---
name: "Danielle Deadwyler"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/danielle-deadwyler"
fi1m_id: "danielle-deadwyler"
imdb_id: "nm4314990"
tmdb_id: 1853909
wikidata_id: "Q23058828"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "3 May 1982"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-10-03T03:04:11.102792+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Danielle Deadwyler

## Identity

Danielle Deadwyler

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/danielle-deadwyler
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** danielle-deadwyler
- **IMDb ID:** nm4314990
- **TMDB ID:** 1853909
- **Wikidata ID:** Q23058828
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Deadwyler, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23058828, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4314990/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1853909

Actor. Born 3 May 1982 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 3 May 1982, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- **Active:** 2021–present
- **Also known as:** ダニエル・デッドワイラー, دانیل ددویلر
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 69 to 69 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 4 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Comedy 1, History 1, Horror 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $17m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Deadwyler, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23058828, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4314990/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1853909

## Coming up

- *The Saviors* (2027-03-26), as Kimberley Harrison

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*The Piano Lesson*](https://film.one/film/the-piano-lesson.md) (65)
- **HBO Max:** [*Rooster*](https://film.one/tv/rooster.md) (57)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Danielle Deadwyler

> Danielle Deadwyler can make a woman standing still the person we watch most closely. We value her restraint and her precise physical acting, even when the scripts give her less to work with than she deserves.

In *The Piano Lesson* (2024), Danielle Deadwyler keeps Berniece’s arms folded while John David Washington’s Boy Willie fills the house with talk. Her stillness gives the family quarrel a weight that his volume cannot supply on its own. We were moved by her account of what the piano cost the family, spoken without tears. She makes us understand why Berniece keeps an object she cannot bring herself to touch.

Her screen career took time to reach parts with that much room. Supporting television work through the 2010s preceded the breakthroughs of *The Harder They Fall* (2021) and *Station Eleven* (2021), followed by the lead as Mamie Till-Mobley in *Till* (2022). Much of her dramatic work asks her to convey grief, and her gestures make it physically recognisable. An eyelid flutter or a change in bodily tension can tell us what a more demonstrative performance would announce. That capacity for restraint is the quality we most want filmmakers to trust.

Malcolm Washington’s *The Piano Lesson* gives her August Wilson’s words, but not always the best setting for them. The middle hour is slow, and the film keeps leaving its Pittsburgh parlour when the actors have given us good reason to stay there. Deadwyler’s measured delivery usefully counters John David Washington’s unvarying force, though that cannot fix the pacing. Our recommendation rests heavily on her: this is a decent, uneven film with a performance worth making time for.

There is good reason not to confine her to solemn parts. Her guest appearance as Chantel in *The Bear* (2025) demonstrates her comic timing, while *Rooster* (2026) places her in an appealing ensemble alongside Steve Carell. As Dylan Shepard, she helps make the encounters enjoyable before the series has done enough to interest us in the people. The familiar jokes and underwritten father-daughter relationship still leave it difficult to recommend. For an introduction to Deadwyler, start with *The Piano Lesson*, and allow for a slow middle.

## Biography

Danielle Deadwyler is an American actress. She began her career appearing on the Atlanta stage and made her screen debut in the 2012 drama film *A Cross to Bear*. She appeared in the series *The Haves and the Have Nots* (2015–2017), *P-Valley* (2020), the miniseries *Station Eleven* (2021–2022) and *From Scratch* (2022).

Deadwyler received critical attention for her roles in *The Harder They Fall* (2021) and as Mamie Till in *Till* (2022), for which she received BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. She starred as Berniece Charles in *The Piano Lesson* (2024) and as Dylan Shepard in the series *Rooster* (2026). She was named to Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in 2025.

