Danielle Deadwyler
American actress and writer (born 1982) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Danielle Deadwyler (born May 3, 1982)[1] is an American actress. She began her career as a theatre actress in Atlanta, Georgia. She then transitioned to film and television roles and made her screen debut in the 2012 drama film A Cross to Bear. Deadwyler appeared in the primetime soap opera The Haves and the Have Nots (2015–2017), the drama series P-Valley (2020), and the miniseries Station Eleven (2021–2022) and From Scratch (2022).
Danielle Deadwyler | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Deadwyler in 2024 | |
| Born | May 3, 1982 |
| Education | Spelman College (BA) Columbia University (MA) Ashland University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | danielledeadwyler |
Deadwyler received acclaim for her performances in the western film The Harder They Fall (2021), the biographical drama Till (2022), and the drama The Piano Lesson (2024). Her portrayal of Mamie Till in Till and a troubled mother in The Piano Lesson earned her several accolades, including a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the former and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for both. In 2025, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Early life
Deadwyler was born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Southwest Atlanta.[2] She is the daughter of a legal secretary and a railroad supervisor and has three siblings.[3] Deadwyler has a son named Ezra.[4] Deadwyler graduated from Grady High School (now Midtown High School) and then Spelman College with an undergraduate degree in History and African American Studies.[5] She received a Master's of Arts in American Studies from Columbia University[6][7] and another master’s degree in creative writing at Ashland University in 2017.[3][8]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
2009–2020
Deadwyler began her career appearing on stage productions, including Charlotte's Web, The Real Tweenagers of Atlanta, and most notable playing the role of Lady in Yellow in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf at the True Colors Theater in Atlanta in 2009.[9][10][11] She received positive reviews for leading performance in Alliance Theatre's The C.A. Lyons Project.[12] Deadwyler made her film debut playing the leading role of a homeless, alcoholic mother in the 2012 drama A Cross to Bear directed by Tandria Potts.[13][14] Deadwyler later acted in a number of short films, then landed roles on television.
In 2015, Deadwyler guest-starred in the second season of BET's drama series Being Mary Jane. Later that year, she joined the cast of Tyler Perry's series The Haves and the Have Nots, playing antagonist LaQuita "Quita" Maxwell.[6] She left the series during Season 4. Eventually, Deadwyler had secondary roles in the films Gifted and The Leisure Seeker, and appeared in the television series Greenleaf, Atlanta and Watchmen. On Atlanta stage, she appeared in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Clybourne Park at Aurora Theater, portrayed an actress injured doing Shakespeare in Smart People at True Colors Theater, and played multiple roles in The Temple Bombing at the Alliance Theater.[15] In 2018, Deadwyler played the title role of Jane Manning James in the period drama film Jane and Emma.[16][17] She played a leading role and produced the 2019 thriller film The Devil To Pay. The film and Deadwyler's performance received positive reviews from critics.[18][19][20] Cath Clarke from The Guardian wrote in her review: "Deadwyler’s soulful performance really grounds The Devil to Pay even as it cranks into revenge-movie mode."[20]
In 2020, Deadwyler was cast in a series regular role in the series Paradise Lost, with Josh Hartnett, Bridget Regan and Barbara Hershey.[21] The series was not renewed for a second season. That same year, Deadwyler guest-starred on FBI: Most Wanted and had a recurring role as Yoli in the series P-Valley.[22]
2021–present
In 2021, Deadwyler played the role of Cuffee in the Netflix western film The Harder They Fall. The character was inspired by Cathay Williams.[23] The film and her performance received positive reviews from film critics.[24][25] Deadwyler received a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture nomination for her performance and well as number of Best Ensemble awards.[26] Later in 2021, she played Miranda Carroll in the miniseries Station Eleven.[27] Also that year, Deadwyler was in the Netflix miniseries From Scratch, based on Tembi Locke's memoir.[28] She played the role of lead character' older sister, receiving positive reviews.[29][30]
Deadwyler starred as Mamie Till in the biographical film Till (2022) directed by Chinonye Chukwu.[31][32][33] She received positive reviews from critics for her lead performance in the movie.[34][3][35][36] Manohla Dargis in The New York Times: "With fixed intensity and supple quicksilver emotional changes, Deadwyler rises to the occasion as Mamie, delivering a quiet, centralizing performance that works contrapuntally with the story’s heaviness, its profundity and violence."[37] Deadwyler received the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance (shared with Gabriel LaBelle for The Fabelmans) and the Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance for her performance.[38]
In 2024, Deadwyler played the leading role in the science fiction thriller film Parallel directed by Kourosh Ahari, a remake of Lei Zheng's feature of the same name.[39][40] She starred in the horror-thriller film I Saw the TV Glow, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews from critics.[41][42] Deadwyler also starred in The Piano Lesson, an adaptation of the August Wilson play,[43] and in the Canadian post-apocalyptic thriller film 40 Acres.[44] For The Piano Lesson, Deadwyler earned her second Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination in the Supporting Actress category, her first having been in Leading Actress for her role in Till.
