Dark Skin Entertainers Gen Z - Millenials
Highlighting all the dark skin black females in the industry born in the 80s - 2000s
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Courtney Michaela Ann "Coco" Jones was born on January 4, 1998 in Columbia, South Carolina and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee to Javonda Antenessia Jones (née Floyd), a session vocalist & Mike Jones, a former NFL player. She rose to prominence starring in the Disney Channel film, Let It Shine (2012) & was featured on Radio Disney's Next Big Thing from 2010 to 2011. Jones was formerly signed with Hollywood Records, before releasing her independent singles and EPs beginning in 2014. As of March 2022, Jones is officially signed to Def Jam Recordings.- Actress
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- Music Department
Diamond White was born on 1 January 1999 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for The Lion Guard (2015), Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016) and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023).- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer was born on August 26, 1993 in Harvey, Illinois and raised in Robbins, Illinois to Sharon and Larry Palmer, both former actors. Palmer showed vocal promise as a five-year-old, when she belted out "Jesus Loves Me" in her church choir. A year later the singer-actress had a solo in her kindergarten play but, to her mom's dismay, the mike had not been adjusted to suit her daughter's height. Without missing a beat, Palmer lowered the mike and moved the crowd with her heavenly voice. At that very moment, her family knew there was something special about Keke (a nickname given to her by her sister).
Although music was still her passion, Palmer's first big break came via her acting skills, making her big-screen debut in Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) as Queen Latifah's niece. Immediately recognizing her star potential, the film's producers encouraged her parents to take their daughter to California to explore other acting opportunities. Relocating required that Palmer's parents leave behind the security of their jobs, a newly purchased home and uproot their other three children. However, it didn't diminish the family's support of Palmer's aspirations.
Once settled on the West Coast, Palmer did not waste any time. Within six weeks she had booked an episode of the critically acclaimed CBS series Cold Case (2003), a national K-Mart commercial and was chosen from a nationwide search to play opposite William H. Macy in a TNT movie, The Wool Cap (2004). Her performance was so amazing that it earned her a Screen Actors Guild nomination--to date, she is the youngest actress (then at age ten) ever to receive a nomination in a Lead Actress Category.
In 2006 Palmer appeared as the lead character "Akeelah Anderson" in the critically acclaimed, award-winning film Akeelah and the Bee (2006). The film, about a young South Los Angeles girl who attempts to win a national spelling bee, won the hearts of audiences everywhere. Her breakthrough performance has received praise from many film critics and organizations. Among the list of nominations received, "Akeelah and the Bee" was listed as one of NBR's 2006 Top Independent Films of the Year, as well as four nominations from the NAACP Image Awards. Palmer, alone, won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture, as well as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture by the Black Movie Awards. She has also received nominations for Most Promising Newcomer by the Chicago Film Critics, Best Actress by the Black Reel Awards, and Best Young Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. Keke held her own in scenes with veteran co-stars Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.
That very same year, Palmer appeared in Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006), which was #1 at the box office for two consecutive weeks. Palmer went on to win a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her breakout role in "Akeelah and the Bee". She also received a ShoWest Award for Rising Star of the Year. Shortly after, Palmer lit up the small screen starring in the Disney Channel's hit movie, Jump in! (2007). This one-two punch of big-screen success coupled with small screen ratings power made Keke Palmer a household name in Hollywood.
Palmer contributed her first recording, which was featured on the "Akeelah and the Bee" soundtrack, titled "All My Girlz", and followed it up with the ever popular "My Turn Now" on the "Jump In!" soundtrack. As if two soundtracks were not enough, she was also asked to sing "Tonight", an end title song from the smash-hit Ben Stiller movie, Night at the Museum (2006). Her Atlantic Records debut album, "So Uncool", is jammed with up-tempo R&B tracks, inspirational moments, and love songs. In 2008, Palmer starred in the Weinstein Co. feature, The Longshots (2008). The film was based on the true story of a young female quarterback, played by Palmer, that makes Pop Warner history; she starred opposite Ice Cube, for first time director and Limp Bizkit front man, Fred Durst.
