AUNJANUE ELLIS

Martha Roberts in “61^st Street”

Aunjanue Ellis stars as Martha Roberts in The CW’s “61^st Street.” 

Oscar-nominated actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor can soon be seen in the Fox Searchlight/ Hulu feature “The Supreme’s At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat,” opposite Uzo Aduba and Sanaa Lathan, Lee Daniels’ film “The Deliverance,” alongside Andra Day and Glenn Close, “The Nickel Boys,” and Titus Kaphar's feature film debut “Exhibiting Forgiveness.” 

She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Isabel Wilkerson in Ava Duvernay’s “Origin.”  On television, she was seen in “Justified: City Primeval,” opposite Timothy Olyphant, for which she was nominated for a Critic's Choice Award for Best Actress in A Drama Series.

Ellis’ inspired performance as Oracene Price, mother to mega superstars Venus and Serena Williams, in the feature “King Richard” garnered her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, as well as nominations from the BAFTAs, the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, and the NAACP Image Awards.  For her portrayal, she received honors from the National Board of Review, HCA, and AAFCA’s.

In recent years, Ellis has received two Emmy Award nominations: the first for her portrayal of Sharone Salaam in Ava DuVernay’s limited series “When They See Us,” and the second for her performance in the JJ Abrams and Jordan Peele produced series “Lovecraft Country.”

Ellis’ work in “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel” earned her a NAACP Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.  Other recent credits include “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “The Birth Of A Nation,” “Pimp,” “Miss Virginia,” “The Help” and the miniseries “The Book Of Negroes” (for which she was nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries at the 2015 Critics Choice Awards, the 2016 NAACP Awards and won a Gracie Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Made for TV Movie or Limited Series). 

May 2024