DeWanda Wise
Biography
DeWanda Wise is an American actress born on May 30, 1984, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She was raised in Woodlawn, Laurel, and Baltimore, and began acting during her sophomore year at Atholton High School when her high school theatre director, Nathan Rosen, offered her a part in a production instead of detention. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2006 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in drama and urban studies, having worked as a resident assistant and a stocker at Trader Joe's during her undergraduate years. Wise is known for playing the lead role of Nola Darling in Spike Lee's ten-episode 2017 Netflix series She's Gotta Have It, which is a contemporary update of his 1986 film.
Career overview
DeWanda Wise is an American actress born in Jessup, Maryland, on May 30, 1984. She was raised in Woodlawn, Laurel, and Baltimore, and she began her acting career during her sophomore year at Atholton High School. Her high school theatre director, Nathan Rosen, offered her a part in a production in lieu of detention. She later attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's in fine arts in drama and urban studies. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a resident assistant and a stocker at Trader Joe's.
In her professional career, Wise has played the lead role as Nola Darling in Spike Lee's 2017 Netflix series She's Gotta Have It, which ran for ten episodes as a contemporary update of his 1986 film. Overall, the actress holds thirty-four known acting credits on The Movie Database.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Murderbot (2025) as Navigation Unit
- Killing Faith (2025) as Sarah
- Love, Brooklyn (2025) as Nicole
- Three Women (2024) as Sloane
- Imaginary (2024) as Jessica
- Imaginary (2024) Executive Producer
- Poolman (2024) as June Del Rey
- Sherri (2022) as Self - Guest
- Jurassic World Dominion (2022) as Kayla Watts
- Jurassic Greatest Moments: Jurassic Park to Jurassic World (2022) as Self
- Invasion (2021) as Deputy Grady
- Fatherhood (2021) as Lizzie aka Swan
- The Harder They Fall (2021) as Eleanor Love
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- The Twilight Zone (2019) as Alexa Brandt
- Someone Great (2019) as Erin Kennedy
- The Weekend (2019) as Margo Johnson
- She's Gotta Have It (2017) as Nola Darling
- Shots Fired (2017) as Shameeka Campbell
- How To Tell You're A Douchebag (2016) as Rochelle Marseilles
- Knucklehead (2015) as Charlotte
- Firelight (2012) as Terry Easle
- Black Swan Theory (2011) as Sonya
- Train (2010)
- The Good Wife (2009) as Jenni Salerno
- Spinning Into Butter (2009) as Claudia Thompson
- The Mentalist (2008) as Tanya Dean
- Pariah (2007) as Mika
- Steam (2007) as Lynn
- African Booty Scratcher (2007) as Isatu
- Made in Hollywood (2005) as Self
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) as Angela
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Lakeisha Watkins
- Behind the Lines as Self
- Killer Bee
- Killer Bee Executive Producer