Teyonah Parris Explained

Teyonah Parris
Birth Date:22 September 1987
Birth Place:Hopkins, South Carolina, U.S.
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:2010–present
Education:Juilliard School (BFA)
Spouse:James Parris
Children:1

Teyonah Parris (;[1] born September 22, 1987) is an American actress. A graduate of Juilliard School, she began acting in 2010. Her first prominent roles were those of secretary Dawn Chambers in the AMC drama series Mad Men (2012–2015), and a starring role in the 2014 independent film Dear White People. Since then, she has appeared in the drama series Empire (2014), Spike Lee's crime comedy Chi-Raq (2015), and the drama film If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).

In 2021, Parris starred in the horror film Candyman, and began portraying Monica Rambeau in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with the Disney+ series WandaVision.[2]

Early life and education

Parris was born[3] and raised in Hopkins, South Carolina. She attended Lower Richland High School until her sophomore year. She was accepted into the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities where she finished 11th and 12th grades, before attending and graduating from the Juilliard School.

Career

She made her television debut in 2010, with a guest-starring role on The Good Wife. In 2012, she was cast in a recurring role as Dawn Chambers in the AMC drama series, Mad Men.[4] She played the first major African American character on Mad Men.[5]

In 2014, Parris had her breakthrough role in the independent film Dear White People.[6] [7] Later in that year, Parris began starring in the Starz comedy series, Survivor's Remorse.[8] [9] [10] In 2015, Parris went to star in the satirical drama film Chi-Raq directed by Spike Lee.[11] She received her first NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture nomination for this film.[12] She played the leading role in Where Children Play directed by Leila Djansi, and starred alongside David Oyelowo in Five Nights in Maine.[13] [14] Later in 2015, she played R&B/Jazz singer Miki Howard in the biopic .[15]

In 2016, Parris was cast as lead character in the period drama film Buffalo Soldier Girl about a woman who, disguised as a man, enlisted and fought with the African American Post Civil War era as a Buffalo Soldier.[16] In 2017, she had a recurring role on the Fox prime time soap opera Empire playing Detective Pamela Rose.[17] In early 2018, Parris was cast in a leading role on the CBS drama pilot Murder.[18] Also that year, she co-starred in If Beale Street Could Talk, a drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins and based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name.[19] She played the lead role of Kaneisha in the 2018 Off-Broadway production of Slave Play at the New York Theatre Workshop.[20]

Parris plays the adult version of Monica Rambeau (introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain Marvel) in the Disney+ series WandaVision.[21] She reprised the role in The Marvels released in November 2023.

Personal life

In September 2022, Parris and her husband James announced that they were expecting their first child;[22] their daughter was born in early 2023.[23]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010Empire CornerAlmaShort film
Wu is DeadAlmaShort film
How Do You KnowRiva
2013A Picture of YouMika
2014 Dear White People Colandrea "Coco" Conners
They Came TogetherWanda
2015Five Nights in MainePenelope
Where Children PlayBellissima Mccain
Chi-RaqLysistrata
2016Miki HowardAlso producer
90 DaysJessicaShort
2018If Beale Street Could TalkErnestine Rivers
2019Point BlankTaryn
2020Charm City KingsTerri
The PhotographAsia
2021CandymanBrianna Cartwright
2023They Cloned TyroneYo-Yo
The MarvelsMonica Rambeau
Dashing Through the Snow Allison Garrick

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010The Good WifeMelinda GossettEpisode: "Double Jeopardy"
2012–15Mad MenDawn ChambersRecurring cast: season 5-7a, guest: season 7b
2013Karen BranstonEpisode: "Take the Money and Run"
2014–17Survivor's RemorseMissy VaughnMain cast
2017Placeholders Marla2 episodes
Empire Detective Pamela RoseRecurring cast: season 4
2018MurderDet. Ayana LakeTV movie
2021WandaVisionMonica Rambeau / "Geraldine"Main cast
HerselfEpisode: "Assembled: The Making of WandaVision"
2024HerselfEpisode: "Assembled: The Making of The Marvels"
TBANo Good DeedCarlaUpcoming series[24]