Palmer also starred as the title character in the hit Nickelodeon series, True Jackson, VP (2008), for 68 episodes. She played a high-school student who becomes the head of a major fashion label. In the fall of 2008, "True Jackson" bowed with over 4.8 million viewers, setting a record for Nickelodeon's largest audience for a live-action premiere. She has received four NAACP Awards for Best Actress in Children's Television for her role as "True Jackson". In 2011, Keke joined the voice cast of Nickelodeon's Winx Club (2004). She played Aisha, the Fairy of Waves. For her voice work on Winx Club, she received another NAACP Award nomination, this time for Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special.
Keke starred in the movie, Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2012), for the Lifetime Network. She had a voice role in the 20th Century Fox animated film, Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), as the character "Peaches". Her co-stars include Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Jennifer Lopez and Queen Latifah.
Palmer was seen on the big screen in the Alcon/Warner Bros movie, Joyful Noise (2012), singing alongside legendary Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, however, it was Palmer who the critics singled out for her "young and inspiring" rendition of the Michael Jackson song, "Man in the Mirror".
Palmer resides in Los Angeles, CA.- Actress
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Lovie Simone is having a very busy 2021/2022, positioning herself as One To Watch - as highlighted for the 2nd time in the prestigious Variety Power of Young Hollywood report 2020. It was recently announced she will be joining the cast in the Apple TV+ limited series Manhunt from Monica Beletsky who is also the showrunner and an executive producer.
She is a powerhouse in the feature and television space equally. In 2020, Lovie portrayed the leading role of Tabby in the Blumhouse/Sony reboot of The Craft: Legacy, and in 2021 as Davina in Power Book III: Raising Kanan on Starz.
Lovie received rave reviews for her layered and dynamic performance as 'Selah' in the Amazon feature Selah & the Spades directed by Tayarisha Poe. Selah garnered a great deal of buzz for Lovie especially by Variety out of Sundance 2019. For 5 seasons Lovie played 'Zora Greenleaf', the daughter of Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) and Jacob Greenleaf (Lamman Rucker), on OWN's drama series Greenleaf.
Other film/television credits include A24's Share, Netflix's Monster (Sundance 2018), and the Netflix anthology series Social Distance opposite Asante Blackk in episode 8 by EP Jenji Kohan. (shot during the pandemic in 2020)
Born and raised in the Bronx, Lovie started her career in 2009, Orange is the New Black (Netflix), Blue Bloods (CBS), several commercials and voiceovers. In 2016 Lovie was named one of Variety's Youth Impact Report's "One to Watch'. Lovie is now based in Atlanta.
She is repped by Buchwald, Edge Entertainment, and Ryan Levine.- Actress
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Ryan Destiny was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She is an actress and set decorator, known for Star (2016), The Fire Inside (2024) and The Lower Bottoms (2021).- Actress
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Justine Skye was born on the 24th of August 1995, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn;
Justine Skye is an Virgo, singer, actress, and Aristrocrat; she found success with the release of her EPs, "Everyday Living"
As of 2022, Justine Skye has amassed a net worth of $2 million from her music career.
She Lives in both Los Angeles and New York City.- Actress
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Ashley Blaine Featherson-Jenkins is known for Dear White People (2014), Dear White People (2017) and Hello Cupid (2013).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Anna Diop is a Senegalese-American actress.
Diop was born in Senegal, but moved to United States when she was six. In 2006, she made her television debut, appearing on Everybody Hates Chris. In the following years, she guest starred on Lincoln Heights, Whitney, and Touch. In film, Diop had a role opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Moment (2013). In 2015, Diop starred as Rose Arvale in the short-lived The CW supernatural drama series, The Messengers. Later that year, she appeared in the ABC thriller series Quantico and was cast in a recurring role on the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf. In 2016, Diop was cast as a series regular in the Fox series 24: Legacy opposite Corey Hawkins and Miranda Otto. In 2017, Diop was cast as the alien super-heroine Kory Anders / Starfire in the DC Universe superhero series Titans, which premiered in October 2018.- Actress
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Jodie Turner-Smith was born on 7 September 1986 in Peterborough, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Queen & Slim (2019), After Yang (2021) and Anne Boleyn (2021). She has been married to Joshua Jackson since 18 August 2019. They have one child.- Actress
- Producer
Yaya DaCosta was born and raised in New York City along with her sister and two brothers. She got her first acting gig at the age of eleven when her junior high school drama teacher, Ann Willis Ratray, encouraged her to audition for educational films. She continued to perform in school shows throughout high school and college and in 2005, She was the runner-up in Cycle 3 of America's Next Top Model made her feature film debut in Take the Lead. In 2008, she made her Off-Broadway debut in "The First Breeze of Summer" at The Signature Theater, for which she garnered rave reviews and won the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theater. She has portrayed a range of characters, from Danny Glover's frail teenage daughter in John Sayles' Honeydripper, to Mark Ruffalo's voluptuous lover in Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right. She has been tagged one of Hollywood's new "it girls" by many, including Lynn Hirschberg who featured her on the cover of W Magazine in September, 2010.- Actress
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Camille Winbush was born on 9 February 1990 in Culver City, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Bernie Mac Show (2001), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) and Eraser (1996).- Actress
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Angelica Ross was born on 28 November 1980 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for American Horror Story (2011), Pose (2018) and Claws (2017).- Actress
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Lupita Amondi Nyong'o was born March 1, 1983 in Mexico City, Mexico, to Kenyan parents, Dorothy Ogada Buyu and Peter Anyang' Nyong'o. Her father, a senator, was then a visiting lecturer in political science. She was raised in Kenya. At age 16, her parents sent her back to Mexico for seven months to learn Spanish. She read film studies at Hampshire College, Massachusetts and, after working as a production assistant on several films, graduated from the Yale School of Drama's acting program. In 2013, she impressed cinema audiences in her film debut, as brutalized slave Patsey in acclaimed director Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013). She was also the lead in MTV's award-winning drama series, Shuga (2009), appeared in the thriller Non-Stop (2014) and had roles in the big-budget films Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) and The Jungle Book (2016).
Lupita's stage credits include playing "Perdita" in "The Winter's Tale", (Yale Repertory Theater), "Sonya" in "Uncle Vanya", "Katherine" in "The Taming of the Shrew", as well as being in the original production of Michael Mitnick's "Elijah".
Lupita played the female lead, Nakia, in the 2018 superhero film Black Panther (2018).- Actress
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Nafessa Williams was born on 4 December 1989 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Black and Blue (2019), Black Lightning (2018) and A Holiday Chance (2021).- Laura Kariuki was born on 21 June 1998 in Lenexa, Johnson County, Kansas, USA. She is an actress, known for Black Lightning (2018), Along for the Ride (2022) and American Horror Stories (2021).
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Patina Miller can currently (as of 2022) be seen as "Raquel Thomas", the boss of a street empire and mother of the title character on the STARZ hit crime drama series, Power Book III: Raising Kanan (2021), which was recently renewed for a third season. She previously played the press coordinator "Daisy Grant" on CBS' hit drama series, Madam Secretary (2014), starring Téa Leoni, Bebe Neuwirth and Tim Daly. Written by Barbara Hall and directed by David Semel, the series premiered in September 2014 and ended in December 2019.
Miller made her feature film debut as "Commander Paylor" in Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014). Also starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman, the first part of the famous trilogy's finale was released in November 2014. Patina then reprised her role in the final installment of the series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015), which was released in November 2015.
Miller starred as the Leading Player in the Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's famous 1972 musical, "Pippin". Directed by Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus, and also starring Matthew James Thomas, Andrea Martin and Terrence Mann, "Pippin" received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical at the 67th Annual Tony Awards. Patina successfully put a contemporary twist on a role originated by award-winning actor Ben Vereen and mastered the Fosse movements that the show relies so heavily on. Patina earned a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical as well as Drama League, Fred and Adele Astaire Award and Broadway.com Audience Choice Award nominations for her performance. She previously performed the role of Leading Player in the American Repertory Theater production of "Pippin" from December 2012 to January 2013.
Miller made her Broadway debut in the 2011 Broadway season as the gutsy nightclub-singer-turned-nun "Deloris Van Cartier" in the stage adaptation of "Sister Act", which earned her first Tony nomination, as well as Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for her performance. Miller originated the role of "Deloris" in the West End production of "Sister Act" at the London Palladium, where she received an Olivier Award nomination and a WhatsOnStage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Additionally, Miller starred in multiple off-Broadway productions, including "Ragtime" at Avery Fisher Hall, City Center Encores! production of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's "Lost in the Stars", and the Manhattan Theatre Club's "Romantic Poetry". Patina also appeared in the Public Theater's pre-Broadway revival of "Hair" during its 2008 run at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, also under the direction of Diane Paulus. Among her regional theatre credits include "First You Dream", a Kander and Ebb revue at the Kennedy Center, "Sister Act" at the Alliance Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse and the Philadelphia Theater Company production of "Being Alive". She has participated in workshops for "Book of Mormon", "Nightingale" and "American Idiot". Prior to her numerous theater credits, Patina appeared in the renowned daytime soap opera, All My Children (1970).
