- Born
- Died
- Birth nameNellie Wan
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Madame Sul-Te-Wan was born on March 7, 1873 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress, known for Maryland (1940), Maid of Salem (1937) and In Old Chicago (1938). She was married to Robert Reed Conley. She died on February 1, 1959 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- SpouseRobert Reed Conley (3 children)
- Children
- First African-American actress to work under contract at a major studio (Fine Arts).
- Kept in touch with film director D.W. Griffith for decades and attended his memorial service at the Hollywood Masonic Temple in 1948.
- Three sons, Otto Conley, Onest Conley, and Odel Conley, by her first husband. She and her sons all appeared in films produced at the Fine Arts Studio in Los Angeles during the 1910s.
- Known for the theatricality of her appearance, particularly her penchant for turbans and wearing her hair in two long braids.
- Entered films in 1913.
- [on roles for black actors and actresses in 1920s and 1930s Hollywood] I get bitter sometimes because I don't work long enough to buy a handkerchief.
- I carry no antagonism to anyone because of their skin and I don't get any from them.
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