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 is continuing to expand her presence on both the big and small screens with diverse and groundbreaking roles.
Laverne can currently be seen in the Oscar-winning film “Promising Young Woman” and is currently in production on Shonda Rhimes’ 10-episode limited series ‘Inventing Anna’ for Netflix. She recently appeared in Justin Simien’s independent film “Bad Hair.” Next up is the action-comedy JOLT alongside Kate Beckinsale, Bobby Cannavale, and Stanley Tucci. Laverne recently added podcaster to her resume launching “The Laverne Cox Show,” with Shondaland Audio and iHeart Radio.
Laverne is an Emmy-winning producer and her last documentary “Disclosure,” which she executive produced, is currently streaming on Netflix. Named one of 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 castmates 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.”