Dorothy Steel, who played a tribal elder in the film Black Panther, passed away at the age of 95.
Cindy Butler of iSubmit Talent, Steel's agency, confirms to PEOPLE that Steel died on Friday morning at her home in Detroit. There was no information on the cause of death.
Steel was in the middle of filming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 superhero picture that began production in Atlanta this June, when she died, according to Butler. She was transported back to Detroit to be with her family.
Steel's publicist informed WSB-TV that the actress had previously stated that her participation in the Marvel sequel would be her “last role.”
“She went out with a bang,” stated the spokesman.
Steel made her feature film debut in Black Panther as an elder of the Merchant Tribe.
Steel admitted during a 2018 interview on Steve Harvey that she was initially apprehensive to engage in a “comic strip at my age,” but that her grandson persuaded her to apply for the position.
“‘Grandma, you often talk about stepping out into nothing and letting your faith lead you there,' he replied. “Now, why don't you do it yourself?” she wondered. “‘Either you're going to walk out there or you're going to shut up,' he replied.
Steel informed presenter Steve Harvey that she sat down at the computer every day and “practiced” Nelson Mandela's speech patterns to get the proper tone, inspired by her grandson. After putting in her audition tape, the actress said she received a response from the Black Panther production team an hour later.
“It makes me feel extremely wonderful to be a part of something… Black,” Steel said of the event, adding, “Wakanda forever.”
Daisy Winters, Poms, and Jumanji: The Next Level are among Steel's other film credits. She appeared on television series including Bounce TV's Saints & Sinners and BET's The Oval while she wasn't on the big screen.
Source: Dklassgh.com