Awards and nominations

!Association!Year!Work!Category!Result!Ref.
AAFCA Awards2015Chi-RaqBest Actress[25]
Black Reel Awards2015Dear White PeopleOutstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female[26]
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
2016Chi-RaqOutstanding Actress, Motion Picture[27]
2017Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard StoryOutstanding TV Movie or Limited Series (as producer)[28]
Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series
2021WandaVision
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards2021WandaVisionBest Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Movie[29]
Hollywood Film Festival201790 DaysExceptional Emerging Artist - Acting[30]
MTV Movie & TV Awards2021WandaVisionBest Hero[31]
NAACP Image Awards2016Chi-RaqOutstanding Actress in a Motion Picture[32]
Screen Actors Guild Awards2013Mad MenOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series[33]
Seattle Film Critics Society2018If Beale Street Could TalkBest Ensemble Cast[34]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association2018If Beale Street Could TalkBest Acting Ensemble[35]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: August 30, 2017 . Jessie T. Usher and Teyonah Parris Play #TRUTHORDARE . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220922112122/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7usjmGqpu5U . September 22, 2022 . September 2, 2020 . Summer in the City . MTV . YouTube.
  2. Web site: 2020-12-11. 'Captain Marvel 2' Reveals New Release Date, Roles for Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau. 2021-08-03. Collider. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20220319184138/https://collider.com/captain-marvel-2-release-date-ms-marvel-monica-rambeau/ . March 19, 2022.
  3. Web site: ABC News . . 2022-06-07 . 2022-09-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220922110527/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/celebrity-birthdays-week-sept-19-24-79989775 . live .
  4. Web site: Q&A – Teyonah Parris (Dawn). amc.com. 25 February 2015. 26 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150226010832/http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/2012/08/teyonah-parris-interview/. dead.
  5. Web site: Mad Men: Teyonah Parris Becomes First African American In Mad Men Office. Black Enterprise. 13 April 2012. 25 February 2015. 15 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151215015237/http://www.blackenterprise.com/lifestyle/teyonah-parris-makes-history-as-first-african-american-in-ad-office-on-mad-men/. live.
  6. Web site: 'Mad Men' secretary lands a new job with 'Dear White People'. New York Post. 11 October 2014. 25 February 2015. 21 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921214154/https://nypost.com/2014/10/11/mad-men-secretary-lands-a-new-job-with-dear-white-people/. live.
  7. News: Advanced Course in Diversity:'Dear White People,' About Racial Hypocrisy at a College. A. O. SCOTT. The New York Times. 16 October 2014. 25 February 2015. 7 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151107075418/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/movies/dear-white-people-about-racial-hypocrisy-at-a-college.html?_r=0. live.
  8. Web site: Interview: Teyonah Parris Tells S&A About Color on TV, Be - Shadow and Act. Jai. Tiggett. 23 October 2014. Shadow and Act. 25 February 2015. 26 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150226064127/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/interview-teyonah-parris-tells-s-a-about-being-a-natural-beauty-icon-color-on-tv-and-dear-white-people-opens-wide-this-fri-20141023. dead.
  9. Web site: Teyonah Parris on Survivor's Remorse and Mad Men -- Vulture. Vulture. 25 February 2015. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922085323/https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/teyonah-parris-survivors-remorse-mad-men.html. live.
  10. Web site: 'Mad Men' Alum Boards Starz's LeBron James Comedy (Exclusive). Lesley. Goldberg. The Hollywood Reporter. 3 March 2014. 25 February 2015. 29 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190829085107/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mad-men-alum-boards-starzs-685150. live.
  11. Web site: Teyonah Parris hopes to 'inspire change' with her role in Spike Lee's 'Chi-Raq'. Los Angeles Times. 2 December 2015. Los Angeles Times. 5 May 2016. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180813043556/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-teyonah-parris-chi-raq-20151204-story.html. live.
  12. Web site: NAACP Image Award Nominations 2015 — Full List - Deadline. Patrick. Hipes. Deadline. 8 December 2015. 12 January 2016. 16 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180616030559/https://deadline.com/2015/12/naacp-image-award-nominations-full-list-1201659091/. live.
  13. Web site: Trailer: Teyonah Parris Toplines Leila Djansi's 'Where Ch - Shadow and Act. Tambay A. Obenson. 20 July 2015. Shadow and Act. 5 May 2016. 8 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160208022837/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/trailer-teyonah-parris-toplines-leila-djansis-where-children-play-coming-fall-2015-20150720. dead.
  14. Web site: 'Five Nights in Maine' Review: David Oyelowo, Dianne Wiest Mourn a Death in the Family - Variety. Andrew. Barker. Variety. 13 September 2015. 5 May 2016. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922075914/https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/toronto-film-review-five-nights-in-maine-1201588280/. live.
  15. Web site: Teyonah Parris Stars in TV One's Original Movie on Life o - Shadow and Act. Tambay A. Obenson. 21 December 2015. Shadow and Act. 12 January 2016. 28 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160528070855/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/teyonah-parris-stars-in-christine-swansons-the-miki-howard-story-first-look-20151221. dead.
