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Yaya DaCosta
DaCosta atAfropunk Festival in 2023
Born	Camara DaCosta Johnson (1982-11-15)November 15, 1982 (age 42) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Brown University
Years active	2004–present
Children	1
Modeling information
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Brown
Agency	Ford Models

Camara DaCosta Johnson (born November 15, 1982), known asYaya DaCosta, is an American actress and model. She was the runner-up inCycle 3 ofAmerica's Next Top Model. DaCosta eventually went on to star inABC's daytime drama seriesAll My Children (2008), ABC's comedy-dramaUgly Betty (2009), andNBC's medical dramaChicago Med (2015–2022).

In 2010, she appeared inLisa Cholodenko's filmThe Kids Are All Right, being nominated with the cast at theCritics' Choice Movie Award and at theGotham Award. DaCosta starred in theLifetime television filmWhitney (2015) as singerWhitney Houston and received praise for her performance being nominated at theBlack Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series.^[1]

DaCosta was born on November 15, 1982. She was raised in theHarlem neighborhood of New York City.^[2][3] She is an African-American with an Afro-Brazilian grandfather. In addition to English, she speaks Portuguese.^[4] She attended the eliteNorthfield Mount Hermon School during high school before attendingBrown University, where she majored inAfricana studies and international relations.^[5]

After being the runner-up on Cycle 3 ofAmerica's Next Top Model, DaCosta went on to have a successful career.^[6] DaCosta only appeared once in the bottom two during the competition. She has appeared in advertisements forGarnier Fructis, Lincoln Townhouse,Oil of Olay,Radioshack, Seda,Sephora andDr. Scholl's. She has graced the covers of numerous magazines, includingW,^[7]Hype Hair,^[8]Splash andGlobal Modeling. In 2014, she landed a spot inTom Ford’s Fall/Winter advertising campaign.^[9] DaCosta began acting in 2005 after guest-starring in an episode of theUPN sitcomEve.^[10] She then starred oppositeRob Brown,Antonio Banderas andAlfre Woodard in the 2006 dance filmTake the Lead.^[11] DaCosta had supporting roles in the independent filmsHoneydripper (2007) andThe Messenger (2009).

She appeared in theABC soap operaAll My Children in 2008 as Cassandra Foster, the daughter ofAngie Hubbard (Debbi Morgan).^[12] According to an interview withAll My Children's new head writer,Charles Pratt, Jr., DaCosta left the role some time in August 2008, less than four months after joining the show, to join the cast ofThe First Breeze of Summer onBroadway.The First Breeze of Summer was presented from 2008 to 2009 by theNegro Ensemble Company.^[13]In 2009, she had a recurring role as Nico Slater, the daughter ofWilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams) in the fourth and final season of the ABC comedy-drama seriesUgly Betty.^[14]

In 2010, DaCosta had supporting roles in the comedy-drama filmThe Kids Are All Right and the science fiction action-adventure filmTron: Legacy. Later, she appeared in the magazines, including on the cover ofW (September 2010),^[15] inL'Officiel (in November 2010),^[16] and inVogue (in January 2011 byPatrick Demarchelier).^[17] In 2013, she also appeared as Carol in the historical drama filmThe Butler, starringForest Whitaker andOprah Winfrey.^[18]

In 2015, it was announced in an interview with actressAngela Bassett onCNN that DaCosta would star as musical iconWhitney Houston in aLifetimetelevision film about her life, which was Bassett's directorial debut. DaCosta received high praise for her performance.^[19]

Also from 2015 to 2021, DaCosta starred in theNBC medical dramaChicago Med as April Sexton, an ED nurse.^[20] On May 14, 2021, DaCosta announced that she was leavingChicago Med after six seasons and that before her exit she would be joiningFox's drama seriesOur Kind of People in the lead role;^[21][22] the new series was cancelled after 12 episodes.^[23] DaCosta was a main character onThe Lincoln Lawyer season 2 and season 3. She departed the cast ahead of season 4, which began filming in February 2025.^[24]

DaCosta was in a relationship with independent film producer and director Joshua Bee Alafia from 2012 to 2015. In September 2013, she gave birth to their son, Sankara. In November 2015, it was reported that DaCosta and Alafia broke up. Contrary to popular reports, DaCosta and Alafia were never officially married.^[25]

• Yaya Dacosta atFashion Model Directory
• Yaya DaCosta atIMDb

• 1982 births
• Living people
• African-American female models
• Female models from New York (state)
• America's Next Top Model contestants
• American television actresses
• American film actresses
• Actresses from Manhattan
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• People from Harlem
• Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni
• Brown University alumni
• 21st-century African-American people
• 20th-century African-American people
• 20th-century African-American women

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