Aunjanue Ellis

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, an American producer stage and screen actress who is best known for her film roles on the film Ray Undercover Brother and on the tv show The Mentalist. She received a BA in Brown University in African-American Studies. In the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University she earned an MFA. Aunjanue has a reputation as an American actress as well as a producer and director. She works in television and film. Her stage debut was in the year 2000 and then appeared in mainstream, independent as well as television shows. Her most well-known role was Miranda Shaw on ABC's Quantico as well as on the epic BET series The Book of Negroes for which she not only received critical acclaim but also numerous nominations and awards including a Television Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Actress in a Movie. Her career began as an actress in 1995 when she played Ariel in The Tempest. The credits on stage are Come and Gone Drowning Crow as well as Seeking the Genesis, a Broadway production by Joe Turner. In her film career, she is most well-known for her performances in films such as Men of Honor The Caveman's Valentine The Express and The Help. In television, her role on ABC's drama about police High Incident is well known.