Estelle Rolle Evans (October 1, 1906 – July 20, 1985) was a

Bahamian American Bahamian Americans are an ethnic group of Caribbean Americans of Bahamian ancestry. There are an estimated 56,797 people of Bahamian ancestry living in the US as of 2019. Bahamian Immigration Bahamians began visiting the Florida Keys in the 18 ...

actress during the 20th century. Some of her most famous appearances were in the movies '' The Quiet One'' (1948), ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'' (1962), and '' The Learning Tree'' (1969). Evans was the sister of actresses Rosanna Carter and

Esther Rolle Esther Elizabeth Rolle (November 8, 1920 – November 17, 1998) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom '' Maude,'' for two seasons (1972–1974), and its spin-off series ''Go ...

Personal life and death

Evans was born Estelle Rolle on October 1, 1906, in Nassau, New Providence,

The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

, to parents Jonathan and Elizabeth Iris Rolle (née Dames). She was the oldest of eighteen children. Her sisters include actresses Rosanna Carter and

. Evans was married once, to Walter Evans. The two had three daughters: Eliza, Ella and Estella Evans. Evans played Calpurnia in the 1962 film version of ''

'' and acted in several other major movies and television shows. For her work in '' The Learning Tree'', she received the

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The award has also been called Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture. Out of 12 films which featured African-Americans in lea ...

. Evans died on July 20, 1985, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, New York, and was buried in Westview Community Cemetery in Pompano Beach, Florida. She was 78 years old.

Filmography

References

External links

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Estelle Evans and the Learning Tree: How Bahamas-Born Actress Got Star Role in Parks' Film
1906 births 1982 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses Bahamian emigrants to the United States People from Nassau, Bahamas {{US-screen-actor-1900s-stub