Celeste O'Connor (born December 2, 1998) is a Kenyan-born American actor. They are known for playing Paloma Davis in the Amazon original film, ''

Selah and the Spades ''Selah and the Spades'' is a 2019 American drama film written and directed by Tayarisha Poe, in her feature directorial debut. It stars Lovie Simone, Celeste O'Connor, Jharrel Jerome, Gina Torres, and Jesse Williams. It had its world premier ...

''.

Early life and education

Celeste O'Connor was born on December 2, 1998, in Nairobi, Kenya. O'Connor and their younger brother were raised in Baltimore, Maryland by their parents. They attended Notre Dame Preparatory School and studied the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and singing at

Peabody Preparatory The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins University is a Private university, private music school, conservatory and College-preparatory school, preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1857 and ...

. O'Connor attends

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

and is majoring in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

and

pre-medicine Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...

. They have also taken courses in

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

. O'Connor is interested in the

social determinants of health The social determinants of health (SDOH) are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status. They are the health promoting factors found in one's living and working conditions (such as the d ...

including

food security Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...

housing insecurity Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it ...

, and education.

Career

O'Connor played the younger version of Gugu Mbatha-Raw's character in the 2018

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

film, ''

Irreplaceable You ''Irreplaceable You'' is a 2018 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Bess Wohl and directed by Stephanie Laing. The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michiel Huisman. It was released by Netflix on February 16, 2018. Plot Abbie and Sam hav ...

''. They appeared in the 2019 film, ''Wetlands''. In 2019, O'Connor played Paloma Davis in the film, ''

''. Reporter Anagha Komaragiri of ''

The Daily Californian ''The Daily Californian'' (''Daily Cal'') is an independent, student-run newspaper that serves the University of California, Berkeley, campus and its surrounding community. It formerly published a print edition four days a week on Monday, Tuesd ...

'' praised O'Connor's "subtle" and "pensive presence" until the "tense finale." O'Connor was cast in July 2019 for the 2021 film, '' Ghostbusters: Afterlife''. O'Connor is non-binary. O'Connor is an advocate for improving diversity and representation in the entertainment industry.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Celeste 1998 births Living people LGBT people from Maryland People from Nairobi 21st-century American actors 21st-century Kenyan actors Actors from Baltimore African-American actors American film actors Kenyan film actors Johns Hopkins University alumni Kenyan emigrants to the United States 21st-century African-American people American non-binary actors Kenyan non-binary actors LGBT African Americans 21st-century American LGBT people