Uzo Aduba
Uzoamaka Nwanneka "Uzo" Aduba (ⓘ)[2] (/ˈuːzoʊ əˈduːbə/; born February 10, 1981[3]) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.[4] She is one of only two actors to win an Emmy Award in both the comedy and drama categories for the same role.[5]
Uzo Aduba
In 2020, Aduba played Shirley Chisholm in the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America, for which she won a Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries. Aduba has appeared in films including American Pastoral (2016), My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), Candy Jar (2018), Miss Virginia (2019), and Lightyear (2022). In 2021, she starred in Lynn Nottage's play Clyde's on Broadway for which she received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play nomination.
Early life[edit]
Uzo Aduba was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Igbo parents from Nigeria, and grew up in Medfield, Massachusetts.[6] She graduated from Medfield High School in 1999.[7] She attended Boston University, where she studied classical voice[8] and competed in track and field.[9][10] She has called her family a "sports family".[8] Her younger brother, Obi, played hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and six seasons professionally.[11]
Career[edit]
Early roles[edit]
Aduba first garnered recognition for her acting in 2003, when her performance in Translations of Xhosa[12] at the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts earned her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play.[13] In 2006, she played Amphiarus in The Seven at New York Theatre Workshop and again in 2008 at La Jolla Playhouse. In 2007, she made her Broadway debut, portraying Toby in Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Coram Boy at the Imperial Theatre.[14] In 2011–12, she sang "By My Side" as part of the original revival cast of Godspell at the Circle in the Square Theatre.[15][16] Her first television appearance was as a nurse on Blue Bloods in 2012.[8] Aduba also played Anna, the mother of the title character in Venice at The Public Theater in New York.[17][18]
Advocacy[edit]
In April 2017, Aduba received the Point Courage Award from the Point Foundation for her support of the LGBT community.[48]
In June 2018, Aduba became Heifer International's first-ever celebrity ambassador to Africa. She saw Heifer's impact firsthand on 2016 and 2018 field visits to Uganda.[49]
In July 2020, Aduba was announced as a minority investor in a then unnamed Los Angeles team, later unveiled as Angel City FC, that is scheduled to start play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.[50]