Nicole Beharie

Nicole Beharie is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama American Violet, the psychological drama Shame (2011), the biographical sports drama 42 (2013), and the independent drama Miss Juneteenth (2020).

From 2013 to 2016, Beharie starred in the Fox supernatural drama series Sleepy Hollow. She went on to appear on the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror (2019). In 2023, she joined the cast of the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show, which earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Early life Beharie was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her father is African-American, and her mother is Jamaican. When Beharie was a child, her father was in the United States Foreign Service, and she lived in the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Panama. She attended Orangeburg Wilkinson High School in Orangeburg, South Carolina and is a 2003 graduate of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities. A public residential high school in Greenville. Beharie was then accepted into Juilliard School (Drama division Group 36: 2003–07). She was awarded a Shakespeare scholarship and trained in England.

Career Beharie made her feature film debut in the 2008 film American Violet, where she played the leading role. Also in the same year she played Sarah Ward in the American sports film The Express: The Ernie Davis Story opposite actor Rob Brown. In the Lifetime movie, Sins of the Mother (2010), Beharie portrayed Shay Hunter, a struggling university student who goes on a journey to mend her fractured relationship with her mother Nona played by Jill Scott.

In 2011, Beharie performed five original songs as a singer-songwriter opposite German actor Ken Duken in the romantic drama My Last Day Without You. In the Russell Leigh Sharman film adaptation of his play Apartment 4E, she played Piper, a troubled young woman who never leaves her apartment. Beharie played Marianne in the Steve McQueen film Shame, portraying a love interest of Michael Fassbender. Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe praised her performance, calling her "a marvel of natural transparency".

In 2013, Beharie starred as Rachel Robinson, wife of Jackie Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman), in the historical baseball feature 42. The same year, she began portraying Abbie Mills on the Fox fantasy series Sleepy Hollow, which is based on the 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving. In early 2016, Beharie departed the series, with her character dying in the series' third-season finale, the episode entitled "Ragnarok", which was aired April 8, 2016. She later stated that an autoimmune disease was one of the causes of her exit and also revealed that she struggled to find work and was labelled as problematic after her departure from the show.

In 2020, she starred in Miss Juneteenth, a film about a former pageant winner preparing her teenage daughter to assume her former crown. Her performance in the series earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

In September 2025, it was announced that Beharie was signed on to the Netflix's crime drama series adaptation All the Sinners Bleed, based on the eponymous novel by S.A. Cosby. The series begins filming in Georgia in early November.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 American Violet Dee Roberts The Express: The Ernie Davis Story Sarah Ward 2011 My Last Day Without You Leticia Johnson Shame Marianne 2012 Apartment 4E Piper The Last Fall Faith Davis The Mirror Between Us Zora Short film Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day Beth Hutchins 2013 42 Rachel Robinson 2018 Monsters and Men Michelle 2019 Jacob's Ladder Samantha Singer 2020 Miss Juneteenth Turquoise Jones 2022 Breaking Estel Valerie Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Shakura Sumpter 2025 Love, Brooklyn Casey 2026 Killing Castro TBA By Any Means TBA Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2009 Three Rivers Helen Reed Episode: "Win-loss" 2010 Sins of the Mother Shay Television film 2011 The Good Wife Imani Stonehouse 2 episodes 2012 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tracy Harrison Episode: "Child's Welfare" 2013–2016 Sleepy Hollow Abbie Mills / Witness Main role (50 episodes) 2015 Bones Abbie Mills Episode: "The Resurrection in the Remains" 2017 AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Host 5 episodes 2019 Black Mirror Theo Episode: "Striking Vipers"Credited as Nikki Beharie 2020 Little Fires Everywhere Madeline Ryan Episode: "The Uncanny" Monsterland Annie Episode: "New Orleans, LA" 2021 Solos Nera Anthology series Scenes from a Marriage Kate 2 episodes 2023 The Morning Show Christina Hunter Main role (Season 3) TBADarleneIn production as of November 2025 American Violet 2010 Black Reel Awards Best Actress Best Breakthrough Performance Best Ensemble 2012 Best Song My Last Day Without You 2014 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Sleepy Hollow 2015 Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Favorite Actress on Television 2021 Gotham Independent Film Awards Best Actress Miss Juneteenth Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Lead 2024 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series The Morning Show Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series