Danielle Brooks is an Award-winning actress and singer. 

Up next, she stars in The Color Purple, the Warner Bros. feature film adaption of the Broadway musical where she will reprise the iconic role of “Sofia.” Directed by Blitz Bazawule and Produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, the film will be released in December 2023. 

Brooks made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning revival of The Color Purple, which earned her a Tony Award nomination, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award. She also received a Grammy Award and a Theatre World Award for "Significant Broadway Debut."

She most recently starred in August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play The Piano Lesson opposite Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington and directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson. For her performance, she earned nominations for a Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Award.

On stage, Brooks also starred as “Beatrice” in The Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Kenny Leon. For her performance, she received the AUDELCO Award for “Lead Actress in a Musical,” the ANTONYO Award for “Best Actor in a Play, Off-Broadway,” and a Drama League Award nomination for “Distinguished Performance.” 

She can also be currently seen in James Gunn’s HBO Max spinoff television series Peacemaker. Brooks previously starred as Mahalia Jackson in Robin Roberts Presents: The Mahalia Jackson Story on Lifetime. The biopic, directed by Kenny Leon, traced Jackson's life and career as she became arguably the best-known gospel singer in the mid-20th century and a civil rights activist who sang at the 1963 March on Washington.

Brooks also starred in Orange Is The New Black. The Hollywood Reporter included Brooks’ season 7 performance in their list of ‘The Best TV Performances of 2019’. For her performance, Brooks was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series" as well as a Satellite Award for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture made for Television.” Danielle was also the recipient of the Young Hollywood Award for "Breakthrough Actress” and nominated for a NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series". Brooks received the Screen Actors Guild Award for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series” three years in a row. 

Brooks’ other work includes appearing in Netflix’s docuseries A Little Bit Pregnant, a leading role in Chris Morris’ Clemency opposite Alfre Woodard, Wendell Pierce and Aldis Hodge, a leading role in the independent feature All The Little Things We Kill, a leading role in the independent feature, SADIE opposite Melanie Lynsky, a series lead role in the upcoming TBS primetime animated series Close Enough, a recurring role on Aziz Ansari’s Emmy-winning, Netflix comedy series, Master Of None and guest leading roles on HBO’s High Maintenance and Girls. Brooks also voiced two characters for Sony’s Angry Birds, and previously starred in Oren Moverman’s Time Out Of Mind and the independent feature, I Dream Too Much, which premiered at SXSW. 

Brooks released her four-track EP entitled Four in 2019. She co-wrote the four songs, which include “Seasons,” which was featured in the series finale of Orange Is The New Black. 

In 2022, Brooks released a capsule collection with 11 Honoré. Previously, Brooks was one of the faces of Lane Bryant's "I'm No Angel" Campaign alongside Ashley Graham and released a clothing line with Universal Standard. Brooks was also the face of Christian Siriano's debut Spring capsule collection for Lane Bryant and was the face of Lane Bryant's Fall Campaign.

Brooks, a graduate of Juilliard, is the co-founder of “Black Women on Broadway,” which held its inaugural awards in 2022 and honors the legacy of Black Women’s contributions to theatre.

Brooks grew up in South Carolina and is a graduate of The Juilliard School.