Honorary degree for Natalie Desselle Reid postponed
Grambling, La. – December 15, 2021 – In coordination with the family of the late Natalie Desselle Reid, the honorary bachelor’s degree presentation planned in her memory will be postponed to a later date. Logistical challenges hindered the ability of members of Reid’s family to be in attendance for the honor.
A native of Alexandria, Louisiana, actress Natalie Desselle Reid graduated from Peabody Magnet High School and attended Grambling State University for 2 1/2 years. The acting bug bit her after a starring role in Grambling State’s production of “Bubbling Brown Sugar.” After several productions as a thespian, she decided to move to Los Angeles and test the waters. Her break came when Robin Reed cast her in F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off” which led to a guest-starring role on television’s “Family Matters.” The role that established her as a comedic thespian aka “the funny chick” in Robert Townsend’s” B.A.P.S”, starring opposite Halle Berry. The films “How to be a Player”, “Cinderella” and televisions “Built to Last” and “For Your Love” followed.
In the 2000s, she played Janie Egins on the television show “Eve” for three seasons, and had one of her last film roles in Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family (2011). Her most cherished production was her family, which included her husband Lenny Reid and their three children Sereno, Summer, and Sasha.