Elise Demetria Neal is an American actress. Her big break came with three 1997 films, appearing in Rosewood, Money Talks and Scream 2. From 1998 to 2002, Neal starred as Yvonne Hughley in the ABC/UPN sitcomThe Hughleys. Other film appearances include Mission to Mars, Hustle & Flow and Logan . On television, Neal also starred as Tia Jewel in the first two seasons of the UPN/The CW sitcom All of Us from 2003 to 2005. She is a three-time NAACP Image Award nominee.
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 1984–1988, 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.
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 performed 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's video "Work to Do". Neal was also featured in the November 2007 edition of King Magazine. Once in Los Angeles, Neal landed the role of Janice Sinclair on the soap opera Loving. She then played fighter pilot J.J. Fredericks on the series seaQuest 2032. Her breakout role was being cast as Yvonne Hughley, the wife of D.L. Hughley in the five seasons of the television sitcom The Hughleys. While on The Hughleys, 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. Neal also appeared as a backing dancer in the music video for Dannii Minogue's 1993 single “This Is It”. Her film debut was a starring role in Rosewood. Other film credits include: Paid in Full, Money Talks, Mission to Mars and Restaurant. 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. Neal was nominated for a NAACP award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for the film Hustle & Flow, and received two NAACP nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy for The Hughleys. 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 multiple feature projects through her development deal with Mandalay Bay Entertainment. Neal played Kathryn Munson in the 2017 superhero film Logan.
