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Nicole Beharie

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Nicole Beharie
Beharie in 2014
Born
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Other nameNikki Beharie
EducationJuilliard School (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2008–present

Nicole Beharie is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama American Violet (2008), the psychological drama Shame (2011), the biographical sports drama 42 (2013), and the independent drama Miss Juneteenth (2020).

From 2013 to 2016, Beharie starred in the Fox supernatural drama series Sleepy Hollow. She went on to appear on the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror (2019). In 2023, she joined the cast of the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show, which earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Early life

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Beharie was born in West Palm Beach, Florida.[1] Her father is African-American, and her mother is Jamaican.[2] When Beharie was a child, her father was in the United States Foreign Service, and she lived in the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Panama.[3] She attended Orangeburg Wilkinson High School in Orangeburg, South Carolina and is a 2003 graduate of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities.[4] A public residential high school in Greenville. Beharie was then accepted into Juilliard School (Drama division Group 36: 2003–07).[5] She was awarded a Shakespeare scholarship and trained in England.[6]

Career

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Beharie made her feature film debut in the 2008 film American Violet,[7] where she played the leading role. Also in the same year she played Sarah Ward in the American sports film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story opposite actor Rob Brown. In the Lifetime movie, Sins of the Mother (2010),[8] Beharie portrayed Shay Hunter, a struggling university student who goes on a journey to mend her fractured relationship with her mother Nona played by Jill Scott.

In 2011, Beharie performed five original songs as a singer-songwriter opposite German actor Ken Duken in the romantic drama My Last Day Without You. In the Russell Leigh Sharman film adaptation of his play Apartment 4E, she played Piper, a troubled young woman who never leaves her apartment.[9] Beharie played Marianne in the Steve McQueen film Shame,[10] portraying a love interest of Michael Fassbender. Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe praised her performance, calling her "a marvel of natural transparency".[11]

In 2013, Beharie starred as Rachel Robinson, wife of Jackie Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman), in the historical baseball feature 42. The same year, she began portraying Abbie Mills on the Fox fantasy series Sleepy Hollow, which is based on the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving.[12] In early 2016, Beharie departed the series, with her character dying in the series' third-season finale, the episode entitled "Ragnarok", which was aired April 8, 2016.[13] She later stated that an autoimmune disease was one of the causes of her exit and also revealed that she struggled to find work and was labelled as problematic after her departure from the show.[14][15]

In 2020, she starred in Miss Juneteenth, a film about a former pageant winner preparing her teenage daughter to assume her former crown.[15] In 2023, she joined the cast of season three of the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.[16] Her performance in the series earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.[17]

In September 2025, it was announced that Beharie was signed on to the Netflix's crime drama series adaptation All the Sinners Bleed, based on the eponymous novel by S.A. Cosby.[18] The series begins filming in Georgia in early November.[19]

Filmography

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Film

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YearTitleRoleNotes
2008American VioletDee Roberts
The Express: The Ernie Davis StorySarah Ward
2011My Last Day Without YouLeticia Johnson
ShameMarianne
2012Apartment 4EPiper
The Last FallFaith Davis
The Mirror Between UsZoraShort film
Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th DayBeth Hutchins
201342Rachel Robinson
2018Monsters and MenMichelle
2019Jacob's LadderSamantha Singer
2020Miss JuneteenthTurquoise Jones
2022BreakingEstel Valerie
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.Shakura Sumpter
2025Love, BrooklynCasey
2026Killing CastroTBA
By Any MeansTBA

Television

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YearTitleRoleNotes
2009Three RiversHelen ReedEpisode: "Win-loss"
2010Sins of the MotherShayTelevision film
2011The Good WifeImani Stonehouse2 episodes
2012Law & Order: Special Victims UnitTracy HarrisonEpisode: "Child's Welfare"
2013–2016Sleepy HollowAbbie Mills / WitnessMain role (50 episodes)
2015BonesAbbie MillsEpisode: "The Resurrection in the Remains"
2017AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural ExchangeHost5 episodes
2019Black MirrorTheoEpisode: "Striking Vipers"
Credited as Nikki Beharie
2020Little Fires EverywhereMadeline RyanEpisode: "The Uncanny"
MonsterlandAnnieEpisode: "New Orleans, LA"
2021SolosNeraAnthology series[20]
Scenes from a MarriageKate2 episodes
2023The Morning ShowChristina HunterMain role (Season 3)[21]
TBA All the Sinners Bleed † Darlene In production as of November 2025[19]

