Dominique Fishback (born March 22, 1991) is an American actress and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

who is best known for having played Billie Rowan on ''

Show Me a Hero ''Show Me a Hero'' is a 2015 American miniseries based on the 1999 nonfiction book of the same name by former ''New York Times'' writer Lisa Belkin about Yonkers mayor Nick Wasicsko. Like the book, the miniseries details a white middle-class ne ...

'', Darlene on '' The Deuce'', and

Deborah Johnson According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', "bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars c ...

in ''

Judas and the Black Messiah ''Judas and the Black Messiah'' is a 2021 biographical crime drama film about the betrayal of Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in late-1960s Chicago, by William O'Neal (pla ...

'', the latter of which earned her a nomination for a

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film. This award ...

Early life

Fishback first became interested in acting at about the age of 10. She graduated from

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...

with a B.A. in Theater in 2013.

Career

In 2014, Fishback premiered her

Off-Off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the pro ...

play ''Subverted'' where she played 22 characters. ''Subverted'' was nominated for a 2015 Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. In 2016, Abingdon Theatre Company announced Fishback as one of its recipients of its inaugural Residency Program. The actress's first major recurring role was in the

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

housing drama ''

'' as single mother Billie Rowan. Her first series regular role is in the 1970s

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

drama '' The Deuce''. Fishback has been noted as one of the standouts in the show due to her performance as the "sweetly vulnerable" prostitute Darlene. Co-creator

David Simon David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on ''The Wire'' (2002–08). He worked for ''The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' Hom ...

has noted her strengths as an actress in playing Darlene. For her role on '' The Deuce'', Fishback was listed by

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...

as one of five new faces that people should be watching on fall 2017 television. Her first film is ''

Night Comes On ''Night Comes On'' is a 2018 American drama film directed by Jordana Spiro, who wrote the screenplay with Angelica Nwandu. It premiered on January 19, 2018 at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Plot A teen is released from juvenile detention just ...

'', which premiered at the

2018 Sundance Film Festival The 2018 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to January 28, 2018. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 29, 2017. Awards The following awards were presented: * U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award: ''The ...

. She played the part of Kenya in the film ''The Hate U Give'' (2018), which is based on the popular young adult book. Also in 2018, Fishback appeared as a younger version of Jay-Z’s mother, Gloria Carter, in his music video for "Smile." Fishback plays a street-smart teenager in ''

Project Power ''Project Power'' is a 2020 American science fiction action film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, produced by Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless, and written by Mattson Tomlin. It stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominiq ...

'', directed by Ariel Schulman and

Henry Joost Henry Joost (born October 30, 1982) is a German-born American filmmaker, whose work includes directing, with Ariel Schulman, the films ''Catfish'', '' Paranormal Activity 3'', '' Paranormal Activity 4'', ''Nerve'' and ''Project Power''. Henry ...

, opposite

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

and

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...

, which was released on August 14, 2020, by

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 ...

. In 2021, she starred in ''

'' alongside

Daniel Kaluuya Daniel Kaluuya (; born 24 February 1989) is a British actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nomin ...

, as Deborah Johnson, the partner of

Fred Hampton Fredrick Allen Hampton Sr. (August 30, 1948 – December 4, 1969) was an American activist. He came to prominence in Chicago as deputy chairman of the national Black Panther Party and chair of the Illinois chapter. As a progressive African Ameri ...

and the expectant mother of Fred Hampton Jr.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fishback, Dominique African-American actresses American television actresses Living people Pace University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 1990s births 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women