  16. Web site: Teyonah Parris In Talks To Star In 'Buffalo Soldier Girl'. Anita. Busch. Deadline. 5 May 2016. 5 May 2016. 3 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180803014459/https://deadline.com/2016/05/teyonah-parris-buffalo-soldier-girl-christine-swanson-sarah-bird-pantheon-of-women-1201749707/. live.
  17. Web site: 'Empire': Teyonah Parris To Recur In season 4 Of Fox Series. Amanda. N'Duka. 27 September 2017. 4 March 2018. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922000212/https://deadline.com/2017/09/empire-teyonah-parris-recur-season-4-fox-1202178364/. live.
  18. Web site: Teyonah Parris to Star in CBS Pilot 'Murder'. Joe. Otterson. 5 February 2018. 4 March 2018. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922075512/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/teyonah-parris-cbs-pilot-murder-1202688100/. live.
  19. Web site: Teyonah Parris in Talks to Join Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight" Follow-Up "If Beale Street Could Talk" (Exclusive). 25 September 2017. 4 March 2018. 12 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141642/http://www.tracking-board.com/teyonah-parris-to-join-barry-jenkins-moonlight-follow-up-if-beale-street-could-talk-exclusive/. live.
  20. Web site: Clement, Olivia. 2018-12-07. Slave Play Extends Another 2 Weeks at NYTW. 2019-10-08. Playbill. en. 2019-10-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20191008024429/http://www.playbill.com/article/slave-play-extends-another-2-weeks-at-nytw. live.
  21. Web site: WandaVision Casts Mad Men Alum As Its Adult Monica Rambeau. Nolan. L.D.. Comic Book Resources. July 20, 2019 . July 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190721022615/https://www.cbr.com/wandavision-teyonah-parris-monica-rambeau/. July 21, 2019.
  22. Web site: Teyonah Parris Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby with Husband James: 'Very Excited' . Slater . Georgia . September 8, 2022 . . September 8, 2022 . October 31, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221031175719/https://people.com/parents/teyonah-parris-pregnant-expecting-first-baby-with-husband-exclusive/ . live .
  23. Web site: Teyonah Parris and Husband James Welcome First Baby, a Daughter, in Home Birth: 'So Blessed' . Slater . Georgia . . March 6, 2023 . November 13, 2023 . November 13, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231113074911/https://people.com/parents/teyonah-parris-husband-james-welcome-baby-girl/ . live .
  24. Web site: Netflix’s ‘No Good Deed’ Adds Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson, Teyonah Parris, Abbi Jacobson & Poppy Liu. Deadline Hollywood. Matt. Grobar. December 15, 2023. April 23, 2024.
  25. Web site: McNary. Dave. 2015-12-07. 'Straight Outta Compton' Named Top Film by African-American Film Critics. 2021-03-31. Variety. en-US. 2022-09-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921214749/https://variety.com/2015/film/awards/african-american-film-critics-straight-outta-compton-1201654995/. live.
  26. Web site: 2014-12-17. And the Nominees Are . . .. 2021-03-31. The Black Reel Awards. en-US. 2016-03-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20160327105334/http://blackreelawards.com/15th-annual-black-reel-awards-nominate-a-spate-of-familiar-faces/. dead.
  27. Web site: 2015-12-16. 16th Annual Black Reel Award Nominations. 2021-03-31. The Black Reel Awards. en-US. 2019-12-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20191207080234/http://blackreelawards.com/16th-annual-black-reel-award-nominations/. dead.
  28. Web site: leothescorpio. 2017-07-10. 1st Annual Black Reel Awards for Television Nominations. 2021-03-31. GoldDerby. en-US. 2020-08-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20200803223057/https://www.goldderby.com/forum/television/1st-annual-black-reel-awards-for-television-nominations/. live.
  29. Web site: Pedersen . Erik . HCA TV Awards Nominations: 'Ted Lasso' Leads Programs For Inaugural Honors; NBC, HBO & Netflix Lead Nets . . August 31, 2021 . July 8, 2021 . July 8, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210708152108/https://deadline.com/2021/07/hca-tv-awards-nominations-2021-ted-lasso-handmaids-tale-nbc-hbo-netflix-1234788064/ . live .
  30. Web site: 2017 Honorees. 2021-03-31. Hollywood Film Awards. en. 2017-10-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20171022082519/https://www.hollywoodawards.com/2017-honorees/. dead.
  31. Web site: Nordyke . Kimberly . April 19, 2021 . MTV Movie & TV Awards: 'WandaVision,' 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' Among Nominees . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419200218/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mtv-movie-tv-awards-wandavision-borat-subsequent-moviefilm-among-nominees . April 19, 2021 . April 19, 2021 . The Hollywood Reporter.
  32. Web site: Variety Staff. Staff. Variety. 2016-02-06. 'Straight Outta Compton,' 'Empire,' Michael B. Jordan Top NAACP Image Awards. 2021-03-31. Variety. en-US. 2017-07-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20170703225643/https://variety.com/2016/film/awards/naacp-awards-winners-list-image-creed-queen-latifah-1201698809/. live.
  33. Web site: The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards. 2021-03-31. www.sagawards.org. en. 2018-12-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204114644/http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/19th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards. live.
  34. Web site: 2018 Seattle Film Awards Archives. 2021-03-31. Seattle Film Critics Society. en-US. 2022-09-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921234130/https://seattlefilmcritics.com/tag/2018-seattle-film-awards/. live.
  35. Web site: 2018 WAFCA Award Winners - The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA). 2021-03-31. www.wafca.com. 2019-11-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20191119150433/http://www.wafca.com/awards/2018.htm. live.