Vanessa Bell Calloway

Vanessa Bell Calloway (born March 20, 1957) is an American actress who has appeared in a number of films, including Biker Boyz, Love Don't Cost a Thing, What's Love Got to Do with It, Coming to America, and Cheaper by the Dozen. --- Born Vanessa Bell in Cleveland, Ohio, she received a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree from Ohio University where she was a member of the African-American Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Calloway also studied dance with Alvin Ailey, George Faison, and Otis Sallid. Calloway began her career as a dancer in Michael Bennett's original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. She also was in the ensemble of the short-lived musical Bring Back Birdie. Calloway first began acting in the long-running soap opera All My Children in 1982. She has appeared in various guest roles in television including Falcon Crest, 1st & Ten, L.A. Law, A Different World, Doctor Doctor, Dream On, Diagnosis: Murder, The Closer. In 1995, she co-starred opposite James Earl Jones and Joe Morton in the short-lived CBS drama Under One Roof. For her role on the series, Calloway was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. She has also received two Image Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on Boston Public and The District.