27 Facts About Danielle Brooks

Danielle Brooks was born on September 17,1989 and is an American actress.

In 2015, Brooks made her Broadway debut in the musical revival of The Color Purple as Sofia, for which she received a nomination for a Tony Award and won a Grammy Award.

In 2023, Danielle Brooks reprised her role as Sofia in the film adaptation of The Color Purple and was nominated for an Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, and Golden Globe Award for her performance.

In 2022, Danielle Brooks hosted Netflix's reality series Instant Dream Home and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program Host.

Danielle Brooks has since starred in the fantasy adventure comedy A Minecraft Movie.

Danielle Brooks's father Dunnel is a BMW worker and a deacon and her mother LaRita is a teacher and a minister.

Danielle Brooks began acting at the age of six in a nativity play put on by her church.

Danielle Brooks studied drama at the Juilliard School and graduated in 2011 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts.

Danielle Brooks 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.

Taystee's onscreen best friend Poussey is played by Samira Wiley, with whom Danielle Brooks has been friends since they met while studying together at Juilliard.

Danielle Brooks received the 2014 Young Hollywood Awards for Breakthrough and three Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

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

Danielle Brooks competed against co-star Uzo Aduba in an episode of Spike's Lip Sync Battle that aired on June 28,2017.

Danielle Brooks won with performances of Ciara's "1,2 Step" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer".

Danielle Brooks has done voice-over work in the 2016 animated feature The Angry Birds Movie and later appeared in films Sadie, Clemency and The Day Shall Come.

Danielle Brooks made her Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple as Sofia alongside Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo.

Danielle Brooks received good reviews for her performance, and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Also in 2019, Danielle Brooks recorded her first single titled "Black Woman".

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

In 2022, Danielle Brooks was cast in James Gunn's Max superhero series Peacemaker playing the role of Leota Adebayo, Amanda Waller's daughter.

In 2022, Danielle Brooks starred as Berniece in a Broadway revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson starting on September 19,2022, directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson; the production received mixed reviews from critics.

Danielle Brooks received a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play nomination for her performance.

In 2022, Danielle Brooks hosted the Netflix reality series Instant Dream Home and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program Host.

In 2023, Danielle Brooks starred in The Color Purple, a feature adaptation of the musical of the same name, directed by Blitz Bazawule.

Danielle Brooks's charismatic presence is spellbinding, and her emotional dexterity in covering the full spectrum of affectations, from tear-jerking to side-splitting, is a joy to witness.

On July 2,2019, Danielle Brooks announced that she was pregnant with her first child.

Danielle Brooks married Dennis Gelin in January 2022 in Miami, Florida.