Neal was born on March 14, 1966, in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of a nurse and a construction worker.

[1] Elise left college after two years and moved to New York City where she landed roles in musical theater and found herself traveling the world with various touring companies.

Her experience in musical theater allowed her to easily transition into commercials, eventually bringing her to Los Angeles.

Neal also appeared as a backing dancer in the music video for Dannii Minogue's 1993 single "This Is It".

[6] Her character was originally written to be one of the killers of the movie, but due to a script leak her role was changed.

[18] Neal received her third NAACP Image Award nomination in 2006, in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for the film Hustle & Flow as Yevette,[19] the wife of Anthony Anderson's character.

[21] Expanding her role as producer, Neal is creating and developing several multimedia projects: a reality show based on her R&B group, "Assorted Flavors", a fitness and lifestyle brand, and several feature projects through her development deal with Mandalay Bay Entertainment.

[25] In a negative review of the film, Jon Caramanica opined Neal was the best actor in the production.

[26] Neal played Kathryn Munson in the 2017 superhero film Logan and appeared on television series Into the Dark.