
Biography
Aunjanue L. Ellis-Taylor (born February 21, 1969) is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. She has appeared in numerous films, including Men of Honor (2000), Undercover Brother (2002), Ray (2004), Freedomland (2006), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), The Help (2011), The Birth of a Nation (2016), and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Oracene Price in the sports drama King Richard (2021). She has since starred in The Color Purple (2023), Origin (2023), and Nickel Boys (2024). On television, Ellis had regular and recurring roles in the series High Incident (1996–1997), The Practice (1999), True Blood (2008), and The Mentalist (2010–2013). She also appeared in several television films, such as Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009), Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2013), and The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (2020), as well as the miniseries The Book of Negroes (2015) and series Quantico (2015–2017). She was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in the miniseries When They See Us (2019) and Lovecraft Country (2021) series. Description above from the Wikipedia article Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 2022 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles

The Mentalist

When They See Us

The Help

Miss Virginia

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Third Watch

Blue Bloods

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel

Abducted: The Carlina White Story

The Practice

King Richard

The Good Wife

True Blood

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

NCIS: Los Angeles

Ray

Men of Honor

Sleepy Hollow

New York Undercover

Designated Survivor

Lovecraft Country

The Express

The Color Purple

Notorious

Numb3rs

Justified: City Primeval

If Beale Street Could Talk

Get on Up

Side Streets

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat

Nickel Boys

The Birth of a Nation

Quantico

The Book of Negroes

In Too Deep

The Taking of Pelham 123

I Love You Phillip Morris

Exhibiting Forgiveness

Pimp

Origin

Missing

Disappearing Acts

Lovely & Amazing

The Deliverance

A Map of the World

Undercover Brother

The Resident

The Caveman's Valentine

Desert Blue