Patina performed her first solo concert at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts during its 2013-2014 theatrical season. She then made her New York City debut in February 2014 as part of Lincoln Center Theater's "American Songbook" series, which subsequently aired on PBS.
Miller received a degree in musical theater from Carnegie Mellon University. She currently resides in New York City.- Actress
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With a career spanning over a decade, Emmy-nominated Letitia Wright has cemented her position as one of the industry's most captivating young actresses. From her breakout role as ambitious Summerhouse resident Chantelle in Top Boy, to her critically acclaimed performance as Nish in Black Mirror, not forgetting her scene-stealing turn as Shuri - lead scientist and Princess of Wakanda in Black Panther, Wright has played an integral role in what are arguably the most culture defining projects of the last ten years and whose impact is still felt to this day.
In 2019, Wright won the BAFTA Rising Star Award and a SAG Award as part of Black Panther's 'Best Ensemble'. The film grossed over $1.3B at the global box office and was nominated for a 2019 Academy Award for 'Best Picture' - a first for a superhero film. In 2020, Wright had repeated success with a starring role in Steve McQueen's anthology series, Small Axe, where she played British Black Panther Party leader, Altheia Jones-LeCointe. Wright's episode, "Mangrove", was included in the Cannes 2020 official selection and the series was nominated for 2 Golden Globes, including Best Television Motion Picture. Wrights performance in Small Axe also gained her a leading actress nomination at the 2021 BAFTA Television Awards.
Led by a passion to create meaningful content within the industry, Wright's creative endeavors extended behind the scenes with the launch of her independent production company 3.16 Productions in 2020. The company joined forces with BRON Studios for their first forthcoming feature, Surrounded, starring Wright, Jamie Bell and the late Michael K. Williams. Wright also flexed her production muscles in the BAFTA-nominated, female-led anthology series I Am for Channel 4, developing the powerful story line for her episode "I Am Danielle" in creative partnership with director Dominic Savage.
2022 is set to be Wright's biggest year yet with upcoming projects including The Silent Twins, Ireland-set drama, Aisha, written and directed by Frank Berry also starring Josh O'Connor; as well as the long-awaited sequel to the Marvel/Disney blockbuster - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.- Actress
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KiKi Layne was born on 10 December 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Native Son (2019) and The Old Guard (2020).- Actress
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Kellita Smith was born January 15, 1969 as Kellita A. Smith in Chicago, Illinois. She is an actress who has appeared on House Party 3 (1994), The Bernie Mac Show (2001-2006), Sister, Sister (1994-1999), Moesha (1996-2001), In Living Color (1990-1994), Living Single (1993-1998), and The First Family (2012). In her early years she was a supermodel before deciding to become an actress. She attended Santa Rosa Junior College.- Actress
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Taylour Paige was born and raised in Inglewood, California. Paige started her career at a young age training at the Westside Ballet Academy, and spent two summers at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC. In 2001, she became a student of the choreographer, director, executive producer, and actress, Debbie Allen. That year, she was cast in Debbie Allen's PEARL, and went on to do every musical with the Academy from 2001-2009.
Taylour currently stars in A24's ZOLA. She will next be seen this fall in Netflix's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM and will follow this starring in Eddie Huang's (Fresh Off The Boat) BOOGIE.
Taylour is best known for stand out performances in the SXSW film JEAN OF THE JONESES, directed by Stella Meghie for which THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER and LA Times praised her performance. , and for her role as "Cathy Volsan-Curry" in SONY'S WHITE BOY RICK, directed by Yann Demange.- Actress
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Tika Sumpter was born in New York and graduated from Marymount Manhattan College. Sumpter began her career as model, before she landed the role of "Layla Williamson" in ABC's daytime soap opera, One Life to Live (1968) (2005-2010, 2011).
