# Teyonah Parris

Teyonah Parris (/tiˈɒnə/ tee-ON-ə; born September 22, 1987) is an American actress. A graduate of Juilliard School, she began acting in 2010. Her first prominent roles were in the drama series Mad Men (2012–2015) and in the independent film Dear White People (2014). She then appeared in the drama series Empire (2014), Spike Lee's crime comedy Chi-Raq (2015), and the drama film If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).
In 2021, Parris starred in the horror film Candyman, and began portraying Monica Rambeau/Photon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with the Disney+ series WandaVision. She has since featured in the black comedy series No Good Deed (2024).

## Early life and education

Parris was born on September 22, 1987, and raised in Hopkins, South Carolina. She attended Lower Richland High School until her sophomore year. She was accepted into the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities where she finished 11th and 12th grades, before attending and graduating from the Juilliard School.

## Career

She made her television debut in 2010, with a guest-starring role on The Good Wife. In 2012, she was cast in a recurring role as Dawn Chambers in the AMC drama series, Mad Men. She played the first major African American character on Mad Men.
In 2014, Parris had her breakthrough role in the independent film Dear White People. Later in that year, Parris began starring in the Starz comedy series, Survivor's Remorse. In 2015, Parris went to star in the satirical drama film Chi-Raq directed by Spike Lee. She received her first NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture nomination for this film. She played the leading role in Where Children Play directed by Leila Djansi, and starred alongside David Oyelowo in Five Nights in Maine. Later in 2015, she played R&B/Jazz singer Miki Howard in the biopic Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story.
In 2016, Parris was cast as lead character in the period drama film Buffalo Soldier Girl about a woman who, disguised as a man, enlisted and fought with the African American Post Civil War era as a Buffalo Soldier. In 2017, she had a recurring role on the Fox prime time soap opera Empire playing Detective Pamela Rose. In early 2018, Parris was cast in a leading role on the CBS drama pilot Murder. Also that year, she co-starred in If Beale Street Could Talk, a drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins and based on James Baldwin's novel of the same name. She played the lead role of Kaneisha in the 2018 Off-Broadway production of Slave Play at the New York Theatre Workshop.
Parris plays the adult version of Monica Rambeau (introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain Marvel) in the Disney+ series WandaVision. She reprised the role in The Marvels released in November 2023.

## Personal life

In September 2022, Parris and her husband James announced that they were expecting their first child; their daughter was born in early 2023.
On August 22nd 2024, Teyonah launched her hair extensions line blūm by Teyonah. This hair extensions line includes clip-ins, headband wigs, ponytail wigs, wefts, bundles, and u-part wigs in six unique textures.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | How Do You Know | Riva | |
| 2013 | A Picture of You | Mika | |
| 2014 | Dear White People | Colandrea "Coco" Conners | |
| 2014 | They Came Together | Wanda | |
| 2015 | Five Nights in Maine | Penelope | |
| 2015 | Where Children Play | Bellissima Mccain | |
| 2015 | Chi-Raq | Lysistrata | |
| 2016 | Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story | Miki Howard | Also producer |
| 2016 | 90 Days | Jessica | Short |
| 2018 | If Beale Street Could Talk | Ernestine Rivers | |
| 2019 | Point Blank | Taryn | |
| 2020 | Charm City Kings | Terri | |
| 2020 | The Photograph | Asia | |
| 2021 | Candyman | Brianna Cartwright | |
| 2023 | They Cloned Tyrone | Yo-Yo | |
| 2023 | The Marvels | Monica Rambeau | |
| 2023 | Dashing Through the Snow | Allison Garrick | |
| TBA | Matchbox † | | Filming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Melinda Gossett | Episode: "Double Jeopardy" |
| 2012–15 | Mad Men | Dawn Chambers | Recurring cast: season 5-7a, guest: season 7b |
| 2013 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Karen Branston | Episode: "Take the Money and Run" |
| 2014–17 | Survivor's Remorse | Missy Vaughn | Main cast |
| 2017 | Placeholders | Marla | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Empire | Detective Pamela Rose | Recurring cast: season 4 |
| 2018 | Murder | Det. Ayana Lake | TV movie |
| 2021 | WandaVision | Monica Rambeau / "Geraldine" | Main cast |
| 2021-24 | Marvel Studios: Assembled | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | What If...? | Monica Rambeau (voice) | Episode: "What If... the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?" |
| 2024 | No Good Deed | Carla Owens | Main cast |

## Awards and nominations

| Association | Year | Work | Category | Result |
| AAFCA Awards | 2015 | Chi-Raq | Best Actress | Won |
| Black Reel Awards | 2015 | Dear White People | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Won |
| Black Reel Awards | 2015 | Dear White People | Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 2016 | Chi-Raq | Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture | Won |
| Black Reel Awards | 2017 | Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story | Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series (as producer) | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 2017 | Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 2021 | WandaVision | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Nominated |
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | 2021 | WandaVision | Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Television Movie | Nominated |
| Hollywood Film Festival | 2017 | 90 Days | Exceptional Emerging Artist - Acting | Won |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | 2021 | WandaVision | Best Hero | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2016 | Chi-Raq | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2013 | Mad Men | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | 2018 | If Beale Street Could Talk | Best Ensemble Cast | Nominated |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | 2018 | If Beale Street Could Talk | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated |