Aunjanue Ellis Biography
Aunjanue L. Ellis-Taylor is an American actress who rose to fame for her roles in Men of Honor (2000), The Caveman’s Valentine (2001), Ray (2004), Undercover Brother (2002) and The Help (2011). She even gained more fame for playing a major supporting role, Brandi Williams in the newly released King Richard Movie. Ellis has won three Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award and Critic’s Choice Movie award for her best-supporting roles.
Aunjanue Ellis Education
Ellis joined Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi and then transferred to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in African-American studies. Moreover, she even studied acting and theatre arts with Jim Barnhill and John Emigh before her graduation. From there, Elis moved to New York and studied at the New York University Tisch School of Arts. Additionally, she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Aujanue Ellis Career
Aunjane made her acting debut by playing Ariel in a Broadway revival called The Tempest. Afterwards, she then starred in a Fox Police drama called New York Undercover and co-starred in Girls Town from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. After this, she appeared in various films like Men of Honor (2000), Undercover Brother (2002), Ray (2004), Freedomland (2006), and The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008).
Moreover, she has also participated in The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), The Help (2011), The Birth of a Nation (2016), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), and The Color Purple (2023). In one of her breakthrough roles as Oracene Price in King Richard (2021), Ellis was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Furthermore, Ellis has had regular recurring roles on TV like High Incident (1996–1997), The Practice (1999), True Blood (2008), and The Mentalist (2010–2013).
She also appeared in several television films and played a leading role in the miniseries The Book of Negroes (2015), which earned her a Canadian Screen Award, and starred in the series Quantico (2015–2017). Additionally, she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in the miniseries When They See Us (2019) and the series Lovecraft Country (2021). Additionally, she has also starred in upcoming unreleased Movies like The Color Purple set to be released toward the end of 2023, The Suppreme At Eral’s All-You-Can-Eat, The Deliverance, The Nickel Boys, and Exhibiting Forgiveness.
Aunjanue Ellis Age
How old is Aunjanue Ellis? Ellis is 55 years old as of 2024. She was born on February 21, 1969, in San Francisco, California, United States. In addition, Ellis celebrates her birthday on February 21st every year. Her zodiac birth sign is Aquarius.
Aunjanue Ellis Height | Weight
How tall is Aunjanue Ellis? Ellis stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75m). She also weighs approximately 60 kilograms (132 Ibs). Additionally, Aunjanue’s hair colour is dark brown and her eye colour is black. Her other body measurements are 42-29-77 inches respectively.
Aunjanue Ellis Parents | Family
Aunjanue L. Ellis-Taylor was born to loving African-American parents living in the suburbs of San Francisco, California. However, she grew up with her sister Sasha Ellis alongside their grandmother who lived on a farm situated in McComb, Magnolia, Mississippi. She grew up as a very smart kid who studied hard and helped her grandmother with the daily chores after school. In 2023, Ellis began going by the double-barrelled name Ellis-Taylor, in honour of her mother. We are unsure, however, that Ellis may have grown up without the support and guidance typically provided by family members.
She might have had to navigate life’s challenges independently or with the support of friends, mentors, or other non-family figures. Despite the absence of a conventional family background, Aunjanue may have forged her path and built a fulfilling life based on her strengths, values, and aspirations. Therefore, Ellis was not raised by her biological parents. Thus, more information regarding Ellis’ mother and father is still under review. We will update you once it is available.
Aunjanue Ellis Husband
Is Ellis Aunjanue Married? Is Aunjanue Ellis Bisexual? As of 2024, Ellis-Taylor is not married to anyone and has no husband. She came out as bisexual through her column in a famous Magazine, Variety in 2022. Ellis wore a red Dolce & Gabbana suit jacket that had the word queer in rhinestones embedded in it. She feared being rejected since she was eight years old and realized she was queer. As a teenager, Ellis tried to thrust herself to be attracted to boys, but later on, she apprehended herself and started to open up about it.
Ellis successfully held her dating life private, she did talk about a lasting 11-year relationship with a man she met at church in a Variety interview. Moreover, she also reportedly had a loving relationship with Stan Jones during her time on the show, Quantico. She is recognized for finding personal fulfilment through her work rather than relying on relationships or marriage. Despite being a romantic type individual, she doesn’t consider herself to be the marrying type.
Despite playing the role of a mother figure Brandi Williams in King Richard’s Biopic, Ellis is not married in real life. She also does not have children of her own as well. Moreover, Aunjnaue is known for being secretive about her dating life. Thus, information regarding her previous relationship and ex-partner is still under review. Ellis now lives alone in a simple luxurious apartment situated in Los Angeles, California.
Aunjanue Ellis Daughter
Ellis does not have a daughter in real life. However, Aunjanue wrote a letter to her daughters Demi, Saniyya, Layla, Daniele, Mikayla, Jada and Jurnee, Ebony and Dominique and my baby Bowie. This is according to Variety Magazine. The letter was named My Bright, Black Future and focused on why black women should get the exposure needed; hence, her daughters’ work is necessary.
Moreover, the letter concluded by directing herself as an On-screen Mama, Aunt on and off screen, and a friend for life to her daughters in King Richards.
Aunjanue Ellis King Richard
King Richard is a popular American biographical drama film that was released as a biopic following the life of a father figure and coach of his famed tennis players and daughters Venus and Serena Williams. The film was executively produced by Venus and Serena who described their dad through the script of the film.
The film stars Will Smith playing Richard’s lead role and Ellis Playing the role of King Richard’s wife Brandi Williams. She also went to a Jehovah’s Witness worship service to get a sense of the experiences of black women of faith as Oracene followed that faith. To understand Aunjanue better, Ellis listened to recordings of Oracene and learned about her role as a coach and a mother.
Aunjanue Ellis’s Net Worth
Ellis has an estimated net worth of around $6 million. Her primary source of income is her career as a television and film actress.
Aunjanue Ellis Movies
- 1996 Girls Town
- 1998 Side Streets
- 1999 A Map of the World
- 2000 John John in the Sky
- 2001 The Caveman’s Valentine
- 2002 Undercover Brother
- 2004 Brother to Brother
- 2005 Perception
- 2006 Freedomland
- 2007 Cover
- 2008 Racing for Time
- 2009 Notorious
- 2009 I Love You
- 2009 Motherhood
- 2009 The Hungry Ghosts
- 2009 Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
- 2009 The Taking of Pelham 123
- 2010 The Tested
- 2011 The Resident
- 2012 Abducted: The Carlina White Story
- 2013 The Volunteer
- 2014 Of Mind and Music
- 2016 The Birth of a Nation
- 2017 Romeo and Juliet in Harlem
- 2018 If Beale Street Could Talk
- 2019 Miss Virginia
- 2020 The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel
- 2020 The Subject
- 2021 King Richard
- 2022 Fannie
- 2023 The Color Purple
TV Shows
- 1995 New York Undercover
- 1996–97 High Incident
- 1999 The Practice
- 2000 Third Watch
- 2001 100 Centre Street
- 2002 MDs
- 2004 The D.A.
- 2005 Jonny Zero
- 2005–06 E-Ring Jocelyn Pierce
- 2007 Law & Order: Criminal Intent
- 2008 The Border
- 2008 True Blood
- 2009 The Good Wife
- 2010–13 The Mentalist
- 2011 Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta
- 2012 Blue Bloods
- 2012 Missing Mary Dresden
- 2012–17 NCIS: Los Angeles
- 2014 Sleepy Hollow
- 2015 The Book of Negroes
- 2015–17 Quantico
- 2018–19 Designated Survivor
- 2019 When They See Us
- 2020 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
- 2020 Release Ida
- 2020 Lovecraft Country
- 2022 61st Street
- 2023 Justified: City Primeval
Aunjanue Ellis Awards and Recognition
As a successful actress, Aunajanue has won 22 awards and been a nominee of around 70 awards. Ellis has been a nominee for the;
- Academy Awards
- British Academy Films Award
- Golden Globe Award
- Primetime Emmy Awards
- Screen Actors Guild Awards
- NAACP Awards
- Satellite Awards
- Critics Awards
- Black Reel Awards
Additionally, she has also won the;
- Black Reel
- Canadian Screen Awards
- National Board of Review
- 11 Critics Awards in (Different Associations)