Samira Wiley

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Samira Wiley
File:Samira Wiley 13.jpg
Wiley in 2013
Born Samira Denise Wiley
(1987-04-15) April 15, 1987 (age 37)[1]
Washington, D.C.
Alma mater Juilliard School
Occupation Actress, model
Years active 2011 (2011)–present
Partner(s) Lauren Morelli (2014 (2014)–present)

Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987)[1] is an American actress and model best known for playing Poussey Washington in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black.

Early life

From Washington, D.C., Wiley is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts.[2] Her father Dennis W. Wiley and her mother Christine Wiley are the co-pastors of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ. Wiley's parents have been referred to as "pillars of the LGBT religious community," as the Covenant Baptist Church was the only Baptist church in Washington D.C. performing same-sex unions in 2007.[3] She has two siblings: Aiyana Maat and Joshua Wiley.[4][not in citation given]

Career

Theater

Wiley studied drama at the Juilliard School in New York, and graduated in 2010.[5] She trained in theater performance and worked mainly in theater in her early career.[6] In 2011, she played Maria in a production of Love's Labour's Lost by The Public Theater.[7]

Television

When the Netflix television series Orange Is the New Black—based on Piper Kerman's memoir of the same name about her experiences in a women's prison—came into development, Wiley was told about the auditions by a friend from Juilliard, Marco Ramirez, who was a writer for the show.[8] After discovering that another Juilliard friend, Danielle Brooks,[5] had won a role in the show, Wiley asked Brooks to rehearse lines with her to prepare for her audition for the role of Poussey Washington, the on-screen best friend of Brooks' character.[8] Wiley's audition was ultimately successful; she appeared in all twelve episodes of the series' first season and was featured prominently throughout the second season.[9] The darker and more violent plot of the second season allowed for the growth of Wiley's character, whose evolved story lines lead to Wiley's prolonged screen exposure and ultimate development as a "fan-favorite."[10] She was promoted to series regular for the third season.[11]

Wiley appeared in an advertisement for the digital monetary service PayPal in 2014.[12]

Film

Wiley's first major acting role was in the comedy film The Sitter (2011).[8] In between seasons of Orange Is the New Black, Wiley filmed Rob the Mob, an independent crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta and released in March 2014.[8]

Modeling

Wiley has modeled for Maniac Magazine, appearing on the cover and in an editorial of the 2014 September/October issue. She was pictured modeling "a series of bold, chic, high fashion looks."[13] Wiley was also featured on the cover of 2014 edition of OUT Magazine along with Sam Smith, Ellen Page, and Zachary Quinto.[14]

Voice Work

In December 2015, it was announced Wiley had been cast to voice the titular character in the video game The Walking Dead: Michonne. The game was released by Telltale Games in February 2016.[15]

Awards

In 2014, Wiley was named OUT100 Magazine's Ingenue of the Year.[16] In February 2015, she was awarded the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award. According to the Human Rights Campaign's website, Wiley was always accepted and embraced by her parents, regardless of her sexuality, and to this she attributes her success.[17]

In part, Samira Wiley won the 2015 Screen Actor's Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along with numerous members of the cast of Netflix's Original Series Orange Is The New Black.[18]

Personal life

Wiley is openly lesbian[19] and is currently in a relationship with Orange Is The New Black writer Lauren Morelli.[20]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Sitter Tina
2012 Being Flynn Asha
2014 Rob the Mob Agent Annie Bell

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Unforgettable Gina 2 episodes
2012 Person of Interest Triage Nurse Episode: "Many Happy Returns"
2013–present Orange Is the New Black Poussey Washington 37 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Michelle Episode: "Perverted Justice"
2016 The Catch Captain Nia Brooks Episode: "The Benefactor"

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2016 The Walking Dead: Michonne Michonne Miniseries

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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