Aunjanue L. Ellis-Taylor (born February 21, 1969) is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. She has appeared in numerous films, including Men of Honor (2000), Undercover Brother (2002), Ray (2004), Freedomland (2006), The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), The Help (2011), The Birth of a Nation (2016), and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Oracene Price in the sports drama King Richard (2021). She has since starred in The Color Purple (2023), Origin (2023), and Nickel Boys (2024). On television, Ellis had regular and recurring roles in the series High Incident (1996–1997), The Practice (1999), True Blood (2008), and The Mentalist (2010–2013). She also appeared in several television films, such as Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009), Abducted: The Carlina White Story (2013), and The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (2020), as well as the miniseries The Book of Negroes (2015) and series Quantico (2015–2017). She was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in the miniseries When They See Us (2019) and Lovecraft Country (2021) series. Description above from the Wikipedia article Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

• 2027Get Lite
• 2026Give Me Some Sugah
• 2026Liz Here Now — Liz Baxter, Executive Producer
• Lucky — Agent Billie Rand
• 2026Lucky Strike — Mrs. Caldwell
• 2024Exhibiting Forgiveness — Joyce
• 2024Grace — Executive Producer
• 2024Nickel Boys — Hattie
• 2024The Deliverance — Rev Bernice James
• 2024The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat — Odette Henry
• Justified: City Primeval — Carolyn
• 2023Origin — Isabel Wilkerson, Executive Producer
• 2023The Color Purple — Mama
• 61st Street — Martha Roberts
• 2021King Richard — Oracene 'Brandy' Price
• 2021The Subject — Leslie
• Lovecraft Country — Hippolyta Freeman
• 2020The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel — Mattie Moss Clark
• 2019Miss Virginia — Lorraine Townsend
• When They See Us — Sharonne Salaam
• 2018If Beale Street Could Talk — Mrs. Hunt
• 2018Pimp — Gloria May
• 2017Romeo and Juliet in Harlem — Lady Capulet
• Designated Survivor — Eleanor Darby
• 2016The Birth of a Nation — Nancy Turner
• Quantico — Miranda Shaw
• The Book of Negroes — Aminata Diallo
• 2014Get On Up — Vicki Anderson
• 2014Of Mind and Music — Una Vida
• Sleepy Hollow — Lori Mills
• 2013The Volunteer — Leigh
• 2012Abducted: The Carlina White Story — Ann
• Missing — Mary Dresden
• 2011Money Matters — Pamela Matters
• 2011The Help — Yule Mae Davis
• 2011The Resident — Sydney
• 2011The Tested — Darraylynn Warren
• Blue Bloods — Sylvia Marshall
• 2010Game of Death — Rachel
• 2010I Love You Phillip Morris — Reba
• 2009Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story — Candy
• 2009Motherhood — Sample Sale Friend
• NCIS: Los Angeles — Michelle Hanna
• 2009Notorious — Sandy
• The Good Wife — Linda Underwood
• 2009The Hungry Ghosts — Nadia
• 2009The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 — Therese Garber
• 2008Racing for Time — Officer Baker
• 2008The Express — Marie Davis
• The Mentalist — Madeleine Hightower
• 2008The Prince of Motor City — Cora Neel
• True Blood — Diane
• 2007Cover — Valerie Mass
• 2006Freedomland — Felicia
• Justice — Miranda Lee
• E-Ring — Jocelyn Pierce
• Jonny Zero — Gloria
• Numb3rs — Ivy Kirk
• 2005Perception — Vera
• 2004Brother to Brother — Zora
• 2004Ray — Mary Ann Fisher
• The D.A.
• 2002Lovely & Amazing — Lorraine
• MDs — Quinn Joyner
• 2002Undercover Brother — Sistah Girl
• 2001John John in the Sky — Earlene
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Carmen Rivera
• 2001The Caveman's Valentine — Lulu
• 2000Disappearing Acts — Pam
• 2000Men of Honor — Jo
• 2000The Opponent
• 1999A Map of the World — Dyshett
• 1999Desert Blue — Agent Summers
• 1999In Too Deep — Denise
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Laura Chase
• Third Watch — Gail Moore
• 1998Side Streets — Brenda Boyce
• The Practice — Sharon Young
• 1996Ed's Next Move — Erica
• 1996Girls Town — Nikki
• High Incident — Officer Leslie Joyner
• New York Undercover
• Einstein — Captain Frost
• Joséphine Baker
• The Body Is Water — Ree
• Untitled Sister Rosetta Tharpe Biopic — Writer

Appearances as themselves (5)

• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self, Self - Guest
• The Oscars — Self
• HBCU Honors — Self