André Holland (born December 28, 1979) is an American actor, widely known for his 2016 performance as Kevin in the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning film ''
Moonlight''.
Throughout his career, Holland has acted in film, television, and theatre productions. On television, he has starred as Dr. Algernon Edwards in the
Cinemax
Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...
series ''
The Knick'' (2014–2015) and as Matt Miller in the
FX series ''
American Horror Story: Roanoke'' (2016). He portrayed politician and activist
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...
in the 2014 film ''
Selma
Selma may refer to:
Places
*Selma, Algeria
*Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada
*Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons
United States:
*Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches
*Selma, Arkansas
*Selma, Cali ...
'' and sportswriter
Wendell Smith in the 2013 film ''
42''. On stage, he has starred in
August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's play
''Jitney'' on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in 2017. In 2020, he plays a lead role on the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
musical drama series ''
The Eddy'', directed by
Damien Chazelle.
Early life
Holland was born and raised in
Bessemer, Alabama. He graduated from
John Carroll Catholic High School. His first stage performance was in a production of ''
Oliver!'' at the Birmingham Summerfest Theatre, at the age of eleven.
He attended
Florida State University and studied abroad at the FSU London study centre during his time there. He also received a
Master of Fine Arts degree from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
in 2006.
Career
2006–2015: Early work
Holland's first on-screen performance was in an episode of ''
Law & Order'' in 2006. Around this time, Holland began to perform more regularly on stage as well. In 2006, he portrayed three characters in the play ''Blue Door''. Charles Isherwood of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' gave his performance a positive review.
In 2008, he played Eric in the play ''Wig Out!'' and took his first film role in the sports drama
''Sugar''. The following year, he portrayed Elegba and Marcus in ''
The Brother/Sister Plays''. In 2010, he was cast in the Matthew Lopez play ''The Whipping Man'', for which he won the Vivian Robinson/Audelco Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2011, he starred as Julian "Fitz" Fitzgerald in several episodes of the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
sitcom ''
Friends with Benefits''. In 2013, he portrayed
Wendell Smith in the film ''
42''. In 2014, he portrayed
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...
in
Ava DuVernay
Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...
's historical drama film ''
Selma
Selma may refer to:
Places
*Selma, Algeria
*Selma, Nova Scotia, Canada
*Selma, Switzerland, village in the Grisons
United States:
*Selma, Alabama, city in Dallas County, best known for the Selma to Montgomery marches
*Selma, Arkansas
*Selma, Cali ...
''. For his performance, he was nominated for the
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
From 2014 to 2015, he starred in a supporting role opposite
Clive Owen in the
Cinemax
Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent ...
original drama series ''
The Knick''.
2016–present: ''Moonlight'' and beyond
In 2016, he achieved widespread notice for his performance as Kevin in
Barry Jenkins' drama film
''Moonlight'', for which he received critical acclaim and
numerous accolades. The film won several
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, including
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, at the
89th annual ceremony.
Holland's performance was singled out by some film critics, including those at ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' and ''
GQ'', who dubbed him a "standout" in the film. As a member of the film's
ensemble cast, he received a nomination for
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the
23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards. He also received nominations for
Best Supporting Actor from the
Florida Film Critics Circle and
Outstanding Supporting Actor at the
Black Reel Awards
The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...
.
Following the success of ''Moonlight'', in 2017, Holland portrayed Youngblood in
August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's play
''Jitney'' on Broadway. He next appeared in DuVernay's fantasy adventure film ''
A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for ...
'', released in March 2018. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Later that year, he portrayed the leading character Henry Matthew Deaver on the
Hulu series
''Castle Rock''; his turn on the series has earned positive reviews from critics, including Amy Woolsey of ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'', who praised his performance as "textured."
Since July 2018, he has starred in a production of ''
Othello'' at
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...
, costarring with
Mark Rylance.
In 2018, he also made his
Off Off Broadway directing debut with a production of Greg Keller's ''Dutch Masters''.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Andre
1979 births
21st-century American male actors
African-American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Florida State University alumni
Living people
Male actors from Alabama
New York University alumni
People from Bessemer, Alabama
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people