1990s Elise made her big screen debut in the 1996 crime action film
Set It Off (1996) directed by
F. Gary Gray, in which she played one of four women who resort to robbing a bank for money.
Jada Pinkett Smith,
Queen Latifah and
Vivica A. Fox co-star in film which became a critical and box office success, grossing over $41 million. In 1997 she was cast in the Family Channel original television movie ''
The Ditchdigger's Daughters, based on the Pulitzer-prize nominated and critically acclaimed 1995 memoir The Ditchdigger's Daughters: A Black Family's Astonishing Success Story
, written by Yvonne S. Thornton and Jo Coudert. She received critical acclaim for her role in this film, and in 1997, she was recognized as Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries at the 19th annual CableACE Awards. Her performance helped her land a role the next year in Beloved'' alongside
Oprah Winfrey and
Danny Glover, a horror-drama film based on
Toni Morrison's 1987
novel of the same name, directed by
Jonathan Demme. Despite being a
box office bomb, Elise received praise for her performance, and well as
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress and
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. She also received her first
NAACP Image Award nomination.
2000s In 2000, Elise starred in
The Loretta Claiborne Story playing
Loretta Claiborne. The movie was aired as a part of
The Wonderful World of Disney at ABC in early 2000. She received good reviews for performance as Claiborne. Later that year, she was female lead in
Jamie Foxx's movie
Bait, the film was a huge financial failure, and received mostly negative reviews from critics. The following year, she starred opposite
Gregory Hines in the biographical drama
Bojangles. In 2002–2003, she made guest appearances on the UPN comedy series
Girlfriends in which she played an
HIV-positive woman, and in the Showtime drama
Soul Food. In 2002, Elise starred alongside
Denzel Washington in the crime film
John Q. It became a box office success, grossing over $100 million. She next had a leading role in the independent drama
Woman Thou Art Loosed portraying Michelle, an abused young woman who finally got the help she needed behind bars. This role won her a Black Reel award for Best Actress and well as received
Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead nomination. She later starred in the political thriller
The Manchurian Candidate, co-starring with Denzel Washington a second time. In 2005, Elise went to star in the comedy drama film
Diary of a Mad Black Woman written by
Tyler Perry and directed by
Darren Grant. she received positive reviews for her performance, while film received mostly negative reviews. The film still was huge box office success, grossing over $50 million against a budget of $5 million. She won her first
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for this movie. From 2005 to 2007, Elise starred in the
CBS crime drama series
Close to Home, playing the
Marion County, Indiana (
Indianapolis) prosecutor Maureen Scofield. Her character was killed off in the last episode of the series. The series was cancelled in May 2007. She received
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2006 for this series. She later guest starred in two
Shonda Rhimes' dramas;
Private Practice in 2007, and ''
Grey's Anatomy'' in 2009. In 2007, Elise has appeared in two biographical drama films. First was
Pride opposite
Terrence Howard based upon the true story of Philadelphia swim coach
Jim Ellis. Later, she appeared again opposite Denzel Washington in
The Great Debaters, based on an article written about the
Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman for the spring 1997 issue of
American Legacy. in 2009, she starred opposite
Cuba Gooding Jr. in the television film
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, winning
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.
2010s In 2010, Elise starred in the drama film
For Colored Girls as the battered wife Crystal. The film is based on
Ntozake Shange's 1975 original
choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, and was written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry. While the film itself received mixed to negative reviews, her performance was praised by many critics. One journalist described her as "the great lost
Best Supporting Actress contender of the 2010 season". Lisa Schwarzbaum of
Entertainment Weekly comments: "The female cast is great, with especially fierce performances from
Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise,
Phylicia Rashad, and
Anika Noni Rose. But stuck in a flailing production that might just as well invite Perry's signature drag creation Madea to the block party, the actors' earnest work isn't enuf." She won
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance. Elise has had starring roles in a number of independent films in 2000s, include a leading role in
Ties That Bind (2011). She co-starred alongside
Whoopi Goldberg in the Lifetime television film
A Day Late and a Dollar Short in 2014. In 2013, she began starring in the
VH1 comedy-drama series
Hit The Floor. In 2015, she has appeared in the well-received comedy-drama film
Dope, and the following year co-starred opposite
Kerry Washington in the HBO film
Confirmation. Later in 2016, Elise starred in the Christmas comedy-drama film
Almost Christmas opposite
Danny Glover,
Gabrielle Union and
Mo'Nique. She next starred in
Death Wish opposite
Bruce Willis, a remake of the
1974 film of the same name. In 2019, she appeared in the science fiction film
Ad Astra.
2020s In 2020, Elise was cast opposite
Justin Theroux in the
Apple TV+ drama series
The Mosquito Coast based on the
1981 novel by
Paul Theroux. ==Personal life==