05.05.1887 - 05.11.1968 (81 years)
Estelle Hemsley (May 5, 1887 - November 5, 1968) was a prominent early African American actress of stage and screen. She appeared in the stage and screen versions of Take a Giant Step, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 1959 movie directed by Philip Leacock. Her other notable film roles include playing Grandmother Topouzoglou in Elia Kazan's 1963 movie America, America (nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture), the role of Cla-Cla in Mel Ferrer's 1959 film Green Mansions, the mother of Ruby Dee in Edge of the City (1957), and Catherine in Robert Mulligan's 1965 movie Baby the Rain Must Fall.