Deadwyler appeared in the action thriller Carry-On for Netflix.[45][46] She also starred in the horror film The Woman in the Yard. Both films were directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.[47][48][49] Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2025.[50]
Upcoming
Deadwyler is set to executive produce and play a lead role in the forthcoming comedic thriller The Saviors.[51][52] She has also been cast to play Zelma Redding, the widow of American singer Otis Redding, in an upcoming biographical film titled Otis & Zelma.[53]
In February 2025, it was announced that Deadwyler had been cast as a series regular in an upcoming untitled HBO comedy series, starring opposite Steve Carell.[54] She will portray a poetry professor and published author.[54] In April 2025, Deadwyler was cast as the protagonist in the film adaptation of the 1946 novel The Street, written by Ann Petry.[55][56]
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Cyburbia | Cyburbia | Short film |
| 2012 | A Cross to Bear | Erica Moses | |
| 2013 | Sweet, Sweet Country | Ndizeye | Short film |
| 2014 | Ir/Reconcilable | Maria | Short film, also producer |
| 2015 | The Youth | Hoda | Short film |
| 2017 | Gifted | Animal Shelter Worker | |
| The Leisure Seeker | Hotel Waitress | ||
| 2018 | Jane and Emma | Jane Manning | |
| 2019 | The Devil to Pay | Lemon Cassidy | Also producer |
| 2020 | It's Time | Karen Phillips | |
| Bygone Billy | Trudy Wake | ||
| 2021 | The Harder They Fall | Cuffee | |
| 2022 | Till | Mamie Till | |
| 2024 | I Saw the TV Glow | Brenda | |
| Parallel | Vanessa | Also executive producer | |
| The Piano Lesson | Berniece Charles | ||
| 40 Acres | Hailey Freeman | ||
| Carry-On | Elena Cole | ||
| 2025 | The Woman in the Yard | Ramona | Also executive producer |
| TBA | The Saviors † | TBA | Also executive producer; post-production |
| TBA | Otis & Zelma † | Zelma Redding | Also executive producer; pre-production |
| TBA | The Street † | Lutie Johnson | producer; pre-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Being Mary Jane | Naima | Episode: "Signing Off" |
| 2015–2017 | The Haves and the Have Nots | LaQuita "Quita" Maxwell | Recurring role |
| 2016 | Greenleaf | Stacy | Episodes: "Good Morning, Calvary" and "What Are You Doing Here?" |
| 2018 | Hap and Leonard | Woman | Episode: "T-Bone Mambo" |
| Atlanta | Tami | Episode: "Champagne Papi" | |
| 2019 | Watchmen | June | Episodes: "This Extraordinary Being" and "An Almost Religious Awe" |
| 2020 | FBI: Most Wanted | Cleo Wilkens | Episode: "Caesar" |
| Paradise Lost | Nique Green | Series regular | |
| P-Valley | Yoli | Recurring role, 3 episodes | |
| 2021–2022 | Station Eleven | Miranda Carroll | Miniseries |
| 2022 | From Scratch | Zora | Miniseries |
Awards and nominations
Major associations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | The Harder They Fall | Nominated | [57] |
| 2023 | Best Actress | Till | Nominated | [58] | |
| 2025 | Best Supporting Actress | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | [59] | |
| 2023 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Till | Nominated | [60] |
| 2023 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Till | Nominated | [61] |
| 2025 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | The Piano Lesson | Nominated | [62] |
Other awards
References
External links
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