She holds a BA from Spelman College, an MA from Columbia University and an MFA from Ashland University.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, hollywoodreporter.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Rooster* (2026), Fi1m 57, as Dylan Shepard — [page](https://film.one/tv/rooster.md)
- *I Saw the TV Glow* (2024), Fi1m 74, as Brenda — [page](https://film.one/film/i-saw-the-tv-glow.md)
- *The Piano Lesson* (2024), Fi1m 65, as Berniece Charles — [page](https://film.one/film/the-piano-lesson.md)
- *Till* (2022), Fi1m 80, as Mamie Till-Mobley — [page](https://film.one/film/till.md)

## Complete filmography (34)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Saviors* (2027), as Kimberley Harrison · Executive Producer
- *Rooster* (2026), series, as Dylan Shepard — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/tv/rooster.md)
- *40 Acres* (2025), as Hailey Freeman · Executive Producer
- *The Woman in the Yard* (2025), as Ramona · Executive Producer
- *Carry-On* (2024), as Elena Cole
- *The Piano Lesson* (2024), as Berniece Charles — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/the-piano-lesson.md)
- *I Saw the TV Glow* (2024), as Brenda — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/i-saw-the-tv-glow.md)
- *Parallel* (2024), as Vanessa · Executive Producer
- *From Scratch* (2022), series, as Zora Wheeler
- *Till* (2022), as Mamie Till-Mobley — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/till.md)
- *The Bear* (2022), series, as Chantel — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-bear-2022.md)
- *Station Eleven* (2021), series, as Miranda Carroll — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/station-eleven.md)
- *The Harder They Fall* (2021), as Cuffee
- *The Devil to Pay* (2020), as Lemon Cassidy · Producer
- *CHOR(E)S* (2020), Director
- *P-Valley* (2020), series, as Yoli
- *Paradise Lost* (2020), series, as Nicque Green
- *It's Time* (2020), as Karen Phillips
- *FBI: Most Wanted* (2020), series, as Cleo Wilkens
- *Black Dispatch* (2019), as Sable
- *Watchmen* (2019), series, as June — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/watchmen-2019.md)
- *Jane and Emma* (2018), as Jane Manning
- *The Leisure Seeker* (2018), as Hotel Waitress
- *Gifted* (2017), as Animal Shelter Worker
- *MacGyver* (2016), series, as Brunette Agent
- *Greenleaf* (2016), series, as Stacy
- *The Youth* (2015), as Hoda
- *Sweet, Sweet Country* (2013), as Ndizeye
- *A Cross to Bear* (2012), as Erica
- *The Chaperones*, Actor
- *bustitOpen*, Director, Producer, Writer
- *The Bell Jar*, as Dr. Nolan
- *Otis & Zelma*, as Zelma Redding
- *The Street*, as Lutie Johnson · Producer

## Gallery

- ![Danielle Deadwyler](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-b2e422728017.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler — Felipe Barral, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Danielle_Deadwyler_for_ArtsATL_Kindle_Award.jpg/1280px-Danielle_Deadwyler_for_ArtsATL_Kindle_Award.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![President Joe Biden greets cast members Jalyn Hall and Danielle Deadwyler before a screening of the movie “Till”, Thursday, February 16, 2023, in the Blue Room ](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-d14992e4ef97.jpg) President Joe Biden greets cast members Jalyn Hall and Danielle Deadwyler before a screening of the movie “Till”, Thursday, February 16, 2023, in the Blue Room  — The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Danielle_Deadwyler_at_The_White_House_on_February_16%2C_2023_-_P20230216CS-0130_04_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres.](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-45d602df846a.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres. — Jennifer 8. Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg/1280px-Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres.](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-0a3192ef19c0.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres. — Jennifer 8. Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Danielle Deadwyler](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-c92d97ab7cb5.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler — Image via TMDB
- ![Danielle Deadwyler](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-dc608ad3b0e1.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler — Image via TMDB
- ![Danielle Deadwyler](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-92f1e5deb524.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler — Image via TMDB
- ![Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres.](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-88d88d85c5d3.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres. — Jennifer 8. Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_%28cropped_2%29.jpg/1280px-Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_%28cropped_2%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres.](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-dcbe7b9d0979.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler, actor, at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for the movie 40 Acres. — Jennifer 8. Lee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_%28cropped_3%29.jpg/1280px-Danielle_Deadwyler_at_the_2024_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_%28cropped_3%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Danielle Deadwyler](https://film.one/media/person/10438/gallery-dd752454e61a.jpg) Danielle Deadwyler — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Time 100 2025: Time 100 (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/danielle-deadwyler