Danai Gurira Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Danai Gurira is an actress and playwright, born in United States with Zimbabwean heritage. She started her acting career in 2004 and has already appeared in The Walking Dead, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Mother of George and others.

Danai, who is a Christian, has also taught people of Liberia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa about acting and playwrighting. She is multilingual too.

Born Name

Danai Jekesai Gurira

Nick Name

Dede, Megaphone

Sun Sign

Aquarius

Born Place

Grinnell, Iowa, United States

Nationality

Education

Danai Gurira went to the Dominican Convent High School.

After graduating from high school, she got enrolled at the Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.

She later got admission at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She graduated from Tisch with a Master of Fine Arts in acting.

Occupation

Actress and playwright

Family

• Father – Roger Gurira (Professor with a Department of Chemistry at Grinnell College)
• Mother – Josephine Gurira (College Librarian)
• Siblings – Shingai Gurira (Older Sister), Choni Gurira (Older Sister), Tare Gurira (Older Brother)

Manager

Danai Gurira is represented by

• Mail Mann, Inc.
• United Talent Agency

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 7 in or 170 cm

Weight

53 kg or 117 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Danai Gurira has dated

1. Norman Reedus (2015) – In the summer of 2015, Danai was reported to be going out with actor Norman Reedus. They had first met while working on the TV series, The Walking Dead. The speculation of them being a couple had been sparked by their cozy equation on the sets of the TV series. In fact, they were pictured kissing each other. Plus, they seemed to be delighted to be with each other.
2. Andrew Lincoln – Danai has been linked on and off with actor Andrew Lincoln. They were rumored to have grown close while working on the show, The Walking Dead. The fact that their characters were involved in a romantic relationship in the show only spiced up dating rumors.

Race / Ethnicity

Black

She has Zimbabwean ancestry.

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Short trimmed hairdo
• Toned figure

Brand Endorsements

In February 2022, Danai appeared in Nissan‘s “2022 Super Bowl” commercial along with Eugene Levy, Brie Larson, Dave Bautista, and Catherine O’Hara.

Religion

She is a devout Christian.

Best Known For

• Being cast in the role of Okoye in the 2018 superhero movie, Black Panther. She has reprised the same role in other movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Having played the role of Michonne in the horror and zombie apocalypse TV series, The Walking Dead.
• Having written the highly acclaimed play, Eclipsed, which premiered in 2009 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

First Film

In 2007, Danai made her theatrical film debut in an important role in the drama movie, The Visitor. She won high acclaim for her masterclass in acting in the movie.

First TV Show

In 2004, Danai Gurira made her first TV show appearance in Inert Dwarf episode of the police procedural TV series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Personal Trainer

Danai regularly indulges in some form of exercise and has insisted in her interviews that it is of paramount importance for her to workout daily even if her workout sessions last for 20 minutes. Although she is a fan of the mantra that you should listen to your body and to what your body wants to do, she is a big fan of Pilates. She has hired Nancy Karr as her personal instructor and regularly works out at Nancy’s Ballet Bodies in West Hollywood.

She is also a big fan of Jillian Michaels and keeps her workout DVDs in her trailer along with a mat and a pair of dumbbells. This gives her the liberty to workout whenever she has some time on her busy schedule.

In case, she has more time on hand, she adds some work on an elliptical machine with some crunches and squats to her workout. Danai also likes to go swimming. She usually goes for breaststroke laps or freestyle swimming.

She also keeps practice swords in the trunk of her car. Therefore, she can train whenever she has free time. Danai has practiced in underground parking garages, her own garage, and her living room.

Danai Gurira Favorite Things

• Dish To Make – Goat cheeseburgers and Fourth of July lamb
• Stage Role She Has Played – Isabella in Measure for Measure
• Deceased Dinner Guest – Nelson Mandela and Wangari Maathai
• Special Super Power – Ability to fly
• New York City Restaurant – Café Himalaya (Well known for delicious Tibetan food)
• TV Shows – Orange Is the New Black, House of Cards, Modern Family, Veep
• Sport – Tennis
• City – New York City

Source – US Magazine

Danai Gurira Facts

1. Her play Eclipsed is the first play to premiere on Broadway that had all-black and female acting team as well as the creative cast.
2. When she was 5 years old, her family moved back to Harare, the capital of the newly independent Zimbabwe.
3. She started to write plays in order to use her strengths as an actor in a better way. It also helped her write about strong female characters with which she is able to identify.
4. As a playwright, she has been commissioned by prestigious institutions such as Center Theatre Group, Yale Repertory Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, and the Royal Court.
5. She is the co-founder of Almasi Arts Inc., which is an organization that works to promote arts education in her native Zimbabwe. She has been appointed as Executive Artistic Director of the organization.
6. In 2016, she launched her non-profit organization “Love Our Girls”, which works to raise awareness about the challenges and issues that women have to face all over the world.
7. In 2016, she decided to collaborate with multinational giant, Johnson & Johnson, in a fight against HIV / AIDS.
8. She has written hard-hitting articles and essays for a number of popular publications. Her article about embracing her Zimbabwean heritage in Glamour magazine was especially well received.
9. While growing up, she used to participate in competitive swimming.
10. She has given lessons on acting and playwrighting in her native country as well as other African countries such as South Africa and Liberia.
11. Apart from English, she is very fluent in French and Shona. She also has a good control over basic Xhosa.
12. She wrote her first play when she was in 7th grade. The play was titled as My Uncle Grey Bhonzo and she played the lead role in it.
13. Danai has been honored by her alma mater Macalester College with an honorary doctorate degree. She was also invited to deliver a commencement speech in 2016.
14. Her first audition for The Walking Dead was far from ideal, which left her praying for another chance. She eventually managed to land the role on the same day when she was called back for another audition.
15. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Featured Image by Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0