Shareeka Epps (born July 11, 1989) is an American actress. She is best known for starring in the 2006 film ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'', alongside
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received ...
. She won the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead
The Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead wass one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding Leading actor, lead performance in an independent film. It was first presented in 1985 with Gera ...
for her performance in the film.
Life and career
After being discovered in junior high school, Epps starred in the low budget, short film ''
Gowanus, Brooklyn
Gowanus ( ) is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community District 6. Gowanus is bounded by Wyckoff Street on ...
'' alongside Matt Kerr, playing the role of "Drey", a high school student. The short film won the Short Filmmaking Award at "
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
" in 2004.
The success of ''Gowanus, Brooklyn'' led to a full-length feature film, ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
''. Released August 11, 2006 the story concerns an inner city middle-school teacher who forms a friendship with one of his students after she discovers that he has a drug habit. Epps reprised her role as "Drey" and the role of the teacher was replaced by
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received ...
. The film also starred rising star
Anthony Mackie
Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his per ...
.
For ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'', Epps won the
Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor
The Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. It was first awarded in 1998, with Sonja Sohn and Saul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapp ...
(2006);
was named Best Supporting Actress by the
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...
(2006);
won the WFCC Award for Female Rights To Male Roles in Movies at the
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
The Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) is a Film criticism, film critics and scholars association in the United States. Found in 2004, WFCC was the first all-women group of this type in that country.
WFCC has 75 members from the United States a ...
(2006);
and Best Female lead by the
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...
(2007).
Epps also received nominations from the
Broadcast Film Critics Association
The Critics Choice Association (CCA), formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), is an association of television, radio and online critics. Their membership includes critics who review film and television. Founded in 1995, it is the ...
;
Alliance of Women Film Journalists
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is a non-profit organization founded in 2006. It is based in New York City and is dedicated to supporting work by and about women in the film industry. The AWFJ is composed of 84 professional female ...
;
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writt ...
;
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is an association of professional film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The organization was founded in 1990 by film critics Sharon LeM ...
;,
Online Film Critics Society Awards
The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is an international professional association of online film journalists, historians and scholars who publish their work on the World Wide Web. The organization was founded in January 1997 by Harvey S. Karten ...
;
St. Louis Film Critics Association, US
and two
Black Reel Awards
The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...
nominations.
Epps graduated in 2007 from
Binghamton High School
Binghamton High School, a combined high school of the previous Binghamton North High School and Binghamton Central High School, is a large public high school located in the center of Binghamton, New York. The school is culturally diverse, with ...
in upstate New York, and attended
SUNY Broome Community College
SUNY Broome Community College (SUNY Broome) is a public community college in Broome County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY). The college was founded in 1946 and has gone through several name changes. The school i ...
, where she earned her associates' degree.
In 2007, Epps acted in ''
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem'' as Kendra although her portrayal of Kendra was almost entirely omitted from the theatrical as well as the home video release. She has one scene left in the final cut, as an extra at the Gunnison Diner along with her onscreen brother Meshach Peters.
[ ]
Epps made her first TV appearance in an episode of ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' airing on April 15, 2008, titled "Undercover" as Ashley Tyler. In 2013 she starred in ''
American Milkshake
''American Milkshake'' is a 2013 American dark comedy film written, produced, and directed by David Andalman and Mariko Munro, starring Tyler Ross, Shareeka Epps, Georgia Ford, Eshan Bay, Leo Fitzpatrick and Danny Burstein.
Plot
In the mid-1990s, ...
'' alongside Tyler Ross and Georgia Ford.
In 2009, Shareeka provided spoken word vocals on the songs "Intro" and "Werewolf Heart" from
Dead Man's Bones
Dead Man's Bones is a rock duo consisting of actor Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. Their first album, ''Dead Man's Bones'', was released on 6 October 2009 through ANTI- Records. The entire album is a collaboration with the Silverlake Conservator ...
eponymous debut album. Ryan Gosling, who co-starred in ''Half Nelson'', is one of the two members of Dead Man's Bones.
Epps currently resides in New York.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
*
Black Reel Awards
The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...
**2007, Best Supporting Actress: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Nominated)
**2007, Best Breakthrough Performance: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Nominated)
*
Boston Society of Film Critics
The Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) is an organization of film reviewers from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.
History
The BSFC was formed in 1981 to make “Boston’s unique critical perspective heard on a national and internati ...
**2007, Best Supporting Actress: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Winner)
*
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writt ...
**2007, Best Young Actress: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Nominated)
*
Chicago Film Critics
**2007, Most Promising Newcomer: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Nominated)
*
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...
**2006, Best Female Lead: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Winner)
*
Online Film Critics Society
The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is an international professional association of online film journalists, historians and scholars who publish their work on the World Wide Web. The organization was founded in January 1997 by Harvey S. Karten ...
**2007, Best Breakthrough Performance: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Nominated)
*
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
The St. Louis Film Critics Association (SLFCA) is an organization of film critics operating in Greater St. Louis and adjoining areas of Missouri and Illinois which was founded in 2004.
In December of every year, the SLFCA assemble to vote on their ...
**2007, Best Supporting Actress: ''
Half Nelson
A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...
'' (Nominated)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epps, Shareeka
1989 births
Actresses from New York City
Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead winners
Living people
People from Brooklyn
21st-century American actresses
African-American actresses
American film actresses
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
Actors from Binghamton, New York