Theatre

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YearTitleRoleVenue
2010–11A Free Man of ColorMargery JolicoeurVivian Beaumont Theatre (Broadway)

Soundtrack appearances

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YearAlbumSongs
2013My Last Day Without You"Two Hands", "Catch Me", "Morning Light", "Scars", "My Last Day Without You"

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2009 African-American Film Critics Best Actress[22] American Violet Won
2010 Black Reel Awards Best Actress Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Best Ensemble Nominated
2012 Best Song My Last Day Without You Nominated
2014 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Sleepy Hollow Nominated
2015 Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Nominated
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Favorite Actress on Television[23] Nominated
2021 Gotham Independent Film Awards Best Actress Miss Juneteenth Won
Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Lead Nominated
2024 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series The Morning Show Won
Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated

References

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  1. ↑ "Nicole Beharie Biography - Nicole Beharie Bio". Celebs101.com. January 3, 1985. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  2. ↑ Sinclair, Leah (September 26, 2020). "Miss Juneteenth star Nicole Beharie: 'Black people are not monolithic'" – via The Guardian.
  3. ↑ Mark Guiducci (April 12, 2013). "Here's to You, Mrs. Robinson: Ten Questions for 42′s Nicole Beharie". VOGUE Magazine. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Three drama alums on Broadway". South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities. November 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. March 2010. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  6. ↑ Osenlund, Kurt R (April 12, 2013). "On the Rise: Nicole Beharie". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Celebrities". BET. February 22, 2011. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Sins of the Mother". mylifetime.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Small Of Her Back". Small Of Her Back. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  10. ↑ "20 Questions: Theater & Film Ingenue Nicole Beharie - Entertainment Newswire | Black Voices". Bvnewswire.com. December 14, 2010. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  11. ↑ Morris, Wesley. "Down and dirty: Fassbender's performance as a sex addict is spellbinding, though 'Shame' is not". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 16, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. ↑ Topel, Fred (September 18, 2013). "Exclusive Interview: Nicole Beharie on 'Sleepy Hollow' and 42 We talk to Ichabod Crane's police partner on Fox's modern day "Sleepy Hollow" about the new take on the horror story, and her landmark role in the biopic 42". craveonline.com. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Nicole Beharie Leaving Sleepy Hollow". Tvline.com. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Nicole Beharie Reveals Autoimmune Disease Was Behind Her Exit From 'Sleepy Hollow'". etcanada.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Kelley, Sonaiya (June 19, 2020). "Nicole Beharie was called 'problematic' and blacklisted. 'Miss Juneteenth' brings redemption". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  16. ↑ "'The Morning Show's Nicole Beharie Signs With Sugar23". Deadline.
  17. ↑ Lewis, Hilary; Nordyke, Kimberly (July 17, 2024). "Emmys 2024: List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  18. ↑ Otterson, Joe (September 29, 2025). "'Morning Show' Star Nicole Beharie Joins 'All the Sinners Bleed' Series at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  19. 1 2 Staff, Filming in Georgia (October 3, 2025). "Netflix's All the Sinners Bleed to Begin Filming in Georgia". Filming in Georgia. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  20. ↑ Lezmi, Joshua (April 19, 2021). "'Solos,' Amazon's New Anthology Series, Debuts New Images with Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, and More". Collider. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  21. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 24, 2022). "Nicole Beharie Joins Season 3 Of 'The Morning Show' As New Series Regular". Deadline. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  22. ↑ "On the Rise: Nicole Beharie". slant magazine. April 12, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  23. ↑ "The 2015 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Winners and Full Results!". fangoria.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
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