Danielle Brooks
Brooks in 2014
Born
Danielle Brittany Brooks

(1989-09-17) September 17, 1989 (age 34)
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
EducationJuilliard School (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2009–present
Spouse
Dennis Gelin
​
(m. 2022)​
Children1

Danielle Brittany Brooks (born September 17, 1989)[1] is an American actress. She starred as prison inmate Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson on the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the musical revival of The Color Purple as Sofia, for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

After appearing in the HBO series Girls (2014), Netflix's Master of None (2015–2017), and the animated sitcom Close Enough (2020–2022), in 2021, she received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer on Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia.[2] In 2022, she hosted Netflix's reality series Instant Dream Home and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program Host. The same year Brooks starred in the superhero series Peacemaker (2022–present), and returned to Broadway in the revival of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson. In 2023, Brooks acted again as Sofia in Blitz Bazawule's film adaptation of the musical The Color Purple, being nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Early life and education

Brooks was born in Augusta, Georgia,[1] and grew up in Simpsonville, South Carolina,[3] in a Christian family. Her father Dunnel is a BMW worker and a deacon and her mother LaRita is a teacher and a minister.[4][5][6] She began acting at the age of six in a nativity play put on by her church.[7][8] For her final two years of high school, she attended South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities, a selective arts high school.[6] She studied drama at the Juilliard School and graduated in 2011.[9]

Career

After graduating from Juilliard, Brooks won roles in two theater productions: the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Servant of Two Masters, and Blacken the Bubble. She left both productions in 2013 to join the cast of the Netflix-produced television series Orange Is the New Black, a show about a women's prison, based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same name. Brooks played as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson.[9] Her character originally was intended to be featured in the show for only two episodes, but was written into the rest of the first season and subsequent seasons.[9] Taystee's onscreen best friend Poussey is played by Samira Wiley, with whom Brooks has been friends since they met while studying together at Juilliard.[10] Brooks' performance on the show has been favorably reviewed by TV critics,[11] with one writer calling her "the breakout actress of the show and one of the most refreshing and exciting new talents of 2013."[6] Brooks was upgraded from a recurring cast member to a series regular for the show's second season.[12] She competed against co-star Uzo Aduba in an episode of Spike's Lip Sync Battle that aired on June 28, 2017. Brooks won with performances of Ciara's "1, 2 Step" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer".[13]

In September 2013, Brooks was cast in a third-season episode of the HBO series Girls, becoming the first African-American actress on the show.[12]

Brooks made her Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple as Sofia.[1][14] The musical opened on December 10, 2015, at the Bernard B. Jacobs. Brooks received good notices for her performance,[by whom?][15] and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.[16] In June 2019, she played Beatrice in The Public Theater's production of Much Ado About Nothing, receiving a Drama League Award nomination for her performance.[17][18]

In 2022, Brooks co-starred in James Gunn's Peacemaker television series, playing the role of Leota Adebayo. The series is spin-off of Gunn's film The Suicide Squad (2021) and is the first television series to be included in the DCEU. In an 2022 interview, Brooks revealed that Gunn was a big fan of Orange is the New Black and wrote the part of Adebayo with her in mind.[19]

It was announced that Brooks would star in a Broadway revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson starting on September 19, 2022,[20] directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson.[21] She also appeared in The Color Purple, a feature adaptation of the musical of the same name, directed by Blitz Bazawule.[22]

From 2021 to 2022, Brooks voiced Lillie Carter-Grant, mother of protagonist Karma and doctor, in the animated series Karma's World.[23]

Personal life

On July 2, 2019, Brooks announced that she was pregnant with her first child.[24] In November, she gave birth to a girl, Freeya Carel.[25] She married Dennis Gelin in January 2022 in Miami, Florida.[26][27]