After she left the soap, Sumpter won a recurring role in the CW series, Gossip Girl (2007), and appeared in the BET sitcom, The Game (2006). After supporting roles in the films, Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming (2010), Salt (2010), What's Your Number? (2011) and Think Like a Man (2012), she was cast alongside Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in the 2012 musical film, Sparkle (2012). In 2013, she was cast as vixen "Candace Young" in the OWN drama series, The Haves and the Have Nots (2013).- Actress
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Teyonah Parris was born on 22 September 1987 in Hopkins, South Carolina, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Dear White People (2014), Chi-Raq (2015) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). She is married to James Parris.- Actress
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Rising star Marsai Martin, at just 18-years-old, is already on course to be a whirlwind sensation. At the age of five she landed her first national commercial and shortly after relocating to Los Angeles, she was cast as Diane Johnson on the ABC Emmy-nominated hit comedy Black-ish (2014). Alongside an all-star cast, the young starlet has stolen the hearts of viewers who tune in every week to see her hilarious and witty antics on the show. Her work on the show has earned her 9 NAACP Image Awards and 3 BET Awards. At the age of 10 she conceptualized and pitched a movie idea to Will Packer and Universal which became the feature film, Little (2019), which also earned her 2 more NAACP Image Awards. As the star and Executive Producer on the film, she has become a part of Hollywood history as the youngest person to EP a major Hollywood film. With opportunities presenting themselves daily, Marsai's excited about uplifting diverse and young voices through her production company, Genius Productions, who signed an overall deal with Universal. Genius Entertainment has expanded across all platforms including television, digital and live activation's. This past year announced projects include an interior design series for Discovery + called Remix My Space with Marsai Martin (2022) and a feature for Paramount+ partnered with The SpringHill Co and Awesomeness called Fantasy Football (2022). She recently served as an Executive Producer for Girls Inc Virtual Film Festival and co-created and produced a Gen Z financial literacy series for Verizon Media's "In The Know" called Money with Marsai Martin. Most recently you can see Marsai in the Universal/Dreamworks Animation Spirit Untamed (2021), as well as Paramount's feature film PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021).- Actress
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Amber Riley was born on 15 February 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Glee (2009), The Wiz Live! (2015) and Glee: Director's Cut Pilot Episode (2009).- Actress
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Ashleigh Murray portrays Josie McCoy in the CW's new teen drama Riverdale. Ashleigh was born in Kansas City, Missouri. In the 5th grade, she went to Oakland, California, to live with her aunt for 2 years, where Murray enjoyed studying piano, jazz and hip-hop. After graduating high school back in Kansas City, Missouri, she moved to New York city where she studied at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, graduating in 2009.
Previously, while studying at NYCDA, she starred in an off-Broadway production of "Child of the Movement," based on a true story, on that of Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl from Montgomery, one who preceded Rosa Parks's involvement with the NAACP, was in a Coke commercial with Diggy Simmons which debuted during the 2013 BET Awards, as well as Lady Gaga's MTV VMA 2013 promo video. Murray worked on the WB's The Following, appeared in two episodes of TVLand's Younger and stars in a Netflix Original Movie "Deidra & Laney Rob a Train" (starring Rachel Crow, David Sullivan, Tim Blake Nelson, Danielle Nicolet, Sasheer Zamata and Arturo Castro).- Actress
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Raven Goodwin was born on 24 June 1992 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress, known for The Station Agent (2003), Lovely & Amazing (2001) and Snatched (2017). She has been married to Wiley Battle since 29 October 2021. They have one child.- Actress
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Gabrielle Dennis is a multi-hyphenated artist with a background as a trained dancer, actress, and singer stretching all the way back to age 4. Gabrielle always knew she would have a career in the arts and although she has appeared on stage and film she is best known for her work in television. Her first major recurring role was as Janay Brice on the hit series "The Game" (CW & BET) that was canceled after 3 seasons on the CW but later picked up by BET thanks to a campaign started by fans for the beloved show's return. Gabrielle left the show in 2012 and went on to star in 1 season of "Blue Mountain State" (Spike TV) and guest star on several series like Justified (FX), Bones (Fox), and Baby Daddy (ABC Family) to name a few before landing her first network series regular role on "Rosewood" (Fox) where she played the titular characters sister, Pippy Rosewood. Producers, aware of her abilities, introduced her singing as part of her character's storyline allowing Gabrielle to record several songs for the series and it's subsequent soundtrack. Rosewood was canceled after only 2 seasons but Gabrielle immediately landed her next series as Tilda Johnson aka Nightshade on the junior season of Marvel's Luke Cage where was once again able to showcase her singing talent with a song she performed and wrote entitled "Family First" for the series very climatic reveal. Unfortunately fans never got a chance to see her character fully develop as the show was canceled when Disney pulled all of its series from Netflix. Luckily though this made her available to portray Whitney Houston in "The Bobby Brown Story" a two part mini-series for BET that earned Gabrielle an NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance and an actual win for the series. Since that nomination Gabrielle has gone on to portray another icon, Tina Turner, for an episode of "American Soul" (BET) about the famed Soul Train series and recurred on two more shows: Insecure (HBO) and S.W.A.T (CBS).
