Caramel Corn

Name
Danielle Brooks

Known For
Acting

Birthday
1989-09-17 (37 years old)

Place of Birth
Augusta, Georgia, USA

Biography

Danielle Brooks is an American actress whose work spans television, film, and Broadway. She first gained widespread recognition as Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson on Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), a role that became one of the series’ emotional centers and established her as a major presence on television.

She later reached a broader mainstream audience starring as Leota Adebayo in James Gunn’s HBO series Peacemaker, where her performance played a central role in the show’s balance of action, satire, and character-driven storytelling. The series marked a high-profile expansion of her work into genre television tied to DC Comics.

Brooks made her Broadway debut in 2015 as Sofia in the revival of The Color Purple, earning a Tony Award nomination and winning a Grammy Award with the cast. She reprised the role in the 2023 film adaptation, a performance that brought her nominations from the Academy Awards, BAFTA, and Golden Globes, solidifying her transition into major film roles.

Alongside acting, Brooks has taken on producing and hosting work. She portrayed Mahalia Jackson in the television biopic Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (2021), serving as an executive producer and earning a Primetime Emmy nomination. She later hosted Netflix’s Instant Dream Home, receiving a Daytime Emmy nomination for her work as a program host.

Brooks has continued to balance screen and stage appearances, returning to Broadway in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson and starring in the fantasy adventure comedy A Minecraft Movie, further expanding her range across genres.

Known For

Movies

Tv Shows

2008 Fireproof as Young Catherine (voice)
2023 The Color Purple as Sofia
2022 Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising as Self
2025 A Minecraft Movie as Dawn
2016 I Dream Too Much as Abbey
2016 The Angry Birds Movie as Olive Blue / Monica the Crossing Guard (voice)
2023 Oprah & The Color Purple Journey as Self
2015 Time Out of Mind as Receptionist
2015 The Same Difference
2025 Oh. What. Fun. as Morgan
2017 Straight/Curve: Redefining Body Image as Herself
2019 The Day Shall Come as Venus Al Shabaz
2018 Sadie as Carla
2021 All the Little Things We Kill as Claire Soto
2019 Clemency as Evette Wilkinson
2019 The Public's Much Ado About Nothing as Beatrice
2021 Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia as Mahalia Jackson
2020 Eat Wheaties! as Wendy
2020 Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine as Jordana Bachman
2025 The Bad Guys 2 as Kitty Kat (voice)
2012 Modern Love as Raimy
2026 Bad Day
2026 If I Go Will They Miss Me as Lozita
2027 A Minecraft Movie Squared as Dawn

2013 Orange Is the New Black ( 89 episodes ) as Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson
1996 The Daily Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
2021 Karma’s World ( 40 episodes ) as Dr. Lillie Carter-Grant (voice)
2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers ( 1 episode ) as Self
2020 Get Organized with The Home Edit ( 1 episode )
2004 Project Runway ( 1 episode ) as Self
2017 Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure ( 1 episode ) as Ruthless Ruth (voice)
2015 Lip Sync Battle ( 1 episode ) as Self
2004 Project Runway ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest Judge
2022 The Jennifer Hudson Show ( 2 episodes ) as Self - Guest
2022 Instant Dream Home ( 8 episodes ) as Self - Host
2009 Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen ( 3 episodes ) as Self - Guest
2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live! ( 1 episode ) as Self
2014 Trailblazer Honors ( 1 episode ) as Self - Honoree
1988 LIVE with Kelly and Mark ( 2 episodes ) as Self - Guest
1997 The View ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
2014 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
1953 The Oscars ( 1 episode ) as Self
2019 Tamron Hall ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
2020 Close Enough ( 46 episodes ) as Pearle Watson (voice)
2022 Peacemaker ( 16 episodes ) as Leota Adebayo
2015 Master of None ( 3 episodes ) as Shannon
2012 Finding Your Roots ( 1 episode )
2020 Bottomless Brunch at Colman's ( 1 episode ) as Self
2020 Social Distance ( 1 episode ) as Imani
2022 Sherri ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
2019 The Kelly Clarkson Show ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
2006 The One Show ( 1 episode ) as Self
2025 Family Recipe Showdown ( 1 episode ) as Guest Judge
2022 Top Chef VIP ( 1 episode ) as Self
2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers ( 2 episodes ) as Self - Guest
2017 Steve ( 1 episode ) as Self
2022 Podly: The Peacemaker Podcast ( 1 episode ) as Self
2003 Jimmy Kimmel Live! ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest
1996 The Daily Show ( 1 episode ) as Self - Guest

Powered By