Teyonah Parris (/tiˈɒnə/ tee-ON-ə; born September 22, 1987) is an American actress. A graduate of Juilliard School, she began acting in 2010. Her first prominent roles were in the drama series Mad Men (2012–2015) and in the independent film Dear White People (2014). She then appeared in the drama series Empire (2014), Spike Lee's crime comedy Chi-Raq (2015), and the drama film If Beale Street Could Talk(2018).  In 2021, Parris starred in the horror film Candyman and began portraying Monica Ramb...