Sandra Caldwell

Sandra Caldwell is a North American actress, singer, and writer. Caldwell is known for recurring roles in Canadian TV series like Little Men and The Book of Negroes and smaller roles in US films like Shall We Dance and Murder at 1600. Cadwell's pioneering experience as a trans woman in the Western entertainment industry was discussed in the 2020 documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen. Early life Caldwell was born in Washington, D.C., and ran away to New York several times through her teenage years to see shows on Broadway and figure "things out". By 18 she already knew that performing in stage shows was what she wanted to do. Transition In her early 20s Caldwell transitioned to presenting publicly as a woman. She was supported by her mother and a couple of friends, and received gender affirming hormone therapy. Caldwell later described the transition as giving her "a lot of joy, and also relief." Career Caldwell fulfilled her dream of becoming a showgirl and traveled to Europe to work at the Moulin Rouge. Upon returning to North America she settled in Toronto, Canada and began working on screen appearing first as "Mother" in a 1988 episode of T. and T. Through the 1990's she appeared in numerous television movies and cinema releases including as a receptionist in 1993's Life with Mikey, Mrs. Wallace in 1997's Murder at 1600, Paulette Mercer in 1998's Blind Faith. On stage she was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award in 1997 for her part in the musical Sophisticated Ladies.