Samira Denise Wiley (born April 15, 1987) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as
Poussey Washington in the
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 ...
comedy-drama series ''
Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019) and as Moira in the
Hulu dystopian drama series ''
The Handmaid's Tale
''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which ...
'' (2017–present), for which she won the
.
Wiley also had starring roles in such film as ''
The Sitter
''The Sitter'' is a 2011 American dark comedy film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka. The film follows a slacker college student who, after being suspended, is forced by his mother to fill in for ...
'' (2011), ''
Nerve'' (2016), ''
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 t ...
'' (2017), and ''
Social Animals
Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups (gregariousness) and form cooperative societies.
Sociality is a survival response to evolutionary pressures. For example, when a mother wasp ...
'' (2018). She also narrated the Netflix documentary
''Night on Earth'' (2020).
Early life
Wiley was raised in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Her parents, Christine and Dennis W. Wiley, were the co-pastors of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ until 2017. Wiley's parents have been referred to as "pillars of the
LGBT religious community," as the Covenant Baptist Church was the only Baptist church in D.C. performing same-sex unions in 2007.
She has two siblings: Aiyana Ma'at and Joshua Wiley.
Wiley attended the
Duke Ellington School of the Arts
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School syst ...
in Washington, D.C., and the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
in New York City, graduating in 2010.
At Juilliard, she trained in theater performance and worked mainly in theater in her early career.
Career
Wiley's first major acting role was in the comedy film ''The Sitter'' (2011).
In 2011, Wiley played Maria in a theater production of ''
Love's Labour's Lost'' by
The Public Theater
The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...
.
When the
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 ...
television series ''
Orange Is the New Black'' —based on
Piper Kerman
Piper Eressea Kerman (born September 28, 1969) is an American author. She was indicted in 1998 on charges of felonious money-laundering activities, and sentenced to 15 months' detention in a federal correctional facility, of which she eventually ...
's
memoir of the same name— came into development, Wiley was told about the auditions by a friend from
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
, Marco Ramirez, who was a writer for the show.
After discovering that another Juilliard friend,
Danielle Brooks
Danielle Brittany Brooks (born September 17, 1989) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson on the comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019) and Leota Adebayo on the super ...
,
had won a role in the show, Wiley asked Brooks to rehearse lines with her to prepare for her audition for the role of Poussey Washington, the on-screen best friend of Brooks' character.
Wiley's audition was ultimately successful; she appeared in all twelve episodes of the series' first season and was featured prominently throughout the second season. The darker and more violent plot of the second season allowed for the growth of Wiley's character, whose evolved story lines led to Wiley's prolonged screen exposure and ultimate development as a "fan-favorite." She was promoted to series regular for the third season.
The fourth season revolves heavily around her character, leading up to the reactions within the prison upon Poussey's death at the hands of a prison officer. Wiley's wife, Lauren Morelli, is a writer on the show.
In between seasons of ''Orange Is the New Black'', Wiley filmed ''
Rob the Mob
''Rob the Mob'' is a 2014 American romantic crime film directed by Raymond De Felitta and written by Jonathan Fernandez. The film stars Michael Pitt, Nina Arianda, Andy García, Ray Romano, Aida Turturro, Frank Whaley, Michael Rispoli and Jose ...
'' (2014), an independent crime film directed by
Raymond De Felitta
Raymond De Felitta (born 30 June 1964) is an American independent film director, screenwriter and musician.
Early life
De Felitta was born in New York City. His father Frank De Felitta was Italian American and his mother Dorothy Gilbert De Fel ...
.
She appeared in an advertisement for the digital monetary service
PayPal
PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...
in 2014. In 2015, Wiley featured in the 21st episode of the 16th season of ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', "Perverted Justice", portraying a young adult wishing to recant her rape accusation of her father when she was 6 years old, and set him free. In December 2015, it was announced Wiley had been cast to voice the titular character in the video game ''The Walking Dead: Michonne''. The game was released by Telltale Games in February 2016. In 2017, she narrated one of two versions of
Max Brooks
Maximillian Michael Brooks (born May 22, 1972) is an American actor and author. He is the son of comedy filmmaker Mel Brooks and actress Anne Bancroft. Much of Brooks's writing focuses on zombie stories. He is a senior fellow at the Modern War ...
' book, ''Minecraft: The Island: A Novel''. Wiley also starred in a film called ''37'' (2016), a true story of thirty-seven people who witness a murder and none call the police or intervene. In 2016, she starred in a new play by
Quiara Alegría Hudes
Quiara Alegría Hudes (born 1977) is an American playwright, producer, lyricist and essayist. She is best known for writing the book for the musical ''In the Heights,'' and screenplay for its film adaptation. Hudes' first play in her ''Elliot Tri ...
called ''Daphne's Dive''.
She competed against ''New Black'' co-star
Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress and LGBT advocate. She rose to prominence with her role as Sophia Burset on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', becoming the first transgender person to be nominated for a Pr ...
in an episode of
Spike
Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Books
* ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave
* ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick
* ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...
's ''
Lip Sync Battle''. With performances of "
Un-Break My Heart
"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton for her second studio album, '' Secrets'' (1996). The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. It was released as the second single from the album on October 7, 1 ...
" by
Toni Braxton
Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...
and "
O.P.P." by
Naughty by Nature, Wiley emerged victorious.
Wiley was featured in ''Maniac Magazine'', appearing on the cover and in an editorial of the 2014 September/October issue displaying "a series of bold, chic, high fashion looks." She was also featured on the cover of 2014 edition of ''
Out'' magazine, along with
Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single " Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
,
Elliot Page, and
Zachary Quinto
Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series '' Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in the film ''Star Trek'' (2009) ...
.
Awards
In 2014, Wiley was named ''
Out'' magazine's Ingenue of the Year.
In February 2015, she was awarded the Human Rights Campaign's Visibility Award. According to the Human Rights Campaign's website, Wiley was always accepted and embraced by her parents, regardless of her sexuality, and to this she attributes her success.
In 2017, Wiley received an
Emmy Award nomination for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Begin ...
for her role in the
Hulu series ''
The Handmaid's Tale
''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which ...
'', going on to win
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series the following year.
In November 2017, Wiley was nominated to ''
Out'' magazine's "OUT100" for 2017 in recognition of her work and her visibility.
Personal life
On October 4, 2016, Wiley announced her engagement to ''
Orange Is the New Black'' writer
Lauren Morelli
Lauren Morelli is an American television writer, producer, and director.
Early life
Morelli, who grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of McCandless, Pennsylvania, graduated from Winchester Thurston School and then studied dance at Marymount Manha ...
and they married on March 25, 2017. Morelli gave birth to their first child, a daughter named George Elizabeth, on April 11, 2021.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video game
See also
*
LGBT culture in New York City
*
List of LGBT people from New York City
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, Samira
1987 births
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Washington, D.C.
African-American actresses
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Juilliard School alumni
LGBT African Americans
American LGBT actors
LGBT people from Washington, D.C.
LGBT actresses
Living people
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women