Age: 36
female
Danielle Brooks is an American actress whose work spans television, film, and Broadway. She first gained widespread recognition as Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson on Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), a role that became one of the series’ emotional centers and established her as a major presence on television. She later reached a broader mainstream audience starring as Leota Adebayo in James Gunn’s HBO series Peacemaker, where her performance played a central role in the show’s balance of action, satire, and character-driven storytelling. The series marked a high-profile expansion of her work into genre television tied to DC Comics. Brooks made her Broadway debut in 2015 as Sofia in the revival of The Color Purple, earning a Tony Award nomination and winning a Grammy Award with the cast. She reprised the role in the 2023 film adaptation, a performance that brought her nominations from the Academy Awards, BAFTA, and Golden Globes, solidifying her transition into major film roles. Alongside acting, Brooks has taken on producing and hosting work. She portrayed Mahalia Jackson in the television biopic Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (2021), serving as an executive producer and earning a Primetime Emmy nomination. She later hosted Netflix’s Instant Dream Home, receiving a Daytime Emmy nomination for her work as a program host. Brooks has continued to balance screen and stage appearances, returning to Broadway in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson and starring in the fantasy adventure comedy A Minecraft Movie, further expanding her range across genres.
In the summer of 1977, two rival gangs reign supreme on the mean streets of New York City: the all-male Black Magnums — including the hardened and determined Isaiah Brooks, the whip-smart Jerome Shaw, the trigger-happy Omar Harris, and resourceful brothers Jimmy and Darius Younger — and the all-female New Obsidians — including the resilient Lena Murphy, the silent but deadly Sharon Atkins, the rough-and-tumble Sidney Pryor, the wily Bianca Deane, and the fiery Marsha Bryant. But notorious mob boss Sal Mancini, however, has his own ruthless plans to dominate the city with an iron fist, aided by his cynical wife Vicky, his conflicted daughter Tiffany, his feared second-in-command Tommy O'Shea, and his drug-addicted long-time associate Leo Rossi. With the police — including surly chief Walter Schrader, jaded captain Richard Bullock, and furtive lieutenant Howard Langston — unwilling to protect them, hits ordered on their loved ones, and several of their members being executed as witnesses, both gangs partner up to wage war against Mancini's crew and take back their home.