In 2019 Gabrielle had the opportunity to go back to her comedy routes when Robin Thede, whom Gabrielle first met back in her stand-up comedy days, approached her to co-star in a series she created for HBO called "A Black Lady Sketch Show" that went on to earn three Emmy Nominations in its 1st season. Although Gabrielle has performed stand-up, toured with a sketch troop and was a series regular an another sketch comedy series, "The Underground" (Showtime), most fans were shocked to see Gabrielle portray over 2 dozen characters in the first 2 seasons of "A Black Lady Sketch Show" and look forward to seeing her do more on the heels of a season 3 pickup. In 2020 Gabrielle returned to Netflix as a recurring character on the new hit series "The Upshaws" as Tasha where fans have been able to experience even more of her comedic talents. In 2021 Gabrielle landed her first leading lady role for a network television pilot entitled "Someone Out There" (CBS) which is scheduled to film summer 2021.- Actress
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Quinta Brunson is a writer, actress and Stand-Up Comedian living in LA. Born and raised in Philadelphia PA, Quinta started studying comedy in Chicago at the Second City. She moved to LA in 2013. Her 2014 viral series "The Girl Who's Never Been on a Nice Date" launched her into viral fame, eventually leading her to a relationship with BuzzFeed Motion pictures. She now develops shows in traditional and digital entertainment and performs stand up around the country.- Producer
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Jo-Issa Rae Diop credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl. Since 2011, Rae has continued to develop her YouTube channel, which features various short films, web series, and other content created by black people.- King appeared in several short films before landing guest roles on the CBS procedurals Blue Bloods and Person of Interest. Her big break came in 2012 when she was cast as new surgical intern Cassandra Kopelson on the CW drama Emily Owens, M.D. The series was canceled after a single season in 2013. She later starred in the Amazon Studios comedy pilot The Onion Presents: The News. King also played Wendell Pierce's daughter Abigayle in the independent film Four, released on September 13, 2013. Along with her castmates, she won a Los Angeles Film Festival Award for her role in this movie.
In 2014, King had a recurring role in the ABC drama series Black Box, and was later cast as one of the leads in the Shonda Rhimes' legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder. - Actress
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Yvonne Orji was born on 2 December 1983 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. She is an actress and producer, known for Insecure (2016), Vacation Friends (2021) and Night School (2018).- Actress
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Michaela was born on October 1st 1987 as Michaela Boakye-Collinson to Ghanaian parents and brought up in Tower Hamlets by her mother, a devout member of the Pentecostal church who instilled her religion into Michaela and her sister - something that she would later draw on for her play 'Chewing Gum Dreams. ' Already a poet and performance artist , releasing the album 'Fixing Barbie' in 2009, she obtained a 2.1 in English at university before enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was awarded the Laurence Olivier bursary, graduating in 2012. In 2013 she made her stage debut at the Bush Theatre, where she would perform 'Chewing Gum Dreams', later in the year transferring to the National Theatre, where she would return in 2014 to appear in 'Medea' with Helen McCrory. In 2015 a sitcom based on 'Chewing Gum Dreams', its title shortened to 'Chewing Gum' began its run on Channel 4 television and in 2016 she was back on that channel in another comedy-drama 'The Aliens'.- Adelayo Adedayo was born on 18 December 1988 in Dagenham, Essex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Some Girls (2012), Timewasters (2017) and Origin (2018).
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In film, television, and theater, DeWanda Wise has established herself as one of the industry's most consistently critically acclaimed artists.
Of her work as Kayla Watts in Jurassic World Dominion, she's been nearly universally considered a standout of the sixth installment with critics noting her magnetism, swagger, wit, and charisma. Entertainment Weekly notes,
"Dominion's most memorable star might be its newest: DeWanda Wise, who joins the series as high- flying pilot Kayla Watts...Playing a daring pilot, (she) is basically starring in a one- woman Raiders of the Lost Ark in her head. Let's get that concept to the sequel writers stat."
