Susan Kelechi Watson (born November 11, 1981) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the television show ''Louie'' and for her role as Beth Pearson in ''

This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...

''. She was nominated for the

Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series is one of the award categories presented annually by the Critics' Choice Television Awards (BTJA) to recognize the work done by television actresses. It was introdu ...

for the latter.

Early life

Watson was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on November 11, 1981. Her parents were born in Jamaica. Watson's middle name, "Kelechi", is of Nigerian

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

origins meaning "Thank God". Watson obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

Graduate Acting Program.

Career

Watson had a recurring role on the television show ''Louie'' from 2012 through 2014. She has had recurring roles on ''NCIS'', ''

The Following ''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. The first season follows former FBI agent Ryan Hardy ( Kevin Bacon) ...

'', and ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily s ...

''. She appeared in a play at the American Airlines Theatre in New York City by playwright

Richard Greenberg Richard Greenberg (born February 22, 1958) is an American playwright and television writer known for his subversively humorous depictions of middle-class American life. He has had more than 25 plays premiere on and Off-Broadway in New York City ...

entitled '' A Naked Girl on the Appian Way'' in 2005. Since 2016, she has starred in the NBC drama series ''

'' as Beth Pearson. Watson played Andrea Vogel in the

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

biopic ''

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in ...

'' alongside

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

in 2019. In September 2022 she will appear in the European premiere of ''

Eureka Day Eureka Day is a play by Jonathan Spector. It focuses on the debates around vaccination. Productions Eureka Day premiered at Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley, California. The play opened off-Broadway on August 29, 2019. The cast included Tina ...

'' at

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

theatre in London.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1981 births Living people American television actresses African-American actresses American people of Jamaican descent 21st-century American actresses American stage actresses American film actresses Actresses from New York City People from Brooklyn 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women United Service Organizations entertainers {{US-screen-actor-1980s-stub