Danielle Brooks (born September , ) is an American actress and singer.
She is best known for her role as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson on the
Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. She received a Tony
Award nomination for her portrayal of Sofia in the Broadway
production of The Color Purple.Brooks was born in Augusta, Georgia,
and grew up in South Carolina, in a Christian family; her father was a
deacon, and her mother, a minister. She began acting at the age of six
in a nativity play put on by her church. For her final two years of
high school, she attended South Carolina Governor's School for the
Arts & Humanities, a selective arts high school. She studied drama at
the Juilliard School and graduated in .After graduating from
Juilliard, Brooks won roles in two theater productions: the
Shakespeare Theatre Company's Servant of Two Masters, and Blacken the
Bubble. She left both productions in to join the cast of the
Netflix-produced television series Orange Is the New Black, a show
about a women's prison, based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same
name. Brooks played as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson. Her character
originally was intended to be featured in the show for only two
episodes, but was written into the rest of the first season and
subsequent seasons. Taystee's onscreen best friend Poussey is played
by Samira Wiley, with whom Brooks has been friends since they met
while studying together at Juilliard. Brooks' performance on the show
has been favorably reviewed by TV critics, with one writer calling her
"the breakout actress of the show and one of the most refreshing and
exciting new talents of ." Brooks was upgraded from a recurring cast
member to a series regular for the show's second season. She competed
against co-star Uzo Aduba in an episode of Spike's Lip Sync Battle
that aired on June , . Brooks won with performances of Ciara's ",
Step" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer".
She is best known for her role as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson on the
Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. She received a Tony
Award nomination for her portrayal of Sofia in the Broadway
production of The Color Purple.Brooks was born in Augusta, Georgia,
and grew up in South Carolina, in a Christian family; her father was a
deacon, and her mother, a minister. She began acting at the age of six
in a nativity play put on by her church. For her final two years of
high school, she attended South Carolina Governor's School for the
Arts & Humanities, a selective arts high school. She studied drama at
the Juilliard School and graduated in .After graduating from
Juilliard, Brooks won roles in two theater productions: the
Shakespeare Theatre Company's Servant of Two Masters, and Blacken the
Bubble. She left both productions in to join the cast of the
Netflix-produced television series Orange Is the New Black, a show
about a women's prison, based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same
name. Brooks played as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson. Her character
originally was intended to be featured in the show for only two
episodes, but was written into the rest of the first season and
subsequent seasons. Taystee's onscreen best friend Poussey is played
by Samira Wiley, with whom Brooks has been friends since they met
while studying together at Juilliard. Brooks' performance on the show
has been favorably reviewed by TV critics, with one writer calling her
"the breakout actress of the show and one of the most refreshing and
exciting new talents of ." Brooks was upgraded from a recurring cast
member to a series regular for the show's second season. She competed
against co-star Uzo Aduba in an episode of Spike's Lip Sync Battle
that aired on June , . Brooks won with performances of Ciara's ",
Step" and Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer".
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.