Filmography

Film

Key
* Denotes works that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
2014 Time Out of Mind Receptionist
2015 I Dream Too Much Abbey
Phenomenal Woman, a Short Film Woman Short film
2016 The Angry Birds Movie Olive Blue/Monica the Crossing Guard (voice)
2018 Sadie Carla
2019 Clemency Evette
The Day Shall Come Venus
The Public's Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice Filmed production
All the Little Things We Kill Claire Soto
2020 Eat Wheaties! Wendy
2023 The Color Purple Sofia [28][29]
2025 Minecraft * Dawn Filming [30]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Modern Love Raimy TV movie
2013 Black Girls Rock! 2013 Herself TV movie
2013–2019 Orange Is the New Black Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson Main role, 89 episodes
2014 Girls Laura Episode: "Females Only"
2015–2017 Master of None Shannon 3 episodes
2017 Tangled: The Series Ruthless Ruth (voice) Episode: "The Wrath of Ruthless Ruth"
Lip Sync Battle Herself Episode: "Danielle Brooks vs. Uzo Aduba"
2018 Project Runway All Stars Herself Episode: "Damsels in Distress"
High Maintenance Regine Episode: "Namaste"
Elena of Avalor Charica (voice) Episode: "A Lava Story"
2020–2022 Close Enough Pearle Watson (voice) Recurring role (season 1); main (season 2)
2020 Social Distance Imani Episode: "And We Could All Together/Go Out on the Ocean"
Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine Jordana Bachman TV special
2021 Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Mahalia Jackson TV movie; also co-executive producer
2021–2022 Karma's World Dr. Lillie Carter-Grant (voice) 8 episodes
2022–present Peacemaker Leota Waller Adebayo[31] Main role, 8 episodes
2022 Instant Dream Home Host 8 episodes

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
2015–17 The Color Purple Sofia Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway
2019 Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice Delacorte Theater, Off-Broadway
2022–23 The Piano Lesson Berniece St. James Theatre, Broadway

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Academy Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actress The Color Purple Pending [32]
Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2024 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated [33]
African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actress Won [34]
Best Ensemble Won
Astra Film and Creative Awards 2024 Breakthrough Performer Award Herself Won [35]
Best Supporting Actress The Color Purple Nominated [36]
Best Cast Ensemble Won
Austin Film Critics Association Awards 2024 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Pending [37]
Celebration of Cinema and Television 2023 Ensemble Award – Film Won [38]
BAFTA Film Awards 2024 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Pending [39]
Black Reel Awards 2024 Outstanding Supporting Performance Won [40]
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actress Nominated [41]
Best Acting Ensemble Nominated
Critics' Choice Television Awards 2022 Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Nominated [42]
Critics' Choice Super Awards 2023 Best Actress in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie Peacemaker Nominated [43]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association 2023 Best Supporting Actress The Color Purple 2nd place [44]
Daytime Emmy Awards 2023 Outstanding Daytime Program Host Instant Dream Home Runner-up [45]
Drama Desk Award 2016 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Color Purple Nominated [46]
Drama League Award 2020 Distinguished Performance Much Ado About Nothing Nominated [18]
2023 The Piano Lesson Nominated [47]
Georgia Film Critics Association Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actress The Color Purple Nominated [48]
[49]
Best Ensemble Nominated
Golden Globe Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated [50]
Grammy Awards 2017 Best Musical Theater Album The Color Purple (New Broadway Cast Recording) Won [51]
Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actress The Color Purple Pending [52]
NAACP Image Awards 2016 Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series Orange is the New Black Nominated [53]
2018 Nominated [54]
2019 Nominated [55]
2022 Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Nominated [56]
Outer Critics Circle Award 2016 Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical The Color Purple Nominated [57]
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2023 Spotlight Award, Actress Herself Won [58]
People's Choice Awards 2024 The Movie Performance of the Year The Color Purple Pending [59]
Primetime Emmy Award 2021 Outstanding Television Movie Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Nominated
Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2024 Virtuoso Award The Color Purple Won [60]
Satellite Awards 2018 Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Orange Is the New Black Nominated
2022 Best Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Nominated
Saturn Awards 2022 Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series Peacemaker Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2014 Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series Orange is the New Black Won
2015 Won
2016 Won
2017 Nominated
2024 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role The Color Purple Pending [61]
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Pending
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards 2024 Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated [62]
Theatre World Award 2016 Herself Honoree
Tony Awards 2016 Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Color Purple Nominated
Young Hollywood Award 2013 Breakthrough Actress Orange is the New Black Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2023 Best Supporting Actress The Color Purple Nominated [63]
Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2023 Best Supporting Actress Nominated [64]

References

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  27. ^ "Danielle Brooks Marries Dennis Gelin in a Custom Three-in-One Christian Siriano Wedding Dress". Vanity Fair. January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
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