Wallis is also known for voicing the character Harper in the animated filmTrolls (2016); as well as her role as Kyra in the television sitcomBlack-ish (2019).
As an author, she has published four children's books,Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg!,A Night Out with Mama,Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! andShai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue![7]
Wallis was born inHouma, Louisiana, to Qulyndreia Wallis (née Jackson), a teacher, and Venjie Wallis Sr., a truck driver.[8] She has one sister, Qunyquekya, and two brothers, Vejon and Venjie Jr.[2][9][10] Her name "Quvenzhané" combines the first syllables of her parents' first names in "Quven", and an alteration of theSwahili wordjini meaning 'sprite' or 'fairy'.[11]
At age five, Wallis' parents lied about her age to audition forBeasts of the Southern Wild (2012), which had a minimum tryout age of 6. She was chosen out of 4,000 to play Hushpuppy, an indomitable child prodigy and survivalist who lives with her dying father in the backwoods bayou squalor ofLouisiana.[12] DirectorBenh Zeitlin toldThe Daily Beast that when he auditioned Wallis, he immediately realized he had discovered what he was looking for, and changed theBeasts of the Southern Wild script to accommodate her strong-willed personality. Her reading prowess, loud screaming voice, and ability to burp on command impressed the director and won her the part.[10] Zeitlin has stated that "it was just the feeling behind her eyes".[13]
The film premiered atSundance Film Festival in January 2012 to rave reviews, winning theGrand Jury Prize. In May 2012, Wallis flew to France for the premiere of the film at the2012 Cannes Film Festival. Wallis's performance drew widespread acclaim and Zeitlin won theCaméra d'Or, the festival's award for best first feature film. On January 10, 2013, at age nine, Wallis was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Wallis, who was 6 when she filmedBeasts of the Southern Wild, is the all-timeyoungest nominee for Best Actress and the third-youngest nominee in any category.[14][15] Wallis is the first African-American child actor and the first person born in the 21st century to earn an Oscar nomination.
Wallis appeared inBeyoncé's 2016 music video for "All Night".[18] In October 2017, she released two children's books: the friendship-centricShai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg! andA Night Out With Mama, which is about her night at the Oscars with her mother.[19][20] She published two more books,Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue! andShai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants!, in 2018.[7][21]
^As the only person born in the 21st century to be nominated for an acting Oscar, Wallis holds the additional distinction of being the youngest living Oscar nominee by present age, as of 2024.
^Ward, Kate (February 20, 2013)."How to Pronounce 25 Difficult Celebrity Names".Hollywood.com.Archived from the original on June 4, 2017. RetrievedJune 3, 2017.The first name of the Oscar-nominated Beasts of Southern Wild star is, fittingly, a beast. But it has a lovely backstory: "Quven" combines her parents' first names (Qulyndreia and Venjie) and "zhane" is Swahili for "fairy".
