Danai Gurira bio: age, place of birth, husband, family, movies, profile, net worth
Zimbabwean-American actress, playwright, and activist Danai Gurira is making her voice and name heard from Hollywood all across the globe. Already with a formidable acting career that included a lead role in The Walking Dead, Jekesai entered the rapidly expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe in Black Panther, as the warrior Okoye.
Source: UGC
Danai Gurira started her career on stage, and she has written some of the acclaimed plays with the last one, The Familiar, which was commissioned by Yale Repertory Theatre. In this article, you will get to find out more of her TV shows, stage shows, and films. Her outstanding performance in playwriting and acting has seen her get many awards and recognition, as seen in this article.
Profile
- Birth Name: Danai Jekesai Gurira
- Birth Place: Grinnell, Iowa, United States
- Profession: Actor, Playwright
- Date of birth: February 14, 1978
- Danai Gurira height: 5' 7" (1,70 m)
- Sun Sign: Aquarius
- Nationality: American, Zimbabwean
Biography
Source: UGC
Below is a detailed bio of Jekesai:
Danai Gurira age
She was born on February 14, 1978. She is 42 years old as of 2020.
Background info
She was born and brought up in Grinnell until December 1983, when they relocated with her family to Harare, Zimbabwe when she was five years.
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Family
Her father Roger was a chemistry professor at Grinnell College, while the mother Josephine was a university librarian. She is the youngest of four siblings who are Tare, her older brother, and two older sisters named Shingai and Choni.
Education
She attended Dominican Convent High School in Harare. At the age of 19, she moved to the United States and enrolled at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota to study psychology. After graduating from college, she later proceeded to New York University Tisch School of Arts to study acting where she earned MFA (Masters of Fine Arts degree).
Career on stage
Source: UGC
In 2005, she joined hands with Nikkole Salter and together wrote and performed In the Continuum. In her role, she depicted a Zimbabwean woman who had been infected with HIV by the husband. The play was staged at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company where it received a grand welcome from her fans, earning her an Outer Critics Circle Award, Obie Award, and a Helen Hayes Award for the Best Lead Actress.
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In 2011, she featured in the play Measure for Measure, where she portrayed Isabella.
She later wrote and staged Familiar, a play that was commissioned by the Yale Repertory Theatre and directed by Rebecca Taichman.
Career on TV & Film
Source: UGC
The Visitor: Her first film role was in the film The Visitor, where she acted as Zainab, a Senegalese immigrant who is caught with her Syrian husband Tarek, as Haaz Sleiman. Things get sour for her when her husband, an illegal immigrant, was nabbed by police and stuck in detention. She played the role well, earning her an award for The Best Supporting Actress at the Method Fest Independent Film Festival.
Danai Gurira walking dead: In 2012, she featured as a significant character in the horror-drama series, The Walking Dead, where she acted as Michonne.
In 2015, she provided the voice of Fury in Disney's animated fantasy film, Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast.
In 2017, she featured in the biographical drama film All Eyes on Me, where she portrayed Afeni Shakur, the rapper Tupac Shakur's mother.
Danai Gurira black panther: In 2018, she played the role of Okoye in the Marvel superhero film, Black Panther. She received praise and accolades for her unmatched performance in the movie.
Filmography
Source: UGC
Below is a list of Danai Gurira movies and tv shows that you can access at Danai Gurira IMDb (Internet Movie Database):
Danai Gurira movies
- Avengers: Infinity War - 2018
- The Visitor - 2007
- Black Panther - 2018
- Ghost Town - 2008
- All Eyez on Me - 2017
- My Soul to Take – 2010
- 3 Backyards - 2010
- Restless City - 2011
- Mother of George - 2013
- Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast - 2015
- Avengers: Endgame - 2019
Television shows
- Law & Order - 2004
- Life on Mars - 2009
- American Experience - 2010
- Lie to Me - 2010
- Treme 2010–2011
- The Walking Dead 2012–2020
- Robot Chicken 2017
- Americanah 2020
Danai Gurira net worth
How much is Danai Gurira worth? She is estimated to have a net worth of 4 million dollars.
Awards
- 2018, Screen Actors Guild Awards
- Macalester College 2011 Young Alumni Award
- 2016, Tony
- 2018, People's Choice Awards
Danai Gurira husband
Norman is Danai Gurira boyfriend as he is the only man that Jekesai has been linked with during her career. It is because she is very secretive about her personal life. She does not give anything away about her relationships.
Contact details
You can reach her through the following means:
- Danai Gurira Instagram: @danaigurira
- Danai Gurira Twitter: @DanaiGurira
- Danai Gurira Facebook: Danai Gurira
Trivia
- She is a fitness enthusiast who does Pilates and cross-training.
- She was nicknamed Dede while they were in living in Iowa. She grew to believe that was her name until she was five.
- She participated in swimming competitions as a child.
FAQs
Below are the frequently asked questions and answers.
What is Danai Gurira doing now?
She is currently working on the HBO Max series Americanah, which teams her with a Black Panther costar, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o. The limited series centers on a Nigerian-born woman who encounters love and difficulties after she leaves her country for America.
Who is the actress who plays Michonne in Black Panther?
Jekesai is the actor who plays Michonne in Black Panther
Is Danai Gurira leaving the walking dead?
Yes. She has officially departed The Walking Dead.
Why is Danai Gurira leaving Walking Dead?
Gurira, who has been on the show since 2010, said during the panel that her decision to leave was a difficult one, as she weighed on other things she needed to do.
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The above biography of Danai Gurira shows that she has been focused on her career, dreams, and ambitions from a young age. This serves as a great inspiration to the upcoming actors and actresses who may want to follow the same career path.
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Source: Briefly News
