Happy birthday to Elisa Perry

After landing in Hollywood, it didn’t take long for Philadelphia native Elisa Perry (pronounced E-Lisa ) to land the plum role of Miss Wilson, the principal on the seminal comedy Everybody Hates Chris. The character actress has continued making star turns ever since; in the Emmy nominated show Godless on Netflix starring Jeff Daniels and the film Roman J. Israel, Esq, -along side Hollywood Oscar winner Denzel Washington, and most recently co-starring with Brad Pitt in the upcoming movie Ad Astra.

Elisa caught the acting bug after viewing idols Diahann Carroll in the Hollywood classic Paris Blues and Diana Sands in A Raisin In The Sun. The late Sandy Dennis was a huge inspiration to Elisa after she saw her work in films Splendor in The Grass and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf.

The actress studied at the prestigious Lee Strasbrug Theatre and Film Institute in New York and later spent several years performing on stage as well as appearing in several independent films and television commercials. Elisa even lent her talents to the world of comedy for a time, performing stand up to US troops in Kuwait, Iraq, and Kosovo. But acting remains Elisa’s true passion and the African soap opera, Her Majesty’s Visit, was her first televised role. Elisa and her best friend Oscar winning actress Viola Davis have appeared in four projects together over the years including episodes of “How to Get Away With Murder.” Next up a co-starring role opposite Brad Pitt in Ad Astra.