Actress Kimberly Elise surprised fans when photos of her baptism surfaced a few years ago, signaling a renewed commitment to her Christian faith. Now 58, and known for roles in films like The Manchurian Candidate, Elise has been open about how her spiritual journey has taken shape over time.
Growing up, she was introduced to Christian values but not immersed in them. “We didn’t go to church or study the Bible,” she told CBN News. “But even as a kid, I felt like something was missing.”
That longing pushed her to take her first steps toward faith as a teenager. At 16, shortly after getting her driver’s license, she began attending church on her own and was baptized. But without discipleship or guidance to help her grow, she eventually drifted away.
After college, Elise moved to Hollywood to pursue acting, and her career quickly gained momentum. During those years, faith wasn’t something she lived out consistently, but she still sensed God’s hand in her life. “I didn’t know Jesus or the Holy Spirit then, but I knew God had blessed me,” she explained. “So there were things I just wouldn’t do because of that.”
Her love for performance had started back in Minneapolis, where she worked on commercials while attending college before moving west to study at the American Film Institute. She went on to build a strong career in film and television, but by 2019, she admitted she felt an emptiness that success alone couldn’t fill.
“I realized I wasn’t making good choices,” Kimberly Elise admitted. For a time, she got caught up in New Age practices, experimenting with things like crystals. But the more she searched, the more empty it felt. “New Age is a constant search with no real truth. It’s a bottomless pit,” she said.
At her lowest point, she dropped to her knees in the middle of her kitchen and cried out to God. “I prayed, ‘Are you there? Do you see me? Do you love me?’”
Not long after, she crossed paths with the mother of a Christian friend. The woman prayed with her and reminded her that God loved her and had heard her prayers. That simple act became a turning point, as the woman continued to pray for Elise and encourage her in faith.
Elise soon felt an unmistakable pull to read the Bible. She got a copy and asked herself where to start, finally settling on the Gospel of Matthew. “As I read, it just clicked. I couldn’t put it down,” she recalled. Through Scripture, she began to see her sin and pride clearly for the first time.
“This changed everything,” she said. “I fell on my knees again, begging God for forgiveness.”
Now, Elise speaks openly about her renewed faith. She shares her journey and her reflections through her website and her YouTube channel, Kimberly Elise Grace Truth and Love, using her story to encourage others who are searching for hope.