Sheila Elaine Frazier (born November 13, 1948) is an American actress,
producer, and model. Frazier is perhaps best known for her
coâ€"starring role as Georgia in the 1972 crime/drama film, Super Fly.
Frazier later reprised her role in the 1973 sequel, Super Fly
T.N.T.Sheila Elaine Frazier was born in New York City, New York to
Dorothy Dennis and Eugene Cole Frazier. She lived on the Lower East
Side of Manhattan and attended P.S 97 until age 10, when she moved
with her mother to Englewood, New Jersey. There, she enrolled in the
Liberty School. As a young girl, Frazier was a stutterer, which
contributed to her shyness. When she was in sixth grade, a teacher
purported to help her overcome stuttering by announcing to the class
before Sheila's presentation: “I don’t want any laughter.
Sheila’s a stutterer. I don’t want any laughter.†Frazier has
said that introduction was so painful it merely intensified her
anxiety about speaking in public.In Englewood, she counted among her
neighbors Clyde McPhatter, Van McCoy, The Isley Brothers, and Dolly
and Jackie McLean. She went on to Dwight Morrow High School, where her
classmates included Margaret Travolta, actress and sister of John
Travolta. Despite Frazier's struggle with stuttering, she was inspired
by Susan Hayward's performance in the film I'll Cry Tomorrow to pursue
a career as an actress. After graduating from high school in 1966, at
age 17, she moved to New York City, where she stayed with her
godmother and found work as a secretary.One day on the subway, a man
approached Frazier and asked if she'd ever considered modeling. That
chance encounter led her to do photo sessions with his boss, Bert
Andrews. She also began to do runway modeling and print work, but was
not comfortable with that sort of attention trained on her. At some
point, she met actor Richard Roundtree, who suggested she audition for
the Negro Ensemble Company. Following his advice about focusing on the
part she was acting, Frazier was amazed to find she had overcome her
stuttering. Five months later, she auditioned for the film Super Fly,
winning the role of Georgia, the lead actress. She went on to work in
many film and television productions, including Three the Hard Way. In
1980, she hosted a community affairs show on KNXT-TV in Los Angeles.
She also worked as a story editor at Richard Pryor's Indigo
Productions.
producer, and model. Frazier is perhaps best known for her
coâ€"starring role as Georgia in the 1972 crime/drama film, Super Fly.
Frazier later reprised her role in the 1973 sequel, Super Fly
T.N.T.Sheila Elaine Frazier was born in New York City, New York to
Dorothy Dennis and Eugene Cole Frazier. She lived on the Lower East
Side of Manhattan and attended P.S 97 until age 10, when she moved
with her mother to Englewood, New Jersey. There, she enrolled in the
Liberty School. As a young girl, Frazier was a stutterer, which
contributed to her shyness. When she was in sixth grade, a teacher
purported to help her overcome stuttering by announcing to the class
before Sheila's presentation: “I don’t want any laughter.
Sheila’s a stutterer. I don’t want any laughter.†Frazier has
said that introduction was so painful it merely intensified her
anxiety about speaking in public.In Englewood, she counted among her
neighbors Clyde McPhatter, Van McCoy, The Isley Brothers, and Dolly
and Jackie McLean. She went on to Dwight Morrow High School, where her
classmates included Margaret Travolta, actress and sister of John
Travolta. Despite Frazier's struggle with stuttering, she was inspired
by Susan Hayward's performance in the film I'll Cry Tomorrow to pursue
a career as an actress. After graduating from high school in 1966, at
age 17, she moved to New York City, where she stayed with her
godmother and found work as a secretary.One day on the subway, a man
approached Frazier and asked if she'd ever considered modeling. That
chance encounter led her to do photo sessions with his boss, Bert
Andrews. She also began to do runway modeling and print work, but was
not comfortable with that sort of attention trained on her. At some
point, she met actor Richard Roundtree, who suggested she audition for
the Negro Ensemble Company. Following his advice about focusing on the
part she was acting, Frazier was amazed to find she had overcome her
stuttering. Five months later, she auditioned for the film Super Fly,
winning the role of Georgia, the lead actress. She went on to work in
many film and television productions, including Three the Hard Way. In
1980, she hosted a community affairs show on KNXT-TV in Los Angeles.
She also worked as a story editor at Richard Pryor's Indigo
Productions.
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