Meet the Speaker: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Oscar-nominated actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor was born in San Francisco, California. She graduated from Brown University and later attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

During her career, Ellis performed on Off-Broadway theater, appeared in many films, and had roles on television. In film, she is best known for her roles in Men of Honor (2000), Undercover Brother (2002), Ray (2004), and The Help (2011). On television, Ellis had her most significant role on the 2015 mini-series, The Book of Negroes.

Most recently, Ellis was featured in HBO’s Love Craft Country (2020), The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel (2020), directed by Christine Swanson ’94, King Richard (2022) where she was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance as Serena and Venus Williams’ mother, Oracene “Brandy” Williams, and The Color Purple (2023).