Biography
Janelle James is an American comedian, actress and writer. Born on 23 September 1979 in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology before beginning her stand-up career in 2009 with an open mic in Illinois.
She is best known for her role as principal Ava Coleman in the ABC series Abbott Elementary (2021–present). Her other credits include recurring and voice roles in Black Monday (2019–2021), Central Park (2020–2022), Monsters at Work (2021) and The Garfield Movie (2024). She has also written for several of these series.
James has received multiple award nominations for her performance in Abbott Elementary, including Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, and has won a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Award and NAACP Image Awards.
