Samira Wiley
Samira Wiley | |
---|---|
Born | Samira Denise Wiley April 15, 1987 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Education | Temple University Juilliard School (BFA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2011–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Asante Blackk (nephew) |
Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Poussey Washington in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019) and as Moira in the Hulu dystopian drama series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Wiley also had starring roles in such films as
Early life
Wiley was raised in
Wiley attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, D.C., and the Juilliard School, New York City,[6] graduating in 2010.[7] At Juilliard, she trained in theater performance, and worked mainly in theater in her early career.[8]
Career
Wiley's first major acting role was in the comedy film The Sitter (2011).[9] In 2011, Wiley played Maria in a theater production of Love's Labour's Lost by The Public Theater.[10]
When the
In between seasons of Orange Is the New Black, Wiley filmed Rob the Mob (2014), an independent crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta.[9] She appeared in an advertisement for the digital monetary service PayPal in 2014.[14] In 2015, Wiley featured in the 21st episode of the 16th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, "Perverted Justice", portraying a young adult wishing to recant her rape accusation of her father when she was 6 years old, and set him free. In December 2015, it was announced Wiley had been cast to voice the titular character in the video game The Walking Dead: Michonne. The game was released by Telltale Games in February 2016.[15] In 2017, she narrated one of two versions of Max Brooks' book, Minecraft: The Island: A Novel.[16] Wiley also starred in a film called 37 (2016), a true story of thirty-seven people who witness a murder and none call the police or intervene. In 2016, she starred in a new play by Quiara Alegría Hudes called Daphne's Dive.[17]
She competed against New Black co-star
Wiley was featured in Maniac Magazine, appearing on the cover and in an editorial of the 2014 September/October issue displaying "a series of bold, chic, high fashion looks."
Awards
In 2014, Wiley was named Out magazine's Ingenue of the Year.[2] In February 2015, she was awarded the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award. According to the Human Rights Campaign's website, Wiley was always accepted and embraced by her parents, regardless of her sexuality, and to this she attributes her success.[20]
In 2017, Wiley received an
In November 2017, Wiley was nominated to Out magazine's "OUT100" for 2017 in recognition of her work and her visibility.[22]
Personal life
On October 4, 2016, Wiley announced her engagement to Orange Is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli and they married on March 25, 2017.[23][24] Morelli gave birth to their first child, a daughter named George Elizabeth, on April 11, 2021.[25]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | The Sitter | Tina | |
2012 | Being Flynn | Asha | |
2014 | Rob the Mob | Agent Annie Bell | |
2016 | Nerve | Hacker Kween | |
37 | Joyce Smith | ||
2017 | Detroit | Vanessa | |
2018 | Social Animals | Lana | |
2019 | Vault |
Karyn | |
2021 | Breaking News in Yuba County | Jonelle |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Unforgettable |
Gina | 2 episodes |
2012 | Person of Interest | Triage Nurse | Episode: "Many Happy Returns" |
2013–2017, 2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Poussey Washington | Main role (seasons 3–4); recurring (seasons 1–2); guest (seasons 5, 7); 51 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015–17) |
2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Michelle | Episode: "Perverted Justice" |
2016 | The Catch |
Captain Nia Brooks | Episode: "The Benefactor" |
Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Samira Wiley vs. Laverne Cox" | |
2016–2019 | You're the Worst | Justina Jordan | 6 episodes |
2017–present | The Handmaid's Tale | Moira Strand | 27 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (2018) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2017, 2020–21) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
2017 | Last Week Tonight With John Oliver | Forensic Scientist | Episode: "Forensic Evidence" (CSI: Crime Scene Idiot skit) |
2017–2019 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Jessica Mathers | 10 episodes |
2018–2021 | Explained | Narrator | 2 episodes |
2019 | Drunk History | Bessie Coleman | Episode: "Trailblazers" |
Love, Death & Robots | Lieutenant Colby (voice) | Episode: "Lucky 13" | |
Will & Grace | Nikki | 3 episodes | |
2020 | Night on Earth | Narrator | 6 episodes |
Equal | Lorraine Hansberry | Episode: "Black is Beautiful, Gay is Good!" | |
2021–2022 | Blade Runner: Black Lotus | Alani Davis (voice) |
Video game
Year | Title | Voice role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | The Walking Dead: Michonne | Michonne | Nominated—BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Video Game |
See also
References
- ^ Ahearn, Victoria (July 5, 2016). "'Orange is the New Black' star Samira Wiley on how Black Lives Matter inspired Poussey Washington". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Berlin, Mike (November 11, 2014). "Out100: OITNB's Samira Wiley, Ingenue Of The Year". Out. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Wiley, Samira [@samirawiley] (September 18, 2014). "Lol, that is Aiyana Ma'at. She's my sister" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Wiley, Josh [@imjusjoshin] (May 6, 2015). "Watch my sister @samirawiley on Law & Order SVU tonight!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Wiley, Doris W." The Washington Post. July 5, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Legacy.com.
Also survived by three grandchildren, Aiyana Ma'at, Samira Wiley and Joshua Wiley...
- ^ Wiley in "Exclusive Interview: Samira Wiley on Orange is the New Black". Voice.Fan.TV. December 27, 2013. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014.
I went to a performing arts school for high school and went to Juilliard. ... I went to Duke Ellington School of the Arts in D.C.
- ^ The Juilliard School. Archivedfrom the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ Martin, Rebecca (July 29, 2013). "Orange Is the New Black's Samira Wiley on Playing Poussey and Tweets From Regina King—Exclusive!". Wetpaint. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Morales, Wilson (October 22, 2013). "Exclusive: Catching Up With Orange is the New Black's Samira Wiley". Blackfilm.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (October 31, 2011). "O, That Rowdy Passage From Celibate to Celebrate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (October 28, 2013). "'Orange Is the New Black' Interview: Samira Wiley Talks Taystee-Poussey, Netflix Model and Season 2". ScreenCrush. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ Breger, Esther (July 1, 2014). "Interview: Orange Is The New Black's Poussey on Playing the Season's Tragic Heroine". NewRepublic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Rowles, Dustin (July 8, 2014). "Everything You Need to Know About Samira Wiley, The Extraordinary Poussey on 'Orange is the New Black". Pajiba. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Kay, Ariel (August 25, 2014). "Bustle". Bustle. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "'Walking Dead' Just Cast An 'OITNB' Actress As Michonne". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- ^ "Let Jack Black and Samira Wiley transport you to Minecraft: The Island". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ "Daphne's Dive - Off-Broadway | Cast". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- ^ Garner, Glenn (October 27, 2016). "Laverne Cox & Samira Wiley Slay on Lip Sync Battle". Out. Archived from the original on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "Samira Wiley Rocks High Fashion Looks For Maniac Magazine. Images by April Hubal". SUPERSELECTED Black Fashion Magazine Black Models Black Contemporary Artists Art Black Musicians. October 31, 2014. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Miller, Hayley (February 25, 2015). "Human Rights Campaign". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved April 2, 2015.[dead link]
- Vulture. September 17, 2017. Archivedfrom the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "OUT100: Samira Wiley, Actress". Out. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ Macatee, Rebecca (October 4, 2016). "Samira Wiley Is Engaged To Lauren Morelli". E! News. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Savada, Shira (March 23, 2017). "Exclusive: Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli Are Married!". Martha Stewart Weddings. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ "Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli welcome a baby together". CNN. May 10, 2021. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
External links
- Samira Wiley at IMDb