Danitra Vance (July 13, 1954 – August 21, 1994)
Vance was the first Black woman to become a repertory player on Saturday Night Live in 1985. And though she was not publicly out, it is believed Vance was also one of the show’s first lesbian actors. Despite being criminally underused, Vance was applauded for her work on the sketches series in a 1984 Village Voice review that celebrated her ability to undermine stereotypes and create “unsettling tension among stereotypes, reality, and the conditions that create stereotypes.” Comedian and writer Marina Franklin told Vulture during an interview, “Even though it seemed like she was unhappy with the roles that she was doing on the show — because they were just all these stereotypical roles — no one else was doing them the way she was doing them at the time.” After SNL, Vance went on to appear in Sticky Fingers, The War of the Roses and Little Man Tate. Vance also earned an Obie and NAACP Image Award for her performance in the off-Broadway play Spunk. Sadly, Vance passed away in 1994 following a battle with breast cancer. Per her request, her funeral was held at an amusement park where friends and family took part in the park’s games.
From "A Very Brief History Of Black Women On 'Saturday Night Live'"
