Ebony Obsidian

American actress (born 1994)

Ebony Obsidian

Obsidian in 2024

Born|

New Paltz, New York, U.S

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 2014–present

Ebony Obsidian is an American actress. She had a supporting role in the 2018 drama film If Beale Street Could Talk and the following year began starring as Karen Mott in the BET comedy-drama series, Sistas. In 2024, Obsidian played Lena Derriecott Bell King in the war drama film, The Six Triple Eight, earning her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture as well as Outstanding Breakthrough Performance.

## Early life

[edit]

Obsidian was born and raised in New Paltz, New York. She is of West Indian and Eritrean descent.[1] She began performing in her childhood but never really saw it as a career.[2] She later went into college for journalism. Obsidian left the college while working on three jobs for acting and trained at the William Esper Studio.[2][3] While studying, she began acting appearing in the independent films, including The Vixens and Where Hearts Lie opposite Malik Yoba and Clifton Powell, as well made uncredited appearance in the superhero film, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.[4]

## Career

[edit]

In 2015, Obsidian starred in Tough Love, a web series that aired on YouTube.[5] The series started as a micro budget project that eventually attracted more than 45,000 unique viewers with over 1 million channel views. In 2017 she made guest-starring appearance in an episode of Netflix comedy-drama series, Master of None. In 2018, Obsidian co-starred in the drama film If Beale Street Could Talk, playing Adrienne Hunt, one of two sisters of lead character Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt.[6][7]

Obsidian in 2021

In 2019, Obsidian was cast in the Hulu biographical drama series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga playing Nia.[8][9] The series ended in 2023 after three seasons. Later in 2019, she began starring as Karen Mott, one of lead characters, in the BET comedy-drama series, Sistas by Tyler Perry.[10][11][12] In 2020, she had a recurring role as Carol Hawthorne in the Amazon drama series Hunters during the show' first season.[13]

In 2023, Obsidian was cast opposite Kerry Washington, Susan Sarandon and Oprah Winfrey in the war drama film, The Six Triple Eight.[14][15] The Six Triple Eight was released in select cinemas on December 6, 2024, before its streaming debut by Netflix on December 20, 2024. She played the role of Lena Derriecott King, a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female unit to serve overseas during World War II who also was one of the Battalion's last five surviving members.[16] Obsidian received positive reviews from critics for her performance.[17][18][19] Ian Thomas wrote in review for website Black History Month: "Ebony Obsidian shines as Lena Derriecott King, a battalion member whose personal journey reflects the broader struggles and triumphs of the unit."[20] At the 56th NAACP Image Awards, Obsidian received nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for playing Lena Derriecott King.[21][22]

Obsidian is Ambassador of International Rescue Committee organization. In 2023 she visited South Sudan where she witnessed the country’s mounting humanitarian needs and the impacts of the climate crisis.[23]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2014  | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Graduate  | Uncredited
2015  | Punkin Pie | Katrina Richardson  | Short
IndieFEST Film Award of Merit Special Mention[24]
2015  | The Vixens | Etta Onwago  |
2016  | Where Hearts Lie | Sheila  |
Twelve Dollar Words | Treasure  | Short
2017  | Capital Inferno | Jamie  | Short
My Brothers Keeper | Lady Macbeth  |
2018  | If Beale Street Could Talk | Adrienne Hunt  | Nominated — Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — Georgia Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
2019  | Swipe | \-  | Short
Independent Horror Movie Award for Best Actress
Such A Deal | Grace  | Short
About The People | The Janitor  | Short
2024  | The Six Triple Eight | Lena Derriecott King | Won — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Won — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture
Won — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2015–18  | Tough Love | Alicia Davis  | Series regular, 18 episodes
2016  | I Am Homicide | Juanita  | Episode: "Serial Shooter"
2017  | Master of None | Michelle  | Episode: "Thanksgiving"
2019–23  | Wu-Tang: An American Saga | Nia  | Recurring role, 12 episodes
2019–present  | Sistas | Karen Mott  | Series regular
2020  | Hunters | Carol Lockhart  | Recurring role, 6 episodes

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Ebony Obsidian (26 May 2017). "Habesha indeed 🇪🇹". Retrieved 15 February 2021 - via Twitter.
2. ^ a b https://www.flaunt.com/blog/ebony-obsidian#:~:text=Yeah, for sure.,concept even now to me.
3. ^ "Bio". EBONY OBSIDIAN. Archived from the original on 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
4. ^ "Interview with Ebony Obsidian". December 30, 2015.
5. ^ "LOOK WHO'S NEXT: Tough Love | Black Talent TV".
6. ^ Bastianello, Maria (February 15, 2019). "Interview with Ebony Obsidian: On the Sense of Hope of 'If beale Street Could Talk'".
7. ^ "Ebony Obsidian Sings a Whitney Houston Classic". The Muse. 27 November 2018.
8. ^ Tinubu, Aramide (September 3, 2019). "Ebony Obsidian Has The Range: EXCLUSIVE".
9. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (April 24, 2019). "Sisa Grey Claws Into 'Legends Of Tomorrow'; Ebony Obsidian Enters Chambers Of 'Wu-Tang: An American Saga'".
10. ^ Petski, Denise (August 1, 2019). "BET Greenlights Tyler Perry Drama Series 'Sistas', Sets Main Cast".
11. ^ Petski, Denise (September 27, 2019). "Tyler Perry's 'The Oval' White House Drama & 'Sistas' Trailers: First Look".
12. ^ "Everything You Want To Know About Ebony Obsidian – From The Cast Of Tyler Perry's 'Sistas'". BET.
13. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (April 11, 2019). "'The Hunt' Adds Kate Mulvany As Series Regular, 5 More Join In Recurring Roles For Amazon Original".
14. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 11, 2023). "Kerry Washington To Exec Produce, Star In Tyler Perry's Netflix WWII Pic 'Six Triple Eight'; Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon & Oprah Winfrey Among Others Set".
15. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 11, 2023). "Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey to Star in Tyler Perry's World War II Drama 'Six Triple Eight' for Netflix".
16. ^ Deckelmeier, Joe; Hullender, Tatiana (December 17, 2024). "The Six Triple Eight Star Ebony Obsidian Praises Kerry Washington's Artistic Leadership". ScreenRant.
17. ^ Scheck, Frank (December 6, 2024). "'The Six Triple Eight' Review: Kerry Washington Commands Tyler Perry's Rousing World War II Drama for Netflix".
18. ^ "Netflix Has Made a Lot Worse Than 'The Six Triple Eight'". The Daily Beast. December 21, 2024.
19. ^ "Tyler Perry 'The Six Triple Eight' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". December 20, 2024.
20. ^ "Film Review: The Six Triple Eight". Black History Month 2025. February 14, 2008.
21. ^ Lewis, Hilary (January 7, 2025). "NAACP Image Awards Nominations: 'The Piano Lesson' Leads Film Nods With 14".
22. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 7, 2025). "'The Piano Lesson' Laps Film Field With 14 NAACP Image Awards Nominations – Full List".
23. ^ "IRC Ambassador Ebony Obsidian's Journey to South Sudan highlights urgent humanitarian needs. | International Rescue Committee (IRC)". www.rescue.org.
24. ^ Hanson-Firestone, Dana (October 27, 2019). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Ebony Obsidian".

## External links

[edit]

* Ebony Obsidian at IMDb

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