In Sony's Fatherhood directed by Paul Weitz, Wise plays Lizzie Swan. Her performance was similarly singled out for her depth of characterization, charm, and grace. While Variety noted that Swan was, "Saucy, gorgeous, so-supportive-she's-saintly," The Wrap observed how
"Lizzie Swan is the kind of ideal romantic partner that might seem eye-rollingly implausible were it not for the efforts of actor DeWanda Wise who makes Swan's healthy outlook and emotional patience seem like hard-earned positive qualities of a healthy, real human being."
As Erin Kennedy in Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's subversive rom com, "Someone Great," Variety declared,
"It's Wise who's this film's MVP, wittily delivering many hilarious, quotable one-liners with effervescence and charm."
Largely considered her breakout role, In the Netflix adaption of "She's Gotta Have It," created by Spike Lee, Wise appears as the iconic Nola Darling. Following its season one release, the series acquired great critical acclaim, and as a result, won an African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) award as one of the "Top 10 Television Shows." The Hollywood Reporter calls Wise's work "superb," while Deadline exclaimed, "With a star revealing herself before us, Underground alum Wise hits nothing but high notes." Other critics describe her performance as "fiery," "complex," "brilliant," and "moving."
Other acclaimed television work includes CBS All Access "The Twilight Zone," FOX's drama "Shots Fired," and WGN's hit historical drama "Underground."
Additional film credits include the 2016 Sundance romantic-comedy hit, "How to Tell You're a Douchebag," by Tahir Jetter. A film in which Wise both starred in and executive produced..
In 2016, Wise expanded her talents into screenwriting and wrote the short film entitled, "Where You Go," which premiered at Cannes in the "Short Film Corner."
Stage credits include Atlantic Theater Company's "Fireflies," by Donja R. Love, a performance universally acclaimed. Sara Holdren at Vulture states:
"Wise's smoldering, taut-as-a-bowstring Olivia is almost part animal. It's an electrically charged performance, the kind that you imagine an actor passing out after. Wise has extraordinary bright hazel eyes, cat-like in their intensity: They're the eyes of a domestic creature that should have been wild, a creature that's never at rest, whose small body contains a whole history of life before walls, before cages, before dependence."
Previous stage credits include a host of theater roles, notably originating the role of 'Nina' in acclaimed playwright Dominique Morisseau's "Sunset Baby." Ben Brantley of The New York Times stated,
"...it's the woman who's the toughest of them all. Ms. Wise, a beauty, makes us see and feel just how ugly Nina is...she also insists we understand why."
The Village Voice called her Nina, "commanding and severe," while The New Yorker described her performance as "Brutal and riveting."
Other praised performances include her work as Susan in the west coast premiere of David Mamet's "Race" with Center Theater Group, Mercy in "Flight," at City Theatre, and Abigail, a Zimbabwean wife grappling with an HIV diagnosis, in Danai Gurira's heartbreaking "In the Continuum" at Playmakers, Chapel Hill.
DeWanda Wise graduated from New York University with honors as a double major in Drama and Urban Social and Cultural Analysis with a minor in Community-based Theater and Performance. She is a Tisch Scholar Award recipient, the Atlantic Achievement in Studio Award recipient, and the BFA Representative of her graduating class of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.- Actress
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Reiya Downs is known for Degrassi: Next Class (2016) and Four Brothers (2005).- Actress
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Skai Jackson stars as the adorable "Zuri Ross" on the Disney Channel sitcoms Jessie (2011), with Debby Ryan, and Bunk'd (2015). Before that, we've seen her in small roles on Boardwalk Empire (2010) and Royal Pains (2009), and even in the film, The Smurfs (2011).- Actress
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Writer/Actress/Humanitarian, IMANI HAKIM is most recognized for portraying Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas in Lifetime's award winning TV movie, THE GABBY DOUGLAS STORY. In addition to her series regular role of Tonya, sister to Tyler James Williams Chris Rock in the acclaimed series EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS. Some of Imani's film credits include the Sundance Film Festival BURNING SANDS which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, Syfy's mega TV movie SHARKNADO 4, and a lead role in Blumhouse's CAM a Netflix original. Imani is a series regular on MYTHIC QUEST, a comedy series for Apple from Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz which was picked up for a second season prior to the 2020 series launch.
