Danielle Brooks

Danielle Brooks (born September 17, 1989) is an American actress. After studying drama at the Juilliard School she earned her breakthrough in television before expanding to theater and film. She has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. Her breakthrough role was as prison inmate Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). She made her Broadway debut as Sofia in the musical revival of The Color Purple (2015), earning a nomination for a Tony Award as well as a Grammy Award. She reprised her role in the 2023 film adaptation for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, and Golden Globe Award. She played the title role in the Lifetime film Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (2021) earning a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award as an executive producer. In 2022, Brooks 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 (2022–2025), and returned to Broadway in the revival of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson, for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination. She is also known for her recurring role in the Netflix comedy series Master of None (2015–2017) and her role in the adventure comedy film A Minecraft Movie (2025).