Actress Aja Naomi King was born in the United States on January 11, 1985. In How to Get Away with Murder, she portrayed Michaela Pratt. She started her career in television guest spots and played Cassandra Kopelson in the medical comedy-drama Emily Owens, M.D. on The CW.
King debuted as Michaela Pratt in the ABC legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder in 2014. For her role, in 2015, she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Her acting credits include include the movies Four (2012) and Reversion (2015). She played Cherry Turner in the historical drama The Birth of a Nation in 2016 and made an appearance in the comedy-drama The Upside the following year.
King was raised in Walnut, California, but was born in Los Angeles. In 2010, she earned a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University's School of Drama and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Little Shop of Horrors, and A Midsummer Night's Dream were among the performances King appeared in as a student at Yale University.
Career
2010–2013
In the beginning of her career, King made multiple appearances in short films. Her first appearance on television was as a guest star in the CBS police drama Blue Bloods in 2010. She subsequently made appearances on Person of Interest, The Blacklist, and Deadbeat. She played a supporting role in the 2011 independent film Damsels in Distress, which served as her feature film debut. Her major break came in 2012 when she was cast in the CW medical comedy-drama series Emily Owens, M.D. as new surgical intern Cassandra Kopelson, the show's main adversary. 2013 saw the end of the show after just one season. She later played the lead in the comedic pilot for The Onion Presents: The News from Amazon Studios.
King co-starred in two independent movies in 2013. In the independent drama Four, which was published on September 13, 2013, she portrayed Abigayle, the character's daughter. She and her other cast members shared the Los Angeles Film Festival Award for Best Cast Performance for their work on this film. In the movie 36 Saints, she co-starred with Laverne Cox and Britne Oldford. She appeared in a supporting part in the Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei-starring romantic comedy The Rewrite in 2014. Although the movie was made in 2013, it wasn't seen in theaters until 2015 in the United States.
Beginning in January 2014, King played Ali Henslee in Kelly Reilly's ABC medical drama series Black Box. The first season of the show was canceled. She was given a major role on the Shonda Rhimes-produced ABC legal drama How to Get Away with Murder in February 2014. In the show, Viola Davis plays Annalise Keating, a professor of law. Along with Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Matt McGorry, and Karla Souza, King portrays Michaela Pratt, one of the five main students. With 14 million viewers and largely favorable reviews from reviewers, the show debuted on September 25, 2014. King's performance in the series earned her the first NAACP Image Award nomination.
King made her debut as the main character in the science-fiction thriller Reversion in 2015. The movie opened in select theaters on October 9, 2015. She was also chosen to play the female lead in the historical drama The Birth of a Nation, which is based on the tale of Nat Turner's 1831 slave uprising. Armie Hammer, Gabrielle Union, Nate Parker, Aunjanue Ellis, and others also appear in the movie. She played Cherry Turner, Nat Turner's wife. On January 25, 2016, the movie had its competition premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, to rave reviews from critics. King's performance was praised as well. According to Variety, King transforms herself from a modern-day glamour girl to a slave in Nate Parker's festival hit. She was listed as one of the "Biggest Breakthrough Performances" at Sundance. Late in the movie, opposite Parker as Nat Turner, a devastating scene exposes a depth and variety. King has never been required to perform in her small-screen job, and a new star could be on the rise. King was not nominated for an Academy Award nomination despite being on the shortlist for the category of Best Supporting Actress. For her performance, she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. In February 2017, she was presented with the "Rising Star Award" at the 10th annual Essence Black Women In Hollywood celebration.
King starred alongside Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, Nicole Kidman, and others in the 2017 version of The Intouchables from France. Later that year, she was chosen to play the title part in the movie A Girl from Mogadishu as Somali activist Ifrah Ahmed. She starred alongside Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha in the 2020 drama movie Sylvie's Love. Later, King portrayed a female lead in Kevin Willmott's historical drama The 24th, a movie about the 1917 Houston riot. In 2023, King will appear in Michael Maren's A Little White Lie. She also appeared in The Knife, the feature directorial debut of Nnamdi Asomugha, opposite him.
Private life
After having two miscarriages in the past, she made her pregnancy announcement in March 2021. She and her husband Dan King announced the birth of their son Kian on June 6, 2021.
public perception
King served as the spokesperson for Olay's autumn 2015 marketing campaign. In 2017, she was hired as a spokesperson by L'Oreal Paris. Numerous publications, including Vanity Fair, Elle, Marie Claire, Nylon, Glamour, Essence, Entertainment Weekly, and Shape, have featured King on their covers.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2011 | Damsels in Distress | Positive Polly | |
2012 | Four | Abigayle | |
2013 | Onion News Empire | Jillian | Television film |
36 Saints | Joan | ||
2014 | The Rewrite | Rosa Tejeda | |
2015 | Reversion | Sophie Clé | |
2016 | The Birth of a Nation | Cherry Turner | |
2017 | The Upside | Latrice | |
2019 | A Girl from Mogadishu | Ifrah Ahmed | |
2020 | Sylvie's Love | Mona | |
The 24th | Marie | ||
2021 | Boxing Day | Lisa | |
2023 | A Little White Lie | Blythe Brown |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2010 | Blue Bloods | Denise | Episode: "Samaritan" |
2012 | Person of Interest | Lisa | Episode: "Wolf and Cub" |
2012– | Emily Owens, M.D. | Cassandra Kopelson | Main cast |
2013 | The Blacklist | Elysa Ruben | Episode: "Frederick Barnes (No. 47)" |
2014 | Deadbeat | N'Cole | Episode: "Out-Of-Body Issues" |
Black Box | Ali Henslee | Recurring cast | |
2014– | How to Get Away with Murder | Michaela Pratt | Main cast |
2015 | BoJack Horseman | BoJack's Date (voice) | Episode: "Yesterdayland" |
2018 | Scandal | Michaela Pratt | Episode: "Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself" |
2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Recluse | Episode:"Your Boss Knows You Don't Have Eyebrows" |
2021 | Blackout | Wren Foster (voice) | Main cast: season 2 |
2023 | Lessons in Chemistry | Harriet Slone | Upcoming series[41] |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work |
2013 | Los Angeles Film Festival | Los Angeles Film Festival Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble | Four |
2015 | NAACP Image Awards | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | How to Get Away with Murder |
2017 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | The Birth of a Nation | |
Black Reel Awards | Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female |
Naomi’s Private Details:
Full Born Name | Aja Naomi King |
Nickname | Aja, Naomi |
Occupation | Acting |
Date Of Birth | January 11, 1985 |
Native/Birth Place | Los Angeles, California |
Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
Father’s Name | Unknown |
Mother’s Name | Theresa Moore King |
Sibling’s Names | Miya King, Chenel King |
Marital Status | Married |
Boyfriend/Spouse | Dan King |
Children | Kian King |
Ethnicity | Mixed |
Nationality | American |
Graduation | University of California, Santa Barbara |
Naomi’s Health Mesurements
Height | Around 1.65 meters or 5 feet 5 inches |
Weight | 119 lbs, or around 54 kg |
Body Measurements | 36-25-35 |
Hair Color | Unknown |
Eye Color | Unknown |
Feet Size | 8 US |
Dress Size | 8 US |
Facts :-
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