Samira Wiley
Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Poussey Washington in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019) and as Moira in the Hulu dystopian drama series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Samira Wiley | |
|---|---|
Wiley in 2013 | |
| Born | Samira Denise Wiley April 15, 1987 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | Temple University Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Asante Blackk (nephew) |
Wiley also had starring roles in such films as The Sitter (2011), Nerve (2016), Detroit (2017), and Social Animals (2018). She also narrated the Netflix documentary Night on Earth (2020).
Early life edit
Wiley was raised in Washington, D.C.[1] Her parents, Christine and Dennis W. Wiley, were the co-pastors of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ until 2017. Wiley's parents have been referred to as "pillars of the LGBT religious community," as the Covenant Baptist Church was the only Baptist church in D.C. performing same-sex unions in 2007.[2] She has two siblings: Aiyana Ma'at[3] and Joshua Wiley.[4][5]
Wiley attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Juilliard School in New York City,[6] graduating in 2010.[7] At Juilliard, she trained in theater performance and worked mainly in theater in her early career.[8]
Career edit
Wiley's first major acting role was in the comedy film The Sitter (2011).[9] In 2011, Wiley played Maria in a theater production of Love's Labour's Lost by The Public Theater.[10]
When the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black —based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same name— came into development, Wiley was told about the auditions by a friend from Juilliard, Marco Ramirez, who was a writer for the show.[9] After discovering that another Juilliard friend, Danielle Brooks,[7] had won a role in the show, Wiley asked Brooks to rehearse lines with her to prepare for her audition for the role of Poussey Washington, the on-screen best friend of Brooks' character.[9] Wiley's audition was ultimately successful; she appeared in all twelve episodes of the series' first season and was featured prominently throughout the second season.[11] The darker and more violent plot of the second season allowed for the growth of Wiley's character, whose evolved story lines led to Wiley's prolonged screen exposure and ultimate development as a "fan-favorite."[12] She was promoted to series regular for the third season.[13] The fourth season revolves heavily around her character, leading up to the reactions within the prison upon Poussey's death at the hands of a prison officer. Wiley's wife, Lauren Morelli, is a writer on the show.
In between seasons of Orange Is the New Black, Wiley filmed Rob the Mob (2014), an independent crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta.[9] She appeared in an advertisement for the digital monetary service PayPal in 2014.[14] In 2015, Wiley featured in the 21st episode of the 16th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, "Perverted Justice", portraying a young adult wishing to recant her rape accusation of her father when she was 6 years old, and set him free. In December 2015, it was announced Wiley had been cast to voice the titular character in the video game The Walking Dead: Michonne. The game was released by Telltale Games in February 2016.[15] In 2017, she narrated one of two versions of Max Brooks' book, Minecraft: The Island: A Novel.[16] Wiley also starred in a film called 37 (2016), a true story of thirty-seven people who witness a murder and none call the police or intervene. In 2016, she starred in a new play by Quiara Alegría Hudes called Daphne's Dive.[17]
She competed against New Black co-star Laverne Cox in an episode of Spike's Lip Sync Battle. With performances of "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton and "O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature, Wiley emerged victorious.[18]
Wiley was featured in Maniac Magazine, appearing on the cover and in an editorial of the 2014 September/October issue displaying "a series of bold, chic, high fashion looks."[19] She was also featured on the cover of 2014 edition of Out magazine, along with Sam Smith, Elliot Page, and Zachary Quinto.
