Saniyya Sidney

Saniyya Sidney (; born October 30, 2006) and was soon cast in the horror television series American Horror Story: Roanoke in the recurring role of Flora Harris, which was her breakthrough role. Both were played in 2016. Sidney starred in the period drama film Fences as Raynell Maxson, and also starred in the biographical drama film Hidden Figures as Constance Johnson, both of which were released in December 2016. The films were critically acclaimed, and the former film earned her nominations for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Sidney next starred in the superhero film Fast Color as Lila, the daughter of Ruth, which had its world premiere at the South by Southwest film festival on March 10, 2018. The film attained a release in theaters the following year. In January 2019, Sidney was cast in the lead role of Amy Bellafonte in the fox series The Passage, for which her performance was critically acclaimed. The series was cancelled after one season. In the same year, she starred as Riley in the Netflix comedic special Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History, which was released in February.

Sidney appears in the 2021 biographical drama film King Richard as Venus Williams, a daughter of Richard Williams, alongside Will Smith. She had never played tennis prior to accepting the role and learned to play tennis in Venus' style, including playing right-handed when Sidney is left-handed. She earned critical acclaim for the role, with Variety magazine praising her for "handling both the dramatic and athletic dimensions of their characters across a span of approximately three years." She received several awards for her performance, including nominations for the Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. In January 2022, Sidney was tapped to play Claudette Colvin in the drama film Spark, directed by Anthony Mackie, which is his directorial debut.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2012 The Babysitters Amity Short film 2016 Fences Raynell Maxson Hidden Figures Constance Johnson 2018 Fast Color Lila 2019 Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History RileyNetflix special 2021 King Richard Venus Williams 2027 Children of Blood and Bone Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2016 Roots Kizzy Waller (age 6) Episode: "Part 2" American Horror Story: Roanoke Skye Richards (Flora Harris, re-enactement) 4 episodes 2019 The Passage Amy Bellafonte Main role 2022 The First Lady Sasha Obama Recurring role

Awards and nominations

Solo awards Year Award Category Work Result Ref Las Vegas Film Critics Society Youth in Film - FemaleKing Richard Online Association of Female Film Critics Breakthrough Performance Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Youth Performance African-American Film Critics Association Breakout Actor Black Reel Awards Breakthrough Performance - Female Music City Film Critics Association Best Young Actress Online Film & Television Association Best Youth Performance San Diego Film Critics Society Best Youth Performance Hollywood Film Critics Association Star on the Rise Award Herself Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Award

Ensemble awards Year Award Category Work Result Ref Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting EnsembleFences Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards Best Ensemble Black Reel Awards Outstanding Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Black Reel Awards Outstanding EnsembleKing Richard Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture