Early Life and Career
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 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.
It was during this time period that Calloway directed the music video Angel Man for soul singer Rhetta Hughes.
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.
In addition to television and stage work, Calloway has also appeared in several films. She made her film debut in the comedy Coming to America as Eddie Murphy's subservient bride-to-be. Calloway later appeared in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) opposite Angela Bassett, Crimson Tide (1995) starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman, and Lakeview Terrace (2008) starring Samuel L. Jackson.
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