Awards edit
In 2014, Wiley was named Out magazine's Ingenue of the Year.[2] In February 2015, she was awarded the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award. According to the Human Rights Campaign's website, Wiley was always accepted and embraced by her parents, regardless of her sexuality, and to this she attributes her success.[20]
In 2017, Wiley received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, going on to win Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series the following year.[21]
In November 2017, Wiley was nominated to Out magazine's "OUT100" for 2017 in recognition of her work and her visibility.[22]
Personal life edit
On October 4, 2016, Wiley announced her engagement to Orange Is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli and they married on March 25, 2017.[23][24] Morelli gave birth to their first child, a daughter named George Elizabeth, on April 11, 2021.[25]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Sitter | Tina | |
| 2012 | Being Flynn | Asha | |
| 2014 | Rob the Mob | Agent Annie Bell | |
| 2016 | Nerve | Hacker Kween | |
| 37 | Joyce Smith | ||
| 2017 | Detroit | Vanessa | |
| 2018 | Social Animals | Lana | |
| 2019 | Vault | Karyn | |
| 2021 | Breaking News in Yuba County | Jonelle |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Unforgettable | Gina | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Person of Interest | Triage Nurse | Episode: "Many Happy Returns" |
| 2013–2017, 2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Poussey Washington | Main role (seasons 3–4); recurring (seasons 1–2); guest (seasons 5, 7); 51 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015–17) |
| 2015 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Michelle | Episode: "Perverted Justice" |
| 2016 | The Catch | Captain Nia Brooks | Episode: "The Benefactor" |
| Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Samira Wiley vs. Laverne Cox" | |
| 2016–2019 | You're the Worst | Justina Jordan | 6 episodes |
| 2017–present | The Handmaid's Tale | Moira Strand | 27 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series (2018) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2017, 2020–21) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
| 2017 | Last Week Tonight With John Oliver | Forensic Scientist | Episode: "Forensic Evidence" (CSI: Crime Scene Idiot skit) |
| 2017–2019 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Jessica Mathers | 10 episodes |
| 2018–2021 | Explained | Narrator | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Drunk History | Bessie Coleman | Episode: "Trailblazers" |
| Love, Death & Robots | Lieutenant Colby (voice) | Episode: "Lucky 13" | |
| Will & Grace | Nikki | 3 episodes | |
| 2020 | Night on Earth | Narrator | 6 episodes |
| Equal | Lorraine Hansberry | Episode: "Black is Beautiful, Gay is Good!" | |
| 2021–2022 | Blade Runner: Black Lotus | Alani Davis (voice) |
Video game edit
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Walking Dead: Michonne | Michonne | Nominated—BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Video Game |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Ahearn, Victoria (July 5, 2016). "'Orange is the New Black' star Samira Wiley on how Black Lives Matter inspired Poussey Washington". Toronto Star. from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Berlin, Mike (November 11, 2014). "Out100: OITNB's Samira Wiley, Ingenue Of The Year". Out. from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Wiley, Samira [@samirawiley] (September 18, 2014). (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Wiley, Josh [@imjusjoshin] (May 6, 2015). (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Wiley, Doris W." The Washington Post. July 5, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017 – via Legacy.com.
Also survived by three grandchildren, Aiyana Ma'at, Samira Wiley and Joshua Wiley...
- ^ Wiley in "Exclusive Interview: Samira Wiley on Orange is the New Black". Voice.Fan.TV. December 27, 2013. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014.
I went to a performing arts school for high school and went to Juilliard. ... I went to Duke Ellington School of the Arts in D.C.
- ^ a b Abdulhamid, Yassmeen (September 2013). "Fame Is the New Reality for 'Orange' Actress". The Juilliard School. from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
- ^ Martin, Rebecca (July 29, 2013). "Orange Is the New Black's Samira Wiley on Playing Poussey and Tweets From Regina King—Exclusive!". Wetpaint. from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Morales, Wilson (October 22, 2013). "Exclusive: Catching Up With Orange is the New Black's Samira Wiley". Blackfilm.com. from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (October 31, 2011). "O, That Rowdy Passage From Celibate to Celebrate". The New York Times. from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (October 28, 2013). "'Orange Is the New Black' Interview: Samira Wiley Talks Taystee-Poussey, Netflix Model and Season 2". ScreenCrush. from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ Breger, Esther (July 1, 2014). "Interview: Orange Is The New Black's Poussey on Playing the Season's Tragic Heroine". NewRepublic. from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Rowles, Dustin (July 8, 2014). "Everything You Need to Know About Samira Wiley, The Extraordinary Poussey on 'Orange is the New Black". Pajiba. from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Kay, Ariel (August 25, 2014). "Bustle". Bustle. from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "'Walking Dead' Just Cast An 'OITNB' Actress As Michonne". MTV News. from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- ^ "Let Jack Black and Samira Wiley transport you to Minecraft: The Island". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ "Daphne's Dive - Off-Broadway | Cast". Broadway.com. from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- ^ Garner, Glenn (October 27, 2016). "Laverne Cox & Samira Wiley Slay on Lip Sync Battle". Out. from the original on February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "Samira Wiley Rocks High Fashion Looks For Maniac Magazine. Images by April Hubal". SUPERSELECTED Black Fashion Magazine Black Models Black Contemporary Artists Art Black Musicians. October 31, 2014. from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Miller, Hayley (February 25, 2015). "Human Rights Campaign". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved April 2, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Big Little Lies, The Handmaid's Tale Lead the 2017 Emmy Winners". Vulture. September 17, 2017. from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "OUT100: Samira Wiley, Actress". Out. November 8, 2017. from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ Macatee, Rebecca (October 4, 2016). "Samira Wiley Is Engaged To Lauren Morelli". E! News. from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
- ^ Savada, Shira (March 23, 2017). . Martha Stewart Weddings. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
- ^ "Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli welcome a baby together". CNN. May 10, 2021. from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
External links edit
- Samira Wiley at IMDb