Danai Gurira facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danai Gurira
Gurira at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Danai Jekesai Gurira (1978-02-14) February 14, 1978 (age 47) Grinnell, Iowa, U.S.
Citizenship	United States and Zimbabwe
Education	Macalester College (BA) New York University (MFA)
Occupation	Actress playwright
Years active	2004–present

Danai Jekesai Gurira (born February 14, 1978) is a super talented actress, writer, and activist from Zimbabwe and America. You might know her best as Michonne from the TV show The Walking Dead. She also plays Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero movies, like Black Panther. Danai also wrote a play called Eclipsed, which was nominated for a big award called a Tony Award for Best Play. Her movies have earned billions of dollars, making her one of the highest-earning actresses ever!

Growing Up and School

Danai Gurira was born on February 14, 1978, in Grinnell, Iowa, in the U.S. Her mom, Josephine, was a college librarian, and her dad, Roger, was a chemistry professor. Her parents moved from what was then called Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to the U.S. in 1964.

Danai is the youngest of four kids. She has two sisters, Shingai and Choni, and a brother, Tare. When she was five years old, in 1983, her family moved back to Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe.

She went to high school at Dominican Convent High School in Zimbabwe. After that, she came back to the U.S. for college. She studied psychology at Macalester College in Minnesota. Danai also earned a special degree in acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Her Amazing Career

Starting Out

Danai Gurira used to teach acting and playwriting in countries like Liberia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Even when she was in college, people could see how smart and focused she was. One of her first big performances was in 2001, when she was still at Macalester College.

Theater and Writing Plays

Danai started writing plays because she wanted to tell stories about strong women. She also wanted to use her acting skills in new ways. She has been asked to write plays for famous theaters like Yale Repertory Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre.

She co-wrote and starred in a play called In the Continuum. This play won her several awards, including an Obie Award. In 2011, this play was performed in Zimbabwe to mark World AIDS Day. It told the story of two women dealing with HIV.

In 2009, Danai acted on Broadway for the first time in a play called Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

Her play The Convert first showed in Chicago and New Jersey in 2012. That same year, Danai won the Whiting Award for new playwrights.

In 2015, another play she wrote, Familiar, opened at Yale Repertory Theatre. This play is about family and what it's like to be a first-generation American. Danai said her own family and friends helped inspire it.

In May 2023, Danai played the lead role of Richard III in a Shakespeare in the Park show.

The Play Eclipsed

In 2015, the famous actress Lupita Nyong'o starred in Danai's play, Eclipsed. This play later moved to Broadway in 2016. It was a very special moment because it was the first play on Broadway with an all-female and all-Black cast and creative team!

The idea for Eclipsed came from a photo Danai saw in The New York Times. The photo showed a female freedom fighter from Liberia holding a gun. This made Danai curious about Liberia's long civil wars. She traveled to Liberia in 2007 and spoke to women who helped end the violence. The characters in Eclipsed are named after some of the people Danai met there.

Danai won the 2016 Sam Norkin Award for Eclipsed and Familiar. The award praised her for bringing a "fresh new voice" to American theater. Eclipsed was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.

Movies and TV Shows

Danai starred in the movie The Visitor in 2007, winning an award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in other films like Ghost Town (2008) and Restless City (2011). You might have also seen her in TV shows like Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Treme.

In 2013, Danai played the main role in the movie Mother of George. She played a Nigerian woman trying to live in the U.S. Critics really loved her performance in this film.

In 2017, she played Tupac Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur, in the movie All Eyez on Me, which was about the rap star's life.

The Walking Dead

Gurira at the 2015 The Walking Dead Panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

In 2012, Danai joined the cast of the popular TV show The Walking Dead. She played the amazing character Michonne. Michonne is a tough woman who uses a katana (a Japanese sword) and has a mysterious past. She joins a group of survivors in a world full of zombies. Michonne is strong and brave, but also very caring and smart. Danai even learned how to ride horses for the show!

In 2019, it was announced that Danai would leave the show after filming her last episodes in the tenth season. Her final episode aired in March 2020. She appeared in 96 episodes of the show.

But the story wasn't over! In 2022, it was announced that Danai and Andrew Lincoln (who plays Rick Grimes) would star in a new mini-series. This show, called The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, premiered in February 2024. Danai helped create the show, was an executive producer, and even wrote one of the episodes! Critics and fans loved the series, saying Danai and Andrew's acting was "phenomenal."

Black Panther

Danai was cast in Marvel's movie Black Panther, which came out in 2018. She played General Okoye, the super loyal and skilled leader of the Dora Milaje. This is an all-female special forces group that protects Wakanda and its king, the Black Panther. Danai's performance was highly praised. She won a Screen Actors Guild Awards for being part of the amazing cast and a People's Choice Awards for Action Movie Star of 2018.

She played Okoye again in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). She is also set to star in a new show about Okoye on Disney+.

Helping Others

Danai is very passionate about helping women, ending poverty, and raising awareness about HIV/AIDS.

In 2011, Danai helped start Almasi Arts. This group helps provide arts education in Zimbabwe. Danai is currently the Executive Artistic Director.

In 2015, she signed a letter asking leaders to focus on women's issues. The next year, Danai started her own non-profit organization called Love Our Girls. This group works to highlight challenges that affect women around the world. She also teamed up with Johnson & Johnson to fight HIV/AIDS.

In 2018, Danai was named a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. This means she uses her voice to support gender equality and women's rights. She wants to make sure women's voices are heard.

In May 2024, Danai was invited to a special dinner at the White House hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Personal Life

Danai Gurira is a Christian. She lives in Los Angeles but also spends a lot of time in New York City.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video games

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Danai Gurira para niños