6 Facts About The Harder They Fall's Danielle Deadwyler That Prove She Has the Range

Taking Atlanta’s theatre scene by storm early on in her career, Danielle boasts a handful of notable wins. In 2015, she earned a Suzi Bass Award for outstanding lead actress in a play. “A certain performative theatricality has always been ingrained in my day-to-day,” she told Variety about her extensive theatre background. “Stage, performance, theatre – those things are the bedrock for me.”

Alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Danielle is set to portray Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, in the upcoming film Till. Directed by Chinonye Chukwu, Mamie Till-Mobley’s pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son will serve as the film’s focal point. “It is a gift to learn the legacy and intimacies of our ancestors, those familial and communal, as is the life of Mamie Till-Mobley, a public leader and mother of the movement,” Danielle told Variety about being cast in the film. We can’t wait to see her bring this important part of American history to the big screen!

In addition to stealing scenes in The Harder They Fall, Danielle is best known for her work in HBO’s The Watchmen, but you’ve also caught glimpses of the versatile actress in FX’s Atlanta, BET’s Being Mary Jane, and OWN’s The Haves and the Have Nots. Her ability to effortlessly transition from comedy to mystery and science fiction has us in awe.

Before she got into acting, Danielle was once a school teacher. “I did the academic thing, taught elementary school for two years, traversed back to saying, ‘No, the arts is the defining quality of my life,'” she told WGWR in 2020. “And that is something that I have to carry forth, it is a mission, it is a spiritual undertaking that I will continue with for the rest of my life . . . in various mediums.”