Aunjanue L. Ellis is an American film, stage, and television actress, and producer. She began her acting career in theater, and made her film debut in Girls Town. Ellis has played leading roles in a number of independent movies, and co-starred in several mainstream films.

Ellis is best known for her roles in films Men of Honor (2000), The Caveman's Valentine (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), Ray (2004), The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), and The Help (2011). On television, Ellis had regular role in the ABC police drama series "High Incident," and later co-starred in a number of short-lived dramas. She had recurring roles on "The Practice," "True Blood," and "The Mentalist," and played roles in a number of made for television movies, such as Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009), Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2013), and The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (2020).

In 2015, Ellis played the leading role in the miniseries "The Book of Negroes," based on a bestselling novel by Lawrence Hill. She received critical acclaim and a Critic's Choice Award nomination for Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries. From 2015 to 2017, she starred as Miranda Shaw in the ABC thriller series "Quantico." In 2019, she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie nomination for her performance in the Netflix miniseries "When They See Us." Later she starred in the HBO drama series "Lovecraft Country" being nominated both at the Primetime Emmy Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards for her role. In 2021, Ellis starred in the critically acclaimed film King Richard, for which she received nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globe Awards, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards and the Satellite Awards.

Actress, African-American Women, Black Heritage, Television Actress, Television Actor, Actors, Acting, Academy Award, Television & Film, Film Industry, Entertainment Industry, Entertainment Entertainers, Television Personalities, Netflix,