Danai Jekesai Gurira was born on 14 February 1978, in Grinnell, Iowa USA, of Zimbabwean descent. Danai is a playwright and actress, best known for being part of the television series “The Walking Dead” playing the character Michonne. She was also creator of the play “Eclipsed” which stars Lupita Nyong’o. All of her efforts have helped put her net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Danai Gurira? As of mid-2016, sources inform us of a net worth that is at $500,000, mostly earned through a successful career in acting. Aside from television, Danai is well known for her work in theatre and has made her share of independent films. She’s also done voice work, and as she continues her career, her wealth will likely increase.
Danai Gurira Net Worth $500,000
Before Danai was born, her parents moved to the United States away from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). After the country’s independence, the family would move back to Zimbabwe and Danai attended the Dominican Convent High School. She returned to the United States to study at Macalester College, and graduated with a degree in Psychology. Afterwards, she attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Acting.
She started her career by focusing as a playwright to further strengthen her acting skills. She co-starred in and co-wrote the play “In the Continuum” which led to several awards including a Helen Hayes Award and Outer Critics Circle Award – the play focused on the story of two women who were travelling the world after they had contracted the AIDS virus. Danai then made her Broadway debut in a play entitled “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and this won her another award. In 2015, she wrote the play “Familiar” which is a story about family, life, and cultural identity. Around six years earlier, she also wrote the play “Eclipsed”, but which didn’t gain significant popularity until 2015. The play starred Lupita Nyong’O, and it was about three women who lived as sex slaves to a rebel commander. These two plays in 2015 would win numerous awards, including a Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Play.
Aside from theatre, Gurira made her acting skills well known through independent films. She won an award for her performance in “The Visitor”, and then appeared in other films such as “My Soul to Take”, “3 Backyards” and “Restless City”. She also found opportunities to make guest appearances in television shows such as “Law & Order”, “Life on Mars”, and “Treme”. In 2013, she starred in the independent film “Mother of George”, which gained critical acclaim, and she was then cast to work on the biopic “All Eyez on Me”.
Her most popular role to date would be in the AMC show “The Walking Dead”. She was announced to be in the cast for the show in 2012, and appeared in the third season as the katana-wielding Michonne.
For her personal life, it is known that Danai can speak four languages, namely Shona, French, Xhosa, and English. She has also spent time teaching in countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Liberia. Aside from these, she maintains an active lifestyle and has learned to ride horses because of “The Walking Dead”. There is no public information on any relationships the star might be involved in.
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