Danielle Brooks
Danielle Brittany Brooks (born September 17, 1989) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as prison inmate Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson on the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the musical revival of The Color Purple as Sofia, for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award and won the Grammy Award. In 2023, Brooks reprised her role as Sofia in the film adaptation of The Color Purple and was nominated for an Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, and Golden Globe Award for her performance.
After appearing in the HBO series Girls (2014), Netflix's Master of None (2015–2017), and the animated sitcom Close Enough (2020–2022), in 2021, she received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer on Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia. In 2022, she hosted Netflix's reality series Instant Dream Home and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Program Host. The same year Brooks starred in the superhero series Peacemaker (2022–present), and returned to Broadway in the revival of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson.
Acted in
A Minecraft Movie
2025
as Dawn
Oprah & The Color Purple Journey
2023
as Self
The Color Purple
2023
as Sofia
Instant Dream Home
2022
as Self - Host
Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising
2022
as Self
Peacemaker
2022
as Leota Adebayo
Karma’s World
2021
as Dr. Lillie Carter-Grant (voice)
Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia
2021
as Mahalia Jackson
All the Little Things We Kill
2021
as Claire Soto
Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine
2020
as Jordana Bachman
Eat Wheaties!
2020
as Wendy
Get Organized with The Home Edit
2020
Close Enough
2020
as Pearle Watson (voice)
Clemency
2019
as Evette Wilkinson
The Public's Much Ado About Nothing
2019
as Beatrice
The Day Shall Come
2019
as Venus Al Shabaz
Sadie
2018
as Carla
Straight/Curve: Redefining Body Image
2017
as Herself
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure
2017
as Ruthless Ruth
I Dream Too Much
2016
as Abbey
The Angry Birds Movie
2016
as Olive Blue / Monica the Crossing Guard (voice)
Master of None
2015
as Shannon
The Same Difference
2015
Lip Sync Battle
2015
as Self
Time Out of Mind
2014
as Receptionist
Trailblazer Honors
2014
as Self - Honoree
Orange Is the New Black
2013
as Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson
Finding Your Roots
2012
Fireproof
2008
as Young Catherine (voice)
Project Runway
2004
as Self
Project Runway
2004
as Self - Guest Judge
The Oscars
1953
as Self