As well as her film and TV work, Imani is passionate in serving her community. She was awarded "Youth Entertainer of The Year" for her dedication as a youth actor by the U.S. House of Representatives, United States Senate, The City of Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Police Department, and The Sheriff's Department."- Actress
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Stefanée Martin (she/her) is an American actress originally from Washington, D.C. As a teen, she was a student in the Visual and Performing Arts program for Theater at Suitland High School and at the Studio Theater in Washington, D.C. Her first professional acting role was at the Studio Theater in Kia Corthron's "Breath, Boom", directed by Rahaleh Nassri. She continued her theatre studies at Temple University, earning a B.A. in Theater and later at the American Conservatory Theater, earning a M.F.A. in Acting. She is known for playing Yolanda Kipling, a vivacious, street-smart young woman in Baz Luhrmann's two-part Netflix original, The Get Down. Stefanée has performed in numerous theater productions, appeared as a guest star in various television series, and made her film debut in the indie feature thriller "Skin in the Game" playing Violet, a soft-hearted youth grappling with a vital life-choice. She is based in New York, NYC.- Actress
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Naturi Naughton is an American Actress/Singer best known for her performance as "Tasha St. Patrick" in the hit show "Power" on the Starz Network. She has won 2 NAACP Image Awards for her performance in this role. Many also remember her thrilling portrayal of "Lil Kim" in Fox Searchlight's film "Notorious". Naughton has starred in various other projects such as MGM's remake of the classic film "Fame", Lottery Ticket, The Playboy Club, Mad Men and The Client List. She also appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award winning musical, "Hairspray" for 3 years. Before her transition into film and television, Naughton was a member of the Platinum selling girl group 3LW. Born and raised in East Orange, NJ, she was greatly inspired by Whitney Houston as a child and knew by the age of 5 that she wanted to be a performer. Naughton continues to thrive in Hollywood as a respected actress who has been lauded for her ability to transform into any role she is given.- Actress
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Xosha Roquemore was born on 11 December 1984 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Precious (2009), G.B.F. (2013) and The Disaster Artist (2017).- Actress
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Antoinette Robertson is known for The Blackening (2022) and Dear White People (2017).- Actress
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Loren Lott is a California girl from San Diego. At a young age Loren's family knew she would entertain because she would line up stuffed animals, toys and her twin brother, at the bottom of her tree house and give grand performances. Loren dreamed of entertaining, but her mother, Sharian Lott, told her at age 7 she wouldn't be able to go to Knott's Berry Farm if she were famous so Loren decided to pursue other things, but Sharian did tell Loren that at 13 she could ask her again. To Sharian's surprise when Loren turned 13 the only gift she wanted was a subscription to backstage.com so she could start submitting herself for auditions and Sharian accepted. After sending hundreds of bold messages to agents Loren finally got one in Hollywood along with a manager a month later. After pursuing her dreams in California for several years, Loren moved to Atlanta where she received a BA in Mass Media Arts with a concentration in radio/TV/film from Clark Atlanta University. Loren continued acting while in Atlanta appearing live in Shrek the Musical at the Alliance Theatre and on several Television shows including Greenleaf, The Game, Tales, Fatal Attraction, Powers, a feature film called Tag, and several independent projects. While in Atlanta Loren also got cast for season 14 of American idol where she made it to Top 16! After American Idol Loren started her higher theatre career, landing the role of Gladys Night in Motown the Musical understudying Diana Ross, in the National tour as well as the Broadway company in New York. After taking a year off Broadway Loren returned when she booked the job of a swing in Once On This Island. Loren then appeared live as CeCe Winans in Born For This the Musical in Boston making her leading lady debut before returning to Once of this Island two months later, where she then got bumped up temporarily to star in Once On This Island as Timoune. Aside from professional acting Loren enjoys making internet content and has managed create and collaborate several videos that have racked up millions of views across her social media platforms. Loren considers herself very blessed to be continuously working and gaining support. She adores her family and is grateful for all of the sacrifices they have made for her dreams. Loren's ultimate goal is to be a Disney Princess and leave a legacy of inspiring the next generation, as well as to become a Superhero. Loren's dream is to inspire people to Love God and love their neighbor as they love themselves. @LorenSharice on Instagram/twitter , www.Facebook.com/LorenSharice- Actress
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Shahadi Wright Joseph was born on 29 April 2005 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Us (2019), The Lion King (2019) and Throw it Back.