Yvonne Orji
Yvonne Orji | |
|---|---|
 Yvonne Orji in 2017 | |
| Born | Yvonne Anuli Orji 2 December 1983 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria |
| Education | |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Yvonne Anuli Orji (born 2 December 1983) is a Nigerian-American actress and comedian. She is best known for her role in the television series Insecure (2016–present), for which she has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and three NAACP Image Awards.
Life and career[]
Orji was born on 2 December 1983, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, and grew up in Laurel, Maryland in the United States.[1] She spent her high school career in the small town of Lititz, Pennsylvania where she attended Linden Hall (school), the oldest all-girls boarding school in the country. She earned her BA in liberal arts from George Washington University and then went on to receive a master's degree in public health at George Washington University as well. Orji's parents expected her to become a doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, or engineer. However, she was inspired to do comedy as a graduate student when she performed stand-up in the talent portion of a beauty pageant.
After graduate school, in 2009, Orji moved to New York City to pursue a career in comedy.[2] In 2015, she landed the role of Molly on Insecure without an agent or any real acting experience.[3] In 2021, began development on a series for Disney+ titled First Gen. The series is based on her personal life and is produced by Oprah Winfrey and David Oyelowo.[4]
Orji is the author of the book Bamboozled by Jesus.[5]
Personal life[]
Raised Catholic, Orji is now a devout Protestant and has stated that she will remain a virgin until marriage.[2]
She performed at TEDxWilmingtonSalon in 2017, titled "The wait is sexy" on YouTube. In the talk, she explains her reasons for abstaining from sex before marriage.[6]
Charitable efforts[]
Outside of her creative work, she is dedicated to philanthropy. In 2008 and 2009 she spent six months working in post-conflict Liberia, with Population Services International (PSI), an NGO that utilizes social marketing in the adoption of healthy behaviors. While in Liberia, she worked with a group of talented youth to help build a mentoring program as well as a weekly talk show that helped educate and prevent the spread of teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. She currently lends her time and voice as a R(ED) Ambassador, a Literacy Champion for Jumpstart and working with JetBlue for Good.[7]
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Love That Girl! | Njideka | Episode: "Head Shrunk" |
| 2013 | Sex (Therapy) with the Jones | Moshinda | Short film |
| 2016–present | Insecure | Molly Carter | 34 episodes |
| 2017 | Jane the Virgin | Stacy | 2 episodes |
| Flip the Script | Ad Exec 1 | Episode: "Mad Woman" | |
| 2018 | Night School | Maya | |
| 2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Flight attendant | Episode: "Why Are Her Pies Wet, Lord?" |
| 2020 | Momma, I Made It! | Herself | HBO comedy special |
| Spontaneous | Agent Carla Rosetti | ||
| 2021 | Vacation Friends | Emily Conway-Parker |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Insecure | Nominated |
Further reading[]
Wilson, H. W. (November 2018). "Yvonne Orji". Current Biography. 79 (11): 51–55. ISBN 9781682176412. OCLC 1005191045.
References[]
- ^ "YVONNE ORJI". Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Davis, Allison P. (10 October 2016). "Molly From 'Insecure' Is Your New Favorite Single Lady". The Ringer. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ^ Connley, Courtney (17 November 2018). "Yvonne Orji landed her role on HBO's 'Insecure' with no agent, no manager and zero acting experience". CNBC. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (13 January 2021). "Yvonne Orji Autobiographical Comedy Produced By David Oyelowo & Oprah Winfrey In Works At Disney+". Deadline. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ^ "Book | Bamboozled By Jesus". Bamboozledbyjesus.
- ^ "The wait is sexy". YouTube. TEDx Talks.
- ^ UTA, Talent Agency. "Yvonne Orji, UTA Bio Page".
External links[]
- Yvonne Orji at IMDb
- Yvonne Orji on Instagram
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- 1983 births
- 21st-century African-American people
- 21st-century American actresses
- 21st-century American comedians
- 21st-century Christians
- 21st-century Nigerian actresses
- Actresses from Maryland
- Actresses from Port Harcourt
- African-American actresses
- African-American Christians
- African-American female comedians
- American beauty pageant contestants
- American people of Igbo descent
- American television actresses
- American women comedians
- Beauty pageant contestants from Rivers State
- Christians from Maryland
- Comedians from Maryland
- Milken Institute School of Public Health alumni
- Igbo actresses
- Igbo beauty pageant contestants
- Igbo comedians
- Living people
- Nigerian beauty pageant contestants
- Nigerian Christians
- Nigerian women comedians
- Nigerian emigrants to the United States
- Nigerian television actresses
- People from Port Harcourt
- People from Lititz, Pennsylvania
- People from Laurel, Maryland