Diarra Kilpatrick (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for acting on the ABC Digital series ''American Koko'' and HBO's ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

''. Kilpatrick also appeared in ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

'', '' The Last O.G''., and ''The Twilight Zone''.

Early life and education

Kilpatrick was born around 1983/84, and raised in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. She is the half-sister of

Kwame Kilpatrick Kwame Malik Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Represen ...

. She grew up performing in productions at Meadow Brook Theater. When she turned 12, she joined Mosaic Youth Theatre and starred in her first production. Kilpatrick graduated from Detroit Country Day and attended NYU Tisch for her bachelor's degree.

Career

Kilpatrick moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and acted in local theater productions including ''Three Sisters After Chekhov'', ''The Interlopers'', and

Tarell Alvin McCraney Tarell Alvin McCraney (born October 17, 1980) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. He is the chair of playwriting at the Yale School of Drama and a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble. He co-wrote the 2016 film ''Moonlight ( ...

's ''

In the Red and Brown Water The ''Brother/Sister Plays'' is a triptych of plays written by American playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. Overview Over the course of three years, McCraney wrote the Brother/Sister Plays while studying at Yale. He describes them as a triptych r ...

''. In 2015, she wrote, produced, and starred in a satirical web series, ''American Koko,'' and launched it on YouTube. The series won the

American Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival) is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film—works by Black members of the film industry. It is held to recognize achievements of film ...

’s Best Web Series Award in 2015, after which it caught the attention of Julius Tennon, the husband of

Viola Davis Viola Davis (; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crow ...

. The series was developed through their production company, JuVee Productions, and was purchased by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. The original first season was re-shot and a second season was also produced. Both seasons premiered online on ABC Digital on June 19, 2017. It follows Koko (played by Kilpatrick), who "is a Los Angeles race detective at the Everyone’s a Little Racist Agency, which has the daunting mandate of ending racism in America." Kilpatrick wrote and starred in a pilot for

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

in fall 2017, ''The Climb''. It is a "Detroit-set comedy about an assistant who ditches her job to find internet fame.''"'' The series was not picked up by Amazon. She appeared in ''The Twilight Zone'' reboot, and had supporting roles on ''

'', ''

The Last O.G. ''The Last O.G.'' is an American comedy television series created by Jordan Peele and John Carcieri that premiered on March 31, 2018 on TBS. The series follows a convict (O.G., or original gangster) released after serving fifteen years who return ...

'', and HBO's ''

''. In April 2023, she had signed an overall deal with BET Studios.

Personal life

Kilpatrick is married.

Awards and nominations

* 2011 – Nominee,

Ovation Awards The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...

, Lead Actress in a Play (for ''The Interlopers)'' * 2013 – Nominee, Ovation Awards, Lead Actress in a Play (for ''In the Red and Brown Water)'' * 2018 – Nominee,

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. These awards, like the guest acting awards, are not presented at the Primetime Emmy Awards show, but, rather, at the ...

(for ''American Koko)''

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kilpatrick, Diarra Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American actresses African-American actresses African-American screenwriters American producers Actresses from Detroit Tisch School of the Arts alumni Detroit Country Day School alumni African-American film producers American stage actresses