Laverne Cox
With various ‘firsts’ in her already impressive career, Laverne Cox is a four-time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy winning producer and a prominent equal rights advocate and public speaker. Laverne's groundbreaking role of Sophia Burset in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series "Orange is The New Black" brought her to the attention of diverse audiences all over the world. This role led to Laverne becoming the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime acting Emmy and made her the first Trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television series.
Laverne continues to expand her presence on both the big and small screens with diverse and groundbreaking roles. She can currently be seen as ‘Dr. Cable’ in the hit Netflix film “Uglies,” from director McG. The film which also stars Joey King and Chase Stokes, debuted in Netflix’s Top 10. Next up, Laverne will star in the Amazon comedy “Clean Slate,” a Laverne Cox Production in Collaboration with Norman Lear's Act III Productions, Sony Television Studios & Amazon Prime. The series, which is slated for March 2025, follows Harry (Wallace), an old-school and outspoken car wash owner, who is thrilled his estranged child is finally returning home to Alabama after 17 years. However, Henry has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the determined, proud, trans woman, Desiree (Cox). Laverne also serves as Executive Producer.
Laverne is the host of the “Live From E!” franchise that is known for its extensive coverage of the preamble to awards shows airing on E!. She also host’s “If Were Being Honest” for E!, a series of celebrity interview specials. Her other hosting duties include her podcast “The Laverne Cox Show,” with Shondaland Audio and iHeart Radio.
Laverne’s other acting credits include the Emmy nominated Shonda Rhimes’ limited series 'Inventing Anna' for Netflix, the Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG nominated film “Promising Young Woman,” the action comedy JOLT alongside Kate Beckinsale, Bobby Cannavale and Stanley Tucci and Justin Simien’s independent film “Bad Hair.”
Laverne is an Emmy winning producer and her latest documentary "Disclosure,” which she executive produced, is streaming on Netflix. Named one the 100 best documentaries of all time by Vogue, Disclosure gives an unprecedented, groundbreaking look at the depiction of transgender characters throughout the history of film and TV. Her other documentaries include the Emmy-winning “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word” and “Free CeCe.”
An artist and an advocate with an empowering message of moving beyond gender expectations to live more authentically, Laverne is the first openly transgender person to appear on the covers of TIME Magazine, British Vogue, Cosmopolitan magazine and Essence magazines among others. She was named one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year. Laverne also proudly holds two SAG Awards, winning them with her Orange Is the New Black cast mates for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.” Other accolades include a Critic’s Choice nomination for “Best Supporting Actress,” and consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.”
