Biography

Quvenzhané Wallis (/kwəˈvɛnʒəneɪ/ kwə-VEN-zhə-nay; born August 28, 2003) is an American actress and author. In 2012, she starred as Hushpuppy in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the youngest actress to be nominated in the category, as well as the first actor born in the 21st century nominated for an Oscar. She went on to appear in the Steve McQueen film 12 Years a Slave (2013). Wallis starred as Annie Bennett in the 2014 adaptation of Annie, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Wallis is also known for voicing the character Harper in the animated film Trolls (2016); as well as her role as Kyra in the television sitcom Black-ish (2019). As an author, she has published four children's books, Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg!, A Night Out with Mama, Shai & Emmie Star in Dancy Pants! and Shai & Emmie Star in To the Rescue!