| DeWanda Wise | |
| Birth Name: | DeWanda Jackson |
| Birth Date: | 30 May 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Jessup, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Tisch School of the Arts |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Yearsactive: | 2006–present |
DeWanda Wise (née Jackson; born May 30, 1984)[1] [2] [3] is an American actress. She starred in Spike Lee's Netflix comedy-drama series She's Gotta Have It (2017–19), a contemporary adaptation of his 1986 film.[4] [5]
Wise was born in Jessup, Maryland and raised in Woodlawn, Laurel, and Baltimore.[6] In high school, she thought she wanted to be a therapist until she took AP Psychology and decided it was not for her.[7] She began acting during her sophomore year at Atholton High School when her high school theatre director offered her a part in a production in lieu of detention.
In 2006, she graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a bachelor's in fine arts in drama and urban studies, where she befriended Gina Rodriguez. During her undergraduate years, Wise worked as a resident assistant and a stocker at Trader Joe's.[8]
Wise first appeared in episodes of television series including , The Good Wife and Boardwalk Empire. She made her film debut in the 2007 drama Spinning into Butter starring Sarah Jessica Parker, then had secondary roles in Steam (2007) and Precious (2009). In 2016, she starred in the independent romantic comedy film How to Tell You're a Douchebag that premiered at Sundance Film Festival.[9] [10] The next year, she had a recurring role in the WGN period drama series Underground, and starred opposite Sanaa Lathan in the Fox miniseries Shots Fired.[11]
In 2017, she had a leading role in the Netflix comedy-drama series She's Gotta Have It, which was canceled after two seasons in 2019.[12] In 2018, she was cast in Disney's Captain Marvel, but left the project due scheduling conflicts with her Netflix series.[13] That year, she appeared in the comedy film The Weekend directed by Stella Meghie.[14] In 2019, she starred with Gina Rodriguez and Brittany Snow in the romantic comedy film Someone Great for Netflix, where she and a pantsless Rodriguez sung and danced to Lizzo's "Truth Hurts", ultimately making the song more popular and a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.[15] [16] She later appeared opposite Kevin Hart and Alfre Woodard in the comedy-drama Fatherhood (2021), and co-starred in Jurassic World Dominion.[17] [18]
Wise married actor Alano Miller in 2009 after three months of dating.[19] [20] [21] She is a vegan.[22] She lives in Pasadena, California.[23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Super Powers | Mrs. Elliot | Short film | |
| Who's Calling | Val | |||
| 2007 | Pariah | Mike | ||
| Spinning into Butter | Claudia Thompson | |||
| Soul Mates | Psyche | |||
| African Booty Scratcher | Isatu | Short film | ||
| Steam | Lynn | |||
| 2009 | Precious | Miriam | Uncredited | |
| Us: A Love Story | Scowling Woman | Short film | ||
| Beyond Words | Paige | |||
| 2010 | Train | |||
| Pour aimer, encore | Syl | |||
| 2011 | A Walk in the Park | |||
| Smoking Nonsmoking | Reporter | |||
| Black Swan Theory | Short film | |||
| 2012 | Frisk | G | ||
| 2015 | Knucklehead | Charlotte | ||
| 2016 | How to Tell You're a Douchebag | Rochelle Marseilles | ||
| 2018 | The Weekend | Margo Johnson | ||
| 2019 | Someone Great | Erin Kennedy | ||
| 2021 | Fatherhood | Lizzie aka Swan | ||
| The Harder They Fall | Eleanor Love | |||
| 2022 | Jurassic World Dominion | Kayla Watts | ||
| 2023 | Poolman | June Del Rey | ||
| 2024 | Imaginary | Jessica | Also Executive Producer | |
| TBA | Killing Faith | Sarah | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Angela | Episode: "World's Fair" | ||
| 2008 | One Life to Live | Julianna | Episode: "Jumpin' Jehosophat" | |
| 2009 | The Unusuals | Nurse | Episode: "42" (S01E05) | |
| 2011 | The Good Wife | Jenni Salerno | Episode: "Breaking Up" | |
| 2011 | Lakeisha Watkins | Episode: "Dirty" | ||
| 2011 | Tokens the Series | Keisha/Karen | ||
| 2011 | Boardwalk Empire | Henny Walker | Episode: "What Does the Bee Do?" | |
| 2012 | Firelight | Terry Easle | TV movie | |
| 2014 | The Mentalist | Tanya Dean | Episode: "Blue Bird" | |
| 2015 | Sorta My Thing | Andrea | Two episodes | |
| 2017 | Underground | Clara | 5 episodes | |
| 2017 | Shots Fired | Shameeka Campbell | Main cast, 10 episodes Nominated—Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series | |
| 2017–2019 | She's Gotta Have It | Nola Darling | Main cast, 19 episodes Nominated—Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, Comedy Series | |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | Alexa Brandt | Episode: "Six Degrees of Freedom" | |
| 2021 | Invasion | Deputy Grady | Episode: "Last Day" | |
| 2023 | Three Women | Sloane | Main cast, 10 episodes |