Madame Sul Te Wan

Madame SulTeWan was an American stage, film and television actress. The daughter of freed slaves, she began her career in entertainment touring the East Coast with various theatrical companies and moved to California to become a member of the fledgling film community. She became known as a character actress, appeared in high profile films such as Birth of a Nation and Intolerance , and easily navigated the transition to the talkies.

Nellie Crawford was born in Louisville, Kentucky, USA to freed slaves Cleon De Londa and Silas Crawford. Her father left the family early in her life, and her mother became a laundress who found employment working for Louisville stage actresses. Young Nellie became enchanted by watching the young actresses rehearse when she delivered laundry for her mother. When she was older she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, joined a theatrical company called Three Black Cloaks, and began billing herself as Creole Nell. She also formed her own theatrical companies and toured the East Coast. After moving to California, Madame SulTeWan began her acting career in uncredited roles in director D. W. Griffiths controversial 1915 drama Birth of a Nation and the colossal 1916 epic Intolerance. SulTeWan had allegedly written Griffith a letter of introduction after hearing that Griffith was shooting a film in her Kentucky hometown.

Source: Wikipedia