Novella Nelson

Novella Nelson (born December 17, 1939) is an American actress and singer.Nelson was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Evelyn Hines and James Nelson. She established her career as a singer, both on the off-Broadway and Broadway stage and in cabaret-style locales.Starting in 1961, Nelson had a decades-long stage career, performing, directing and producing, primarily in New York.She was a featured performer on Broadway in 1970 in the musical, Purlie. In 1975, Nelson directed the play La Femme Noire at The Public Theater. Her film career began at age 39 with a small part in 1977s An Unmarried Woman, and continued for the next several decades with roles in movies and television.

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