Da'Vine Joy Randolph facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Randolph in 2024
Born	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Temple University (BFA) Yale University (MFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2011–present

Da'Vine Joy Randolph (/deɪˈvaɪn/) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of psychic Oda Mae Brown in the Broadway production of Ghost (2012), for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Randolph went on to appear in the films The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014) and Office Christmas Party (2016) prior to receiving praise for her roles in Dolemite Is My Name (2019) and The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2020). Randolph received critical acclaim for her performance in The Holdovers (2023), which earned her several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her television credits include Selfie (2014), This Is Us (2016), People of Earth (2016–2017), Empire (2017–2018), High Fidelity (2020), and The Idol (2023). In 2024, Randolph earned a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, for her appearances on the Hulu mystery series Only Murders in the Building (2021–present).

Early life and education

Da'Vine Joy Randolph's first name is pronounced as "Day Vine Joy" with two names and has no middle name. It took her parents seven years to have children and they said that she was a divine joy. Randolph grew up in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. As a youth, she attended Interlochen Arts Camp, studying theatre. She went to Temple University to focus on classical vocal performance and opera, but in her junior year, she switched concentrations to musical theatre. After graduating from Temple in 2008, she went to the Yale School of Drama. She graduated from Yale in 2011 with her master's degree. She is an alumna of the British American Drama Academy (BADA) after spending a summer studying Shakespeare at the University of Oxford.

Career

Randolph auditioned for an understudy role in the Broadway transfer of Ghost: the Musical (which was playing in London's West End), but the producers decided to cast her in the principal role of Oda Mae Brown. Before the casting of the Broadway transfer was announced, Sharon D. Clarke, who played Oda Mae in the London run of Ghost the Musical, suffered a minor knee injury. Randolph was quickly flown to London to cover the role in Clarke's absence. Her debut performance took place on December 16, 2011, and she continued to share the role with understudy Lisa Davina Phillip until early January 2012, when Clarke returned.

After a preview period that began in March 2012, the Broadway production opened Monday April 23, 2012, with Randolph playing opposite Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy in the leading roles. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2013 she made her feature film debut in a supporting role, in Mother of George directed by Andrew Dosunmu. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. The following year she played a nurse in the comedy-drama The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014) starring Robin Williams. Randolph rose to prominence acting in one of the main roles as Charmonique Whitaker in Selfie, which premiered on September 30, 2014. The show starred Karen Gillan and John Cho. It received mixed reviews and was canceled after one season, but the show continued to have a cult fan base. When asked about a Selfie revival in May 2022, Randolph responded that she would return in a movie or limited series if given the opportunity. She mentioned that it meant a lot to her and the cast, and that fans still talk about the series years after it aired. Randolph commented that she loved working on the show and that her character was one of her favorite roles.

From 2015 to 2017, Randolph performed a voice role as Christine in the series The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show. She also had guest roles on The Good Wife (2013), See Dad Run (2014), Life in Pieces (2015), and Veep (2017). She had a recurring role as Tanya in the drama series This Is Us (2016). The same year, she had a part in Office Christmas Party (2016). She starred in one of the main roles as Yvonne Watson, a postal worker, in the sitcom People of Earth for two seasons from 2016 to 2017. She had recurring roles in the series Empire from 2017 to 2018 and in the series On Becoming a God in Central Florida in 2019.

She had her breakout role as Lady Reed in Dolemite Is My Name (2019) starring Eddie Murphy. For her performance she received nominations for the African-American Film Critics Association, Black Reel Awards, and NAACP Image Awards for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, she acted in Kajillionaire (2020), and she was a main cast member in High Fidelity (2020). During this time, she took voice roles as Ranger Woolf in Madagascar: A Little Wild from 2020 to 2022, Tamarind Toucan in Tuca & Bertie (2021), Detective Gail Johnson in Ultra City Smiths (2021), Tina in Chicago Party Aunt from 2021 to 2022, and various roles in Birdgirl (2022). She also voiced roles in the animated films Trolls World Tour (2020) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022).

Randolph in 2024

She took roles in the drama film The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) and the comedy The Lost City (2022). In 2021. she took a main role in the sitcom The Last O.G. (2021). Since 2021, she has taken a recurring role as Detective Williams in the series Only Murders in the Building starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. She played a manager to a pop star in the controversial series The Idol (2023).

In 2023, she played gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in the political drama film Rustin. She also starred in Alexander Payne's coming-of-age film The Holdovers as Mary Lamb, a cook and bereaved mother. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. She earned praise for the role, with Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood writing "Randolph is simply wonderful, saying more with a look than any words could ever do. She is enormously touching and earns our tears along the way." Randolph received numerous nominations and awards for the role, including winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, the BAFTA, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Among several upcoming projects, Randolph has filmed an action comedy film with Rebel Wilson, called Bride Hard.

Filmography

Film

List of films and roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Mother of George	Marsea
	The Purge: The Morning After	De'Shondranique	short
	A Long Walk	Mom	short
2014	The Angriest Man in Brooklyn	Nurse Rowan
2016	The Secrets of Emily Blair	Fran
	Office Christmas Party	Carla
2019	Dolemite Is My Name	Lady Reed
2020	Kajillionaire	Jenny
	The Last Shift	Shazz
	Trolls World Tour	Bliss Marina / Shelia B	voice
	Mama Got A Cough	Yolanda	video short
2021	The United States vs. Billie Holiday	Roslyn
	The Guilty	CHP Dispatcher	voice
2022	The Lost City	Beth Hatten
	A Little White Lie	Delta Jones
	Puss in Boots: The Last Wish	Mama Luna	voice
	On the Come Up	Pooh
2023	Rustin	Mahalia Jackson
	The Holdovers	Mary Lamb
2025	Golden	TBA	Post-production
TBA	Shadow Force	TBA	Post-production
TBA	Bride Hard	TBA	Post-production
TBA	Eternity	Anna	Post-production
TBA	The Gallerist	TBA	Filming

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Da'Vine Joy Randolph para niños

• List of people nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting
• List of black Academy Award winners and nominees – Best Supporting Actress