Uzo Aduba | |
|---|---|
Aduba in 2014 | |
| Born | Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba (1981-02-10)February 10, 1981 (age 44) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Boston University (BM) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 1 |
Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo"Aduba ((listen)ⓘ)[2] (/ˈuːzoʊəˈduːbə/; born February 10, 1981[3]) is a Nigerian-American actress. Her accolades include threeEmmy Awards and fiveScreen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for threeGolden Globe Awards and oneTony Award. She is one of only two actors to win an Emmy Award in both the comedy and drama categories for the same role, the other beingEd Asner.[4]
Aduba has appeared in films includingAmerican Pastoral (2016),My Little Pony: The Movie (2017),Candy Jar (2018),Steven Universe: The Movie (2019),Miss Virginia (2019),National Champions (2021), andLightyear (2022).
She gained wide recognition for her role asSuzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on theNetflix original seriesOrange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Her performance won anEmmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, anEmmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and twoSAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.[5] In 2020, Aduba playedShirley Chisholm in theHulu miniseriesMrs. America, for which she won anEmmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. In 2021, she starred inLynn Nottage's playClyde's onBroadway for which she was nominatedfor the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. Aduba starred in the 2025Netflix seriesThe Residence, earning a nomination forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the77th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Uzo Aduba was born inBoston,Massachusetts, toIgbo parents fromNigeria and grew up inMedfield, Massachusetts.[6] She graduated fromMedfield High School in 1999.[7] She attendedBoston University, where she studied classical voice[8] and competed intrack and field.[9][10] She has called her family a "sports family".[8] As a child she was a promising figure skater.[11] Her younger brother, Obi, played hockey at theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst and six seasons professionally.[12]
Marking one of her early significant achievements in acting, Uzo Aduba's performance inTranslations of Xhosa at theOlney Theatre Center in 2003 earned her a nomination for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Resident Play.[13] In 2006, she played Amphiarus inThe Seven atNew York Theatre Workshop and again in 2008 atLa Jolla Playhouse. In 2007, she made her Broadway debut, portraying Toby inHelen Edmundson's adaptation ofCoram Boy at theImperial Theatre.[14] In 2011–12, she sang "By My Side" as part of the original revival cast ofGodspell at theCircle in the Square Theatre.[15][16] Her first television appearance was as a nurse onBlue Bloods in 2012.[8] Aduba also played Anna, the mother of the title character inVenice atThe Public Theater in New York.[17][18]
In 2013, Aduba began portrayingSuzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren in theNetflix comedy-drama seriesOrange Is the New Black.[19] On being cast, Aduba said:
I auditioned for the show back in late July or early August of [2012]. I had been auditioning that summer for more television and film [after doing much theater]. I'd read a lot of scripts and I remember readingOrange Is the New Black, and it was at the head of the pack. I remember thinking, 'Wow, that is really good, I would love to be a part of that.' I went in and auditioned for another part, and my representatives called me about a month later and they were like, "Hi, we have some really good news. You remember that audition you went on forOrange Is the New Black? You didn't get it." I go, "So… okay, what's the good news?" They said they wanted to offer me another part, Crazy Eyes. I was like, "What in my audition would make someone think I'd be right for a part called Crazy Eyes?" But to be honest, when I got the script for it, it felt like the right fit.[20]
Casting director Jennifer Euston explains the selection of Aduba for the role thus: "Uzo Aduba...had her hair in those knots for the audition...They saw something amazing in her and were able to connect it to what they were looking for in Crazy Eyes."[21] In joining the series, Aduba obtained herScreen Actors Guild card, of which she said, "I was just like, 'Wow, this means I'm a full actress now.' It was such a big deal, and I remember being so thankful and feeling so proud."[22]
Aduba has been recognized for her performance as "Crazy Eyes", winningOutstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards andBest Guest Performer in a Comedy Series at the4th Critics' Choice Television Awards. She was nominated forBest Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film at the18th Satellite Awards for her season one performance.[23][24][25] Aduba's season two performance earned her theOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series at the21st Screen Actors Guild Awards and a nomination forBest Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film at the72nd Golden Globe Awards.[26][27][28]
Aduba won a second Primetime Emmy in 2015, taking home the award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, making her one of only two actors to win both a drama and comedy Emmy for the same role (the other beingEd Asner).[29] Her performance in the third season earned another Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series win at the22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards.[30] Aduba also earned a Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film at the73rd Golden Globe Awards.[31]
