Roosevelt University, Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art (MFA)
Occupation(s)
Comedian, actress
Years active
1972–1994
Notable work
Saturday Night Live (season 11)
Partner
Jones Miller
Awards
Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress
Danitra Vance (July 13, 1954 – August 21, 1994) was an American comedian and actress, who was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) during its eleventh season in 1985.
Raised in Chicago's South Side, Vance performed for The Second City, was an "Off-Broadway favorite,"[1] and was the first Black woman of the primary SNL cast and, following Denny Dillon and along with Terry Sweeney, one of the first LGBT members, though she was not out to the public during her lifetime.[2][3] Her comedy and theater work featured themes of social issues, including that of being consistently stereotyped during casting. Throughout her career, she received an Obie Award and an NAACP Image Award. She also appeared in feature films like Sticky Fingers, Limit Up, and Jumpin' at the Boneyard.
In 1990, Vance was diagnosed with breast cancer, and performed several works through remission and recurrence until her death in 1994. In the final years of her life, she requested that her family host her services at an amusement park.
DanitraVance (July 13, 1954 – August 21, 1994) was an American comedian and actress, who was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night...
history, the second black LGBT woman to be a cast member (following DanitraVance, who was not publicly out during her lifetime), and the seventh LGBT...
National Lampoon's Vacation; as well as Joan Cusack and Robert Downey Jr. DanitraVance was added along with stand-up comedians Dennis Miller and Damon Wayans...
show's second African-American female repertory cast member, succeeding DanitraVance in its eleventh season, and the first African-American female cast member...
were the first and second openly gay male cast members respectively. DanitraVance (1985–1986), Kate McKinnon (2012–2022), Punkie Johnson (2020–), and...
See also: Saturday Night Live TV show sketches, listed alphabetically, listed chronologically. The following are the most frequent recurring characters...
black lesbian to be involved with the show overall (after performer DanitraVance joined the cast 32 years prior). She co-wrote the "Black Jeopardy" sketch...
Dean Stockwell, blues icon Ray Charles and Saturday Night Live alumni DanitraVance and Brad Hall round out the cast. Additionally, actress Sally Kellerman...
a series of T-shirts, then as a Saturday Night Live skit featuring DanitraVance in an African American remake "That Black Girl", and as a sequence on...
was also the first openly gay series regular on network television. DanitraVance was also in the 1985–1986 cast, but was closeted. Kate McKinnon and...
This season saw the deaths of two SNL alumni: season 11 cast member DanitraVance (who died of breast cancer) and "Not Ready for Primetime"-era writer...
show's 1980–1981 season (the first black female repertory player was DanitraVance). She is also the third African-American to become an SNL cast member...
Y Kenan Thompson 2003–present 21 Y Y Chloe Troast 2023–present 1 Y DanitraVance 1985–1986 1 Y Melissa Villaseñor 2016–2022 6 Y Y Dan Vitale 1985–1986...
Luana Anders (screenplay); Nancy Allen, Dean Stockwell, Brad Hall, DanitraVance, Ray Charles, Rance Howard, Sally Kellerman, Sandra Bogan, William J...
Montini Carolyn Lawrence as Sorority Girl Celia Weston as Miss Nimvel DanitraVance as Clinic Doctor Nathan Lee as Matt's Teammate Richard Fredette as The...
Foreign Correspondent 16 John Doucette 73 US Actor Patton True Grit 21 DanitraVance 40 US Actress Sticky Fingers Jumpin' at the Boneyard 26 Norman Warwick...
Robert Latta (Rich Hall) – February 2, 1985 Cabrini Green Jackson (DanitraVance) – November 9, 1985 The Jones Brothers (Damon Wayans, Anthony Michael...
Vooren 1927–2020 (born in Belgium) Jo Van Fleet 1914–1996 DanitraVance 1954–1994 Vivian Vance 1909–1979 Shantel VanSanten born (1985-07-25) July 25, 1985...
Devine Tommy Hollis Reggie Montgomery Vickilyn Reynolds Jonea Thomas DanitraVance Credits from the Lortel Archives The stage was designed to resemble...
politicians such as Robert Lamm, Anthony Braxton, Jacques Paul Klein, DanitraVance, and Harold Washington, while its first advisory board listed figures...
Lineup". nbcsandiego.com. Retrieved 2021-03-24. "It's Time for SNL Alum DanitraVance to Get Her Due". vulture.com. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-24...
(born 1925) Jerry Van Dyke (1931–2018) Dick Van Patten (1928–2015) DanitraVance (1954–1994) Nia Vardalos (born 1962) Janet Varney (born 1976) Jim Varney...
1902) August 19 – Linus Pauling, American chemist (b. 1901) August 21 – DanitraVance, comedian/actress (b. 1954) September 6 – Nicky Hopkins, English musician...
Belushi, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner and DanitraVance all received a tribute in the special. Dan Aykroyd, Alec Baldwin, James...
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