Danai Gurira

Danai Jekesai Gurira is a multi-talented actress and playwright who has taken the world by storm. A Zimbabwean-American born in Grinnell, Iowa on February 14th 1978, Gurira moved with her family to Harare, Zimbabwe at the age of five. With an older brother who is a chiropractor and two older sisters, a mother who is a university librarian and a father who is a chemistry professor, it's no surprise that Gurira excelled in her studies and earned her MFA at New York University. Gurira is best known for her powerful roles as Michonne in the AMC post-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead, and as Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But that's not all that Gurira can do! She's also a highly acclaimed playwright, having written the Tony-nominated play Eclipsed as well as several others. She's a tireless philanthropist, working with organizations like the International Rescue Committee to help those in need. And she's even a writer - penning the comic book series, The History of the Black Panther. So if you're looking for an inspirational role model, look no further than Danai Gurira! After all, as she says, "Dreams don't have deadlines!" (And as for that joke? It's that she's so multi-talented, she can even make deadlines!)