Uzo Aduba Biography: Age, Family, Education and Career

Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba, better known as Uzo Aduba, was born on February 10, 1981.

She rose to prominence for her portrayal of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in the acclaimed Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, which aired from 2013 to 2019.

Throughout her time on the show, she received widespread recognition, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015, and two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014 and 2015.

Notably, she is one of only two actors to have won an Emmy in both comedy and drama categories for the same character.

FACTS ABOUT UZO ADUBA

• FULL NAME: Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba
• DATE OF BIRTH: February 10, 1981
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Medfield, Massachusetts, U.S
• NATIONALITY: Nigerian-American
• SPOUSE: Robert Sweeting
• OCCUPATION : Actress

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Uzo Aduba grew up in Medfield, Massachusetts, in a family of Nigerian descent, specifically from the Igbo ethnic group.

She graduated from Medfield High School in 1999 before enrolling at Boston University, where she concentrated on classical vocal training and excelled as a competitive track and field athlete.

Coming from a sports-oriented family, her brother Obi played hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and had a professional career spanning six seasons.

CAREER

Aduba’s acting career began to flourish in 2003 when she received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for her impressive performance in Translations of Xhosa at the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts.

She demonstrated her versatility in various productions, including her role as Amphiarus in The Seven at the New York Theatre Workshop and La Jolla Playhouse in 2006 and 2008.

In 2007, she made her Broadway debut in Helen Edmundson’s Coram Boy.

She continued to broaden her career by participating in both theater and television.

In 2013, Aduba joined the cast of *Orange Is the New Black* as Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, where she received widespread praise for her performance.

She won several awards, including Emmys in both comedy and drama categories for the same character.

Aduba furthered her career beyond television by demonstrating her singing abilities in a Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit concert in March 2014.

After her role in *Orange Is the New Black*, she portrayed Shirley Chisholm in the Hulu miniseries *Mrs. America*, which premiered in 2020.

Additionally, she appeared in films such as *Really Love* and the fourth season of *In Treatment* as Dr. Brooke Taylor.

In 2021, Aduba graced Broadway in Lynn Nottage’s play *Clyde’s*, earning a Tony Award nomination.

In 2023, she took on the role of Edie Flowers in Netflix’s *Painkiller*, a limited series that examines the origins of the Opioid Epidemic in the U.S.

Netflix also announced that Aduba would star in *The Residence*, a murder mystery series set in the White House, created by Shonda Rhimes.

In June 2018, Aduba was named the first celebrity ambassador to Africa for Heifer International.

She also ventured into the sports industry as a minority investor in Angel City FC, a Los Angeles team that debuted in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2022.

PERSONAL LIFE

In 2020, Aduba married filmmaker Robert Sweeting in a private ceremony in New York.

During the 2023 Tony Awards, she revealed her pregnancy with Sweeting.

On November 30, 2023, Aduba and Sweeting celebrated the arrival of their daughter, Adaiba Lee Nonyem.