About
Danai Gurira is an American-Zimbabwean actress and playwright born on February 14, 1978, in Grinnell, Iowa. She grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, before returning to the United States for her education. She holds a BA in psychology from Macalester College and an MFA in Acting from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Gurira is best known for her roles as Michonne in the television series The Walking Dead and Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. As a playwright, she has written acclaimed plays such as In the Continuum, Eclipsed, The Convert, and Familiar. Eclipsed made history as the first Broadway production written, directed, and performed entirely by Black women. She has received numerous awards, including the 2012 Whiting Award for Drama.
* 1978-02-14
Major works
- In the Continuum (2005)play
- Eclipsed (2009)play
- The Convert (2011)play
- Familiar (2015)play
Key milestones
- 2012Receives the Whiting Award for Drama.
- 2018Appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.
Themes
African identitywomen's experiencesconflict and resiliencediasporarepresentation
Sources: britannica.com · id.loc.gov · whiting.org