sayers | TV movie |
| 2002 | Paid in Full | Aunt June | |
| 2003 | Playas Ball | Summer Twitty | |
| 2005 | Hustle & Flow | Yevette | |
| 2007 | 4 Life | Jare | Video |
| 2008 | Who's Deal? | Passion | |
| 2009 | Preaching to the Pastor | Monica | |
| 2010 | Let God Be the Judge | Rachel | |
| 2010 | Love Ranch | Alana | |
| 2010 | Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed | Monique | Video |
| 2010 | Gun | Rich's Mom | |
| 2010 | N-Secure | Leslie | |
| 2010 | Love Me or Leave Me | Josephine Wyatt | TV movie |
| 2011 | The Slap | Gloria | Short |
| 2011 | Lord, All Men Can't Be Dogs | Diane | |
| 2011 | The Perfect Man | Trisha | |
| 2011 | Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury | Florence | |
| 2011 | Breathe | Kristy Burgin | |
| 2012 | The Undershepherd | Sister Roberts | |
| 2012 | Who's Watching the Kids | Delia | |
| 2013 | School of Hard Knocks | Kim | Video |
| 2013 | 1982 | Stacy | |
| 2014 | The Fright Night Files | Coffee Black | TV movie |
| 2014 | Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B | Gladys Knight | TV movie |
| 2016 | Ladies Book Club | Rona | TV movie |
| 2016 | 36 Hour Layover | Rebecca | |
| 2016 | What Are the Chances? | Gina | |
| 2016 | ANYWHERE, U.S.A. | Kim | Short |
| 2017 | Logan | Kathryn Munson | |
| 2017 | Tragedy Girls | Mrs. Hooper | |
| 2017 | The White Sistas | Erin White | |
| 2017 | Our Dream Christmas | Cookie | |
| 2018 | Don't Get Caught | Gina | Video |
| 2018 | We Belong Together | Megan | |
| 2018 | Her Only Choice | Sherry | |
| 2018 | First Impression | Kym Pine | TV movie |
| 2019 | All In | Gina | |
| 2019 | Nineteen Summers | Porsha | |
| 2019 | I Left My Girlfriend for Regina Jones | Regina Jones | |
| 2020 | The Grudge | TV Contestant | |
| 2020 | The Sin Choice | Angela Smith | |
| 2020 | The App That Stole Christmas | Carly | |
| 2021 | Ransum Games | Denise | |
| 2021 | A State of Mind | Keisha Thomas | |
| 2022 | Breaking | Juanita | |
| 2022 | Lola 2 | Sasha | |
| 2023 | Survival | Tally Fruge | |
| 2023 | Phels High | Tina Lloyd | |
| 2023 | Christmas Angel | Natalie | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1991 | Another World | Dancer | Episode: "Episode #1.6923" |
| 1992 | Law & Order | Charlayne Ward | Episode: "Cradle to Grave" |
| 1993 | Getting By | Debbie | Episode: "Back to Nature" |
| 1993 | Tales of the City | Spa Instructor | Episode: "Episode #1.3" |
| 1993 | California Dreams | Miss Jackie | Episode: "High Plains Dreamer" |
| 1993 | Family Matters | Heather | Episode: "Car Wars" |
| 1993-95 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Lisa | Guest Cast: Season 1 & 3 |
| 1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Wendy Robertson | Episode: "M Is for the Many Things She Gave Me" |
| 1994 | Loving | Janey Sinclair | Regular Cast |
| 1994 | Red Shoe Diaries | Dancer | Episode: "Emily's Dance" |
| 1995 | Chicago Hope | Tamara Parnett | Episode: "Cutting Edges" |
| 1995 | Pointman | Millie | Episode: "Take the Points" |
| 1995-96 | seaQuest DSV | Lieutenant J.J. Fredericks | Main Cast: Season 3 |
| 1996 | ABC Afterschool Special | Alicia | Episode: "Daddy's Girl" |
| 1996 | Living Single | Sharon | Episode: "School's Out Forever" |
| 1996 | High Incident | Arial | Episode: "Bullet the Blue Sky" |
| 1996 | The Steve Harvey Show | Juanita Du'Shea | Episode: "Pool Sharks Git Bit" |
| 1998 | The Wayans Bros | Tanya Cooper | Episode: "The Rich Girl" |
| 1998 | Fantasy Island | Catherine | Episode: "Wishboned" |
