Betty Gabriel

Betty Gabriel (born January 6, 1981) is an American actress. After acting in the Chicago theatre scene of the early 2000s, Gabriel became known for starring in horror films produced by Blumhouse, which established her as a scream queen.

Gabriel achieved commercial success with the horror films The Purge: Election Year (2016) and Get Out (2017); her portrayal of a housekeeper in the latter netted a career breakthrough. Her continued horror roles include the films Unfriended: Dark Web (2018) and It Lives Inside (2023), and the miniseries Clickbait (2021). She also stars in the action film Upgrade (2018), the drama film Adopt a Highway (2019), the comedy film Novocaine (2025), and the action thriller Jack Ryan: Ghost War (2026).

On television, Gabriel appears in the period drama series Good Girls Revolt (2016), the dystopian series Westworld (2018), the science fiction series Counterpart (2018–2019), the miniseries Defending Jacob (2020), and the action series Jack Ryan (2022–2023).

Early life Gabriel was born January 6, 1981, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and in Hyattsville, Maryland. In 2002, Gabriel received a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University. After college, Gabriel relocated to Chicago, studying modern dance and working as an actress in the Chicago theater community. In 2014, she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in drama from Juilliard.

Career After doing a bit of theater at Iowa State University, Gabriel got her start working as an actress and dancer in Chicago theater, first as part of her further studies, and then in various productions. Gabriel's first film role was in the 2011 drama In Memoriam.

Gabriel was on vacation when she was invited to audition for Get Out. Her character allows viewers to consider whether "the American dream" has become "the American nightmare" for many African-Americans. To prepare for the role, Gabriel watched the TEDx talk of Martin Pistorius to get insight into the feeling of being trapped inside one's own body. She also watched Bride of Frankenstein and talked to her own grandmother, who was raised in Alabama, about racial tensions from her era. Get Out was a critical and commercial success, and her performance was discussed as a contender for Best Supporting Actress for the 2018 Academy Awards by Variety and The New York Times; the latter publication cited her work among of the best performances of the year.

In 2017, Gabriel joined the cast of Westworld as the character Maling. In February 2018, it was announced she would join the second season of Counterpart playing an FBI agent. She also starred opposite Logan Marshall-Green in the sci-fi action horror film Upgrade (2018), written and directed by Leigh Whannell, and shot on location in Melbourne, Australia.

In March 2021, Gabriel had a role in the animated horror film The Spine of Night, written and directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King. Later in August 2021, she continued her career in the horror genre by playing the role of Sophie Brewer in the Netflix miniseries Clickbait (2021), co-written by Christian White and Tony Ayres, and despite the miniseries receiving a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, it received 1.46 billion minutes of watchtime in one week following its debut.

Gabriel also appeared in the Apple TV+ limited series Manhunt, as well as having a recurring role in the TV series Jack Ryan for its third season in 2022.

Filmography

Film Year Film Role Notes 2009 Maidenhead Isabeau Short film 2011 In Memoriam Kayla 2013 He's Way More Famous Than You Hairstylist The Story of Your Life Houston 2015 Experimenter Sally 2016 The Purge: Election Year Laney Rucker 2017 Get Out Georgina/Marianne Armitage Beyond Skyline Jones 2018 Diverted Eden Shirley Unfriended: Dark Web Nari Jemisin Upgrade Det. Cortez 2019 Adopt a Highway Deeks Human Capital Ronnie Manning 2021 The Spine of Night Phae-Agura 2023 It Lives Inside Joyce Dixon 2025 Novocaine Mincy Langston 2026 Jack Ryan: Ghost War Elizabeth Wright

Television

Year Title Role Notes 2016 Good Girls Revolt Denise Recurring role 12 Deadly Days Willow Russell Main role; miniseries 2018 Westworld Maling Recurring role; 4 episodes 2018–2019 Counterpart Naya Temple Main role 2019 The Twilight Zone Herself Episode: "Blurryman" 2020 Defending Jacob Pam Duffy Main role; miniseries 2021 Clickbait Sophie Brewer 2022–2023 Jack Ryan Elizabeth Wright Main role (seasons 3–4) 2024 Manhunt Elizabeth Keckley Recurring role; 3 episodes

Theater

2004: Black Nativity by Langston Hughes at Goodman Theatre (Chicago, Illinois) 2008: Space by Laura Jacqmin at Side Project Theatre (Chicago, Illinois) 2008: Pluto Was a Planet by Laura Jacqmin at Around the Coyote Gallery (Chicago, Illinois) 2009: The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare at Chase Park Theatre (Chicago, Illinois)

Awards and nominations