Biography
Who is Danielle Brooks?
Early life and education
Danielle Brooks was born on September 17, 1989, in Augusta, Georgia. She grew up in Simpsonville, South Carolina, as part of a Christian family. Her father, Dunnel, worked as a deacon and for BMW, while her mother, LaRita, served as a minister and teacher. She began acting at age six by appearing in a church nativity play.
For the final two years of high school, she attended the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. She later studied drama at the Juilliard School, graduating in 2011 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. During her time at Juilliard, she met fellow actress Samira Wiley, who became a close friend.
Breakthrough in television
After finishing at Juilliard, Danielle Brooks secured roles in theater productions like The Servant of Two Masters and Blacken the Bubble. In 2013, she joined the cast of the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. Originally intended to appear in only two episodes, her character, Tasha Taystee Jefferson, became a series regular for the second season. She remained with the show throughout its run until 2019.
Her performance on the show received positive reviews and several award nominations, including three NAACP Image Award nominations. During this period, she also appeared in the HBO series Girls and the Netflix series Master of None. She made her big-screen debut in the 2014 drama Time Out of Mind and appeared in films such as I Dream Too Much and The Angry Birds Movie.
Theater and film career
Danielle Brooks made her Broadway debut in the 2015 musical revival of The Color Purple, playing the role of Sofia. This performance earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Grammy Award. She later reprised the role of Sofia in the 2023 film adaptation of the musical. For this film performance, she received nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
In 2021, she played the title role in the biographical film Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia. This project earned her a Primetime Emmy Award nomination as an executive producer. In 2022, she joined the superhero series Peacemaker as Leota Adebayo and hosted the Netflix reality series Instant Dream Home. That same year, she returned to Broadway to star in The Piano Lesson, for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination.
Personal life
Danielle Brooks married Dennis Gelin in January 2022 in Miami, Florida. The couple has one child, a daughter named Freeya, who was born in November 2019. In July 2025, she became an honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Birthday and age
Danielle Brooks was born on September 17, 1989, which makes Danielle 37 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Danielle shares the date with 51 other famous people.
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