Aunjanue Ellis’ road to becoming one of this year’s ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honorees is a beautiful one, to say the least.
Born in San Francisco and raised on her grandmother’s farm in Mississippi, Ellis attended Tougaloo College – an HBCU – before transferring to the private Ivy League institution Brown University.
It was there that she got her start in acting, appearing in a student play. She then enrolled in NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to further hone her skills as a thespian.Ellis has cultivated an acting career spanning nearly 30 years.
Since 1995, she has appeared in countless films and television programs, and has been nominated for several awards – including an Oscar, Golden Globe, two Primetime Emmys, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.This year has been a phenomenal one for Ellis, beginning with her Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Oracene “Brandy” Price in King Richard, alongside Will Smith.
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