Uzo Aduba, the Emmy-winning actress known for her unforgettable performances on screen, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent.
Raised in the predominantly white town of Medfield, Massachusetts, Aduba grew up embracing both her Nigerian roots and American upbringing.
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She graduated from Medfield High School in 1999 and went on to study classical voice at Boston University, where she also competed in track and field. Her early passion for the arts eventually led her to the stage and, later, to television and film.
Aduba made her television debut in 2012 with a guest role as a nurse on Blue Bloods. Though this was her first appearance on TV, she had already made a name for herself in the theatre world. Her film debut came in 2015 with Pearly Gates, a musical comedy-drama. In 2016, she starred alongside Maggie Grace in Showing Roots and appeared in supporting roles in Tallulah, Steven Universe, and American Pastoral. She also lent her voice to the animated film My Little Pony: The Movie (2017), playing Queen Novo. Aduba continued to work with Netflix, co-starring in Candy Jar (2018) and Beats (2019), and took on the lead role in the inspirational drama Miss Virginia.
Her breakout role came as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the groundbreaking Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Aduba’s performance earned her widespread acclaim and several major awards, including two Emmys—one for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series (2014) and another for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2015). She also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2014 and 2015. Notably, she is one of only two actors to win Emmy Awards in both comedy and drama categories for the same role.
In 2020, Uzo Aduba took on the powerful role of Shirley Chisholm in Hulu’s Mrs. America, earning her another Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and a Critics’ Choice Television Award.
Beyond her career, Aduba’s personal life has also seen joyful milestones. On September 12, 2021, she revealed she had quietly married filmmaker Robert Sweeting in 2020. The couple announced they were expecting their first child at the 2023 Tony Awards, and on November 12, 2023, they welcomed a baby girl.
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