Nana Mensah facts for kids

Nana Mensah (born August 26, 1988) is an American actress, writer, and director. She is known for her roles in popular TV shows like 13 Reasons Why, New Amsterdam, Bonding, and The Chair. Nana Mensah also wrote, directed, and starred in her first movie, Queen of Glory, which came out in 2022.

Nana Mensah's Early Life and School

Nana Afiah Mensah was born in New Haven, Connecticut. She grew up in the Farmington Valley area. Her parents moved from Ghana in the 1970s. Her father is a chemical engineer. She has one brother.

Nana went to the Loomis Chaffee School, which is a private boarding school. Her drama teacher there, Brian Kosanovich, told her she should become a professional actress.

After high school, she studied French and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her parents wanted her to go to law school. She worked in law for a bit. But in 2009, she moved to New York City to become an actress. To earn money, she worked in restaurants, stores, offices, and as a babysitter. She also trained at several acting schools and theaters.

Nana Mensah's Acting Journey

In 2009, Nana Mensah played Leslie in a film called The Film You Did Not See. For the next few years, she acted in short films. These included the comedy Behold the Swelling Scene (2010) and the drama Daadi (2013).

In 2014, she played Sade in An African City. This web series was about a Nigerian-Ghanaian living abroad. People called it "Africa's answer to Sex and the City." She played Sade again in the second season.

Nana Mensah has also acted in many plays off-Broadway. She played Dede in Nollywood Dreams. Other plays she was in include The Bacchae and Mother Courage and Her Children.

In 2016, she starred as Clare in the award-winning play I'll Never Love Again. In 2017, she was Tamyra in Man from Nebraska. For this role, she was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. In 2020, she co-starred as Linda in the movie Farewell Amor. This film was shown at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Directing Queen of Glory

In 2021, Nana Mensah's movie Queen of Glory came out. This film is about a Ghanaian-American professor who gets a Christian bookstore after her mother passes away. Nana Mensah wrote, directed, and starred in this movie.

She finished the film in just 30 days, but it took over seven years to complete the whole project. Nana Mensah said she was frustrated by not getting enough interesting acting roles. So, she decided to make her own film. She funded the movie with investors, online campaigns, and her own savings.

Queen of Glory was first shown at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Nana Mensah won awards for Best New Narrative Director and a Special Jury Prize for Artistic Expression. The film was also nominated for Best First Feature at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards. It won many other film festival awards too.

Recent Work in TV and Stage

In 2021, The Chair premiered on Netflix. In this show, Nana Mensah plays Yasmin "Yaz" McKay, a popular English professor. She has also worked as a writer for TV shows. These include Random Acts of Flyness, Amazon's The Power, and the second season of Bonding. She also sold a drama pilot called Imperium to AMC.

Nana Mensah has a recurring role in The Diplomat, which started on Netflix in 2023. She plays Billie Appiah, who is the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States.

In 2023, she also appeared on Broadway in the play Jaja's African Hair Braiding.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage