Danai Gurira

Danai Gurira garnered significant early acclaim for her co-written and co-starred work in ‘In the Continuum,’ which earned her an Obie Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Helen Hayes Award in 2006-2007. Her Broadway acting debut followed in August Wilson’s ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’ in 2009. Gurira further showcased her talents as a playwright with works such as ‘The Convert’ (2012) and ‘Familiar’ (2015), the latter earning her a Whiting Award. Early in her career, Gurira dedicated time to teaching playwriting and acting in Liberia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

Beyond her work in front of and behind the camera, Gurira is a dedicated advocate, serving as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador since 2018. She co-founded Almasi Arts to support African dramatic artists and established Love Our Girls to address critical issues affecting women globally. She was also honored with a TIME100 Impact Award in 2023.