Laverne Cox is an Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy-winning documentary film producer, and a prominent equal rights advocate. Her career journey highlights a significant commitment to representation and advocacy, serving as an influential voice for the transgender community. After achieving significant recognition for her role as Sophia Burset in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019), Laverne Cox became the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy in an acting category in 2014. Her groundbreaking impact quickly extended into documentary production, where she executive produced Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word (2014).
broadcast TV in the 2017 series Doubt. Her trailblazing visibility also encompassed the publishing world, where she became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of TIME Magazine in 2014, followed by Cosmopolitan’s South African edition in 2018, British Vogue in 2019, and Essence magazine. Throughout her career, Cox has solidified her position as a prominent equal rights advocate, consistently leveraging her influential platform to raise awareness about discrimination and violence against transgender individuals, particularly women of color, significantly shaping public discourse and policy discussions. Her formidable talent and advocacy have been recognized with multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of the ensemble cast for Orange Is the New Black, and she was named one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year.
The New School further honored her progressive work in gender equality with an Honorary Doctorate in 2016. Laverne Cox’s enduring cultural significance is also demonstrated by her becoming the first openly transgender person to have a wax figure at Madame Tussauds. An Emmy-nominated actress and Emmy-winning producer, Cox continues to be a highly sought-after voice and advocate, driving conversations around representation, inclusion, and human rights through her dynamic work across film, television, and public engagement.