Laverne Cox
Biography
Laverne Cox, born May 29, 1972, in Mobile, Alabama, United States, is an American actress and LGBTQ advocate. She is identified as female and has accumulated 86 credited roles. Cox gained widespread recognition for portraying Sophia Burset in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, a performance that made her the first transgender person nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category and the first transgender nominee for any Emmy since composer Angela Morley in 1990. In 2015 she earned a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer of Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, becoming the first trans woman to win that honor. In 2017 she became the first transgender actor to play a transgender series regular on U.S. broadcast television, appearing as Cameron Wirth on CBS’s Doubt.
Career overview
Laverne Cox was born on May 29, 1972, in Mobile, Alabama, United States. Identified as female, she has built a career as an actress and an advocate for LGBTQ rights. By the time she accumulated more than eighty credited appearances, Cox had become a prominent figure in contemporary television, recognized for her contributions both on screen and behind the camera.
Cox rose to widespread recognition through her portrayal of Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. The performance earned her a historic nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category, marking the first time a transgender person received such a nomination and the first Emmy nomination for a transgender individual since composer Angela Morley in 1990.
In addition to her acting work, Cox earned a Daytime Emmy Award in 2015 for Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer of Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, becoming the first trans woman to win that award. Two years later, she broke another barrier by playing Cameron Wirth on the CBS drama Doubt, the first instance of a transgender actor regularly portraying a transgender character on U.S. broadcast television.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
99 titles- Outcome (2026) as Virginia Allen-Green
- Animal Farm (2026) as Snowball (voice)
- Clean Slate (2025) as Desiree
- Clean Slate (2025) Executive Producer
- Clean Slate (2025) Story
- Clean Slate (2025) Creator
- Celebrity Weakest Link (2025) as Self - Contestant
- Heightened Scrutiny (2025) as Self
- Heightened Scrutiny (2025) Executive Producer
- A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025) as Stacy
- The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2025) as Self
- A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint (2025) as Self
- Outlaws with TS Madison (2025)
- Uglies (2024) as Dr. Cable
- The Stroll (2023) as Self (archive footage)
- The Jennifer Hudson Show (2022) as Self
- Sherri (2022) as Self - Guest
- Inventing Anna (2022) as Kacy Duke
- Password (2022) as Self - Celebrity Guest
- Power of Women: The Changemakers (2022) as Self
- Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter (2022) as Self
- If We're Being Honest with Laverne Cox (2022) as Host - Self
- Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (2021) as Self - Contestant
- Jolt (2021) as Detective Nevin
- Amend: The Fight for America (2021) as Self
- Senior Entourage (2021) as Laverne
- Senior Entourage (2021) as Self
- Bad Hair (2021) as Virgie
- The Normal Heart (2021)
- Promising Young Woman (2020) as Gail
- Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (2020) as God (voice)
- Disclosure (2020) as Self - Actress
- Disclosure (2020) Executive Producer
- Bottomless Brunch at Colman's (2020) as Self
- Visible: Out on Television (2020) as Self
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- A Little Late with Lilly Singh (2019) as Self
- Charlie's Angels (2019) as Bomb Instructor
- A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019) as Kiana
- Can You Keep a Secret? (2019) as Cybill
- Weird City (2019) as Liquia
- Savage X Fenty Show (2019) as Self
- Freak Show (2018) as Felicia Watts
- Unapologetic with Aisha Tyler (2018) as Self
- We Won't Be Erased (2018) as Self
- The Advocate Celebrates 50 Years: A Long Road to Freedom (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- Drop the Mic (2017) as Self
- Drop the Mic (2017)
- Doubt (2017) as Cameron Wirth
- Gavin Grimm vs. (2017) as Self
- Time Marches Forward & So Do We (2017) as Narrator (voice)
- Match Game (2016) as Self - Panelist
- To Tell the Truth (2016) as Self - Panelist
- The $100,000 Pyramid (2016) as Self
- Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party (2016)
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016) as Dr. Frank-N-Furter
- Free CeCe! (2016) as Herself
- The Trans List (2016) as Self
- Celebrity Family Feud (2015) as Self - Contestant
- Lip Sync Battle (2015) as Self
- Grandma (2015) as Deathy
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014) as Self
- Faking It (2014) as Margot
- Trailblazer Honors (2014) as Self - Honoree
- The T Word (2014) as Herself
- The T Word (2014) Executive Producer
- The T Word (2014) Director
- Grand Street (2014) as Chardonnay
- The Blacklist (2013) as Dr. Laken Perillos
- Orange Is the New Black (2013) as Sophia Burset
- The Mindy Project (2012) as Sheena
- The Exhibitionists (2012) as Blithe Stargazer
- Musical Chairs (2012) as Chantelle
- Carl(a) (2011) as Cinnamon
- Who Do You Think You Are? (2010) as Self
- Down This Road (2010) as Bartender
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009) as Self - Guest
- RuPaul's Drag Race (2009) as Self
- Uncle Stephanie (2009) as Stephanie
- Project Runway (2004) as Self - Guest Judge
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) as Laverne Cox
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Candayce
- The View (1997) as Self - Guest
- The View (1997) as Self - Guest Co-Host
- The View (1997) as Self
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self - Guest
- Law & Order (1990) as Minnie
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- MTV Video Music Awards (1984) as Self - Presenter
- People's Choice Awards (1975) as Self - Presenter
- American Music Awards (1974) as Self - Presenter
- The Grammys (1959) as Self
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Soapbox
- Soapbox Executive Producer
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Laverne Cox best known for?
Laverne Cox is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Outcome (2026), Animal Farm (2026), Celebrity Weakest Link (2025), A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025).
When and where was Laverne Cox born?
Laverne Cox was born on May 29, 1972 in Mobile, Alabama, USA.
How many credits does Laverne Cox have?
Laverne Cox has accumulated over 99 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1953 to 2026.
What is Laverne Cox's background in cinema and television?
Laverne Cox, born May 29, 1972, in Mobile, Alabama, United States, is an American actress and LGBTQ advocate. She is identified as female and has accumulated 86 credited roles. Cox gained widespread recognition for portraying Sophia Burset in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, a performance that made her the f...
Laverne Cox by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- People's Choice Awards (1975) as Self - Presenter — aged about 3
- The Grammys (1959) as Self — aged about 12
- American Music Awards (1974) as Self - Presenter — aged about 2
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000) as Laverne Cox — aged about 28
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Candayce — aged about 27
- Disclosure (2020) as Self - Actress — aged about 48
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