In March 2014, Aduba performed at Broadway Backwards, theBroadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit concert.[32] She teamed with Rachel Bay Jones for a rendition of the song "Lily's Eyes" from the musicalThe Secret Garden.[33] In 2015, Aduba playedGlinda the Good Witch in the NBC live musical event specialThe Wiz Live!, receiving positive reviews from critics.[34][35]
Aduba made her film debut in the 2015 musical comedy-drama filmPearly Gates.[36] The next year, she starred alongsideMaggie Grace in the comedy-dramaShowing Roots and played supporting roles inTallulah,Steven Universe, andAmerican Pastoral directed byEwan McGregor. Aduba played a major role in the 2017 musical animated filmMy Little Pony: The Movie, voicing Queen Novo, leader of the hippogriffs/seaponies. She co-starred in two Netflix films;Candy Jar in 2018, andBeats in 2019. Also in 2019, Aduba played the title role in the filmMiss Virginia.[37][38]
AfterOrange Is the New Black ended, Aduba was cast as politicianShirley Chisholm in the Hulu miniseriesMrs. America (2020), oppositeCate Blanchett andSarah Paulson. Chisholm was the first black candidate for a major party's nomination for President of the United States, the first woman to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, and the first woman to appear in a United States presidential debate.[39] The miniseries garnered critical acclaim and secured Aduba aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.[40]
She was cast to star oppositeLupita Nyong'o in theHBO Max miniseriesAmericanah written byDanai Gurira that was ultimately unproduced.[41] Aduba also was set to star in the fourth season of FX seriesFargo, but dropped out due to "some personal family issues".[42][43] Aduba co-starred in the 2020 romantic drama filmReally Love.[44] In October 2020, she was cast as therapist Dr. Brooke Taylor in the fourth season of theHBO seriesIn Treatment.[45]
In 2021, Aduba appeared in the Broadway production of theLynn Nottage playClyde's, for which she received aTony Award nomination. In 2023, she starred as Edie Flowers in Netflix'sPainkiller, a limited series exploring the reasons behind theopioid epidemic in the United States.[46] In 2024, her memoir,The Road is Good: How a Mother's strength became Her Daughter's Purpose, was published byViking Books.[47] Aduba stars as eccentric detective Cordelia Cupp inShonda Rhimes's 2025 White House-set murder mystery seriesThe Residence.[48]
Growing up in an all-white neighborhood, Aduba often felt isolated, but her close relationship with her mother and their Nigerian identity and history helped her to develop her sense of self-worth.[47]
On September 12, 2021, Aduba announced she had married filmmaker Robert Sweeting in 2020. The couple had had a secret ceremony in New York.[52] On June 11, 2023, at the 2023 Tony Awards, Aduba announced the couple were expecting their first child.[53] On November 12, 2023, Aduba welcomed a baby girl.[54]
| † | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Pearly Gates | Corrie | [55] |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip | TSA Officer | Cameo | |
| 2016 | Tallulah | Detective Louisa Kinnie | [56] |
| American Pastoral | Vicky | [57] | |
| Showing Roots | Pearl | [58] | |
| 2017 | My Little Pony: The Movie | Queen Novo | Voice role[59] |
| 2018 | Candy Jar | Julia Russell | [60] |
| We Are Boats | Sir | [61] | |
| 2019 | Beats | Carla Monroe | [62] |
| Steven Universe: The Movie | Bismuth | Voice role[63] | |
| Miss Virginia | Virginia Walden | [64] | |
| 2020 | Really Love | Chenai Hungwe | [65] |
| 2021 | National Champions | Katherine Poe | [66] |
| 2022 | Lightyear | Alisha Hawthorne | Voice role[67][59] |
| 2024 | The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat | Clarice | [68] |
| Greedy People | Officer Murphy | [69][70] | |
| 2025 | Roofman | Eileen | [71] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Blue Bloods | Nurse | Episode: "Nightmares" |
| 2013 | How to Live Like a Lady | Acting Teacher | Television film |
| 2013–2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren | Recurring role (season 1); main role (seasons 2–7) |
| 2014 | Saturday Night Live | Daughter Dudley | Episode: "Woody Harrelson/Kendrick Lamar" |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Herself | Episode: "Uzo Aduba Wears a White Blouse and Royal Blue Heels" |
| The Wiz Live! | Glinda the Good Witch | Television special | |
| 2016–2019 | Steven Universe | Bismuth | Voice, 9 episodes[59] |
| 2018–2019 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia | Officer Kubritz | Voice, 11 episodes[59] |
| 2020 | Steven Universe Future | Bismuth, Khadijah | Voice, episode: "Bismuth Casual"[59] |
| Mrs. America | Shirley Chisholm | Miniseries | |
| 2021 | In Treatment | Dr. Brooke Taylor | Main role[72] |
| Solos | Sasha | Episode: "Sasha"[73] | |
| Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | Herself | Episode: "Hair" | |
| 2022 | Animal | Narrator | Voice, episode: "Dolphins"[74] |
| Ada Twist, Scientist | Lifeguard | Voice, episode: "Swift The Waves" | |
| 2023 | Painkiller | Edie Flowers | Netflix miniseries[75] |
| 2024 | Magicampers | Treena | Voice, series regular[76] |
| 2025 | The Residence | Cordelia Cupp | Miniseries[77] |
| Caregiving | Narrator | Television film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Seven | Amphiarus | New York Theatre Workshop |
| 2007 | Coram Boy | Toby | Imperial Theatre, Broadway |
| 2008 | The Seven | Amphiarus | La Jolla Playhouse, Los Angeles |
| 2009 | Eclipsed | Helena | Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company |
| A Civil War Christmas | Hannah | Huntington Theatre, Boston | |
| 2011 | Godspell | Company | Circle in the Square Theatre, Broadway |
| Prometheus Bound | Io | American Repertory Theater, Cambridge | |
| 2013 | Venice | Anna Monroe | The Public Theater, Off-Broadway |
| 2016 | The Maids | Solange | Trafalgar Studios, West End |
| 2021 | Clyde's | Clyde | Hayes Theatre, Broadway |
actor Uzo Aduba in 1981 (age 39)