| 1998-2002 | The Hughleys | Yvonne Williams-Hughley | Main Cast |
| 2001 | E! True Hollywood Story | Herself | Episode: "Scream" |
| 2002 | Hollywood Squares | Herself/Panelist | Recurring Guest |
| 2002 | Pyramid | Herself/Celebrity Contestant | Episode: "Nov 8, 2002" |
| 2003 | A.U.S.A. | Jill Davis | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2004 | The 100 Scariest Movie Moments | Herself | Episode: "Part I: 100-81" |
| 2004 | Method & Red | Brenda | Episode: "Something About Brenda" |
| 2003-05 | All of Us | Tia Jewel | Main Cast: Season 1-2 |
| 2005 | Black in the 80s | Herself | Episode: "Def Jams" & "Color TV" |
| 2005 | Weekends at the D.L. | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.13" |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Giselle | Episode: "Bodies in Motion" |
| 2007 | K-Ville | Ayana Boulet | Recurring Cast |
| 2009 | My Manny | Jennifer | Main Cast |
| 2009 | Private Practice | Janine | Episode: "What You Do for Love" |
| 2010 | Life After | Herself | Episode: "Elise Neal" |
| 2011 | Funny or Die Presents | Peaches | Episode: "The Burn Unit" |
| 2011 | The Cape | Susan Voyt | Recurring Cast |
| 2011-12 | A.N.T. Farm | Roxanne Parks | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 2012 | Scandal | Anna Gordon | Episode: "The Other Woman" |
| 2013 | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Herself | Episode: "Karma's a Mitch" & "Hart vs. Mosley" |
| 2013 | Basketball Wives | Herself | Episode: "Episode #5.8" |
| 2013 | Belle's | Jill Cooper | Main Cast |
| 2013 | The Soul Man | Jessica | Episode: "Revelations" |
| 2014 | According to Him + Her | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.3" |
| 2014-15 | Hollywood Divas | Herself | Main Cast: Season 1-2 |
| 2017 | Tales | Beatriz | Episode: "A Story to Tell" |
| 2019-20 | 25 Words or Less | Herself/Contestant | Recurring Guest |
| 2020 | Into the Dark | Dr. Linda Johnson | Episode: "Good Boy" |
| 2021 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Gigi | Episode: "If I'm Paying These Chili's Prices, You Cannot Taste My Steak!" |
| 2022- | The Black Hamptons | Sydney Britton | Main Cast |
| 2023 | See It Loud: The History of Black Television | Herself | Episode: "Laughing Out Loud" |
| 2023 | Angel | Teresa | Main Cast |

### Music Videos

| Year | Artist | Song |
| 1990 | Kwamé | "Ownleeeue" |
| 1991 | Father MC | "Lisa Baby" |
| 1991 | Chubb Rock | "Just the Two of Us" |
| 1991 | Black Sheep | "Strobelite Honey" |
| 1992 | Vanessa Williams featuring Dres | "Work to Do" |
| 1993 | Dannii Minogue | "This Is It" |
| 1998 | Aretha Franklin | "A Rose Is Still a Rose" |
| 2001 | Trick Daddy | "I'm a Thug" |
| 2002 | Aaliyah | "Miss You" |
| 2011 | Rick Ross | "Ashes to Ashes" |

### Documentary

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | My Nappy Roots: A Journey Through Black Hair-itage | Herself | |
| 2011 | Still Screaming: The Ultimate Scary Movie Retrospective | Herself | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2000 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | The Hughleys | Nominated |
| 2001 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | The Hughleys | Nominated |
| 2006 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Hustle & Flow | Nominated |
| 2006 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Hustle & Flow | Nominated |
| 2006 | Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Ensemble | Hustle & Flow | Nominated |