Demi Singleton

Last updated

Demi Singleton
Born
Demi Patricia Singleton

(2007-02-27) 27 February 2007 (age 17)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Singer
  • Dancer
  • Musician
Years active2017–present
Known for King Richard
Godfather of Harlem
Musical career
Genres R&B, Pop, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop
InstrumentVocals

Demi Patricia Singleton (born 27 February 2007) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her roles in the MGM+ crime TV series Godfather of Harlem , as the young Serena Williams in the biographical film King Richard , and as Sally Reeves in the Paramount+ western series Lawmen: Bass Reeves .

Contents

Early life

Born in Baton Rouge, Singleton's family is from the Central American country of Honduras and the Caribbean island of Dominica. She initially lived in New Orleans, and moved to New York City at the age of three. She began training in the arts with New York's finest teachers in music, dance and acting. She has studied classical ballet since the age of three and began playing the cello when she was four. She studied at a rigorous music conservatory for children in Brooklyn for 6 years where she learned to play instruments by ear through the Suzuki method. At nine, she attended a Broadway musical featuring child performers and decided that she also wanted to pursue a career as a stage performer.

Career

Singleton began acting in 2017, and made her Broadway debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock [1] at ten years old, performing for nearly a year [2] before joining Disney's The Lion King on Broadway as young Nala. [3]

In September 2018, Singleton was cast in the Epix crime drama, Godfather of Harlem, [4] led by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, as his character's granddaughter Margaret Johnson.

In 2020, Singleton was cast to star as Serena Williams in the Will Smith-led Warner Bros. sports drama King Richard , [5] which tells the story of how Serena and Venus Williams rose to success from the planning and coaching of their father, Richard Williams. The film was finally released in November 2021. She also portrayed young Serena Williams in the 2019 Bumble Super Bowl commercial. [6]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017GoldieDemi (Janet's daughter)
2021 King Richard Serena Williams
2024 The Deliverance Shante Jackson

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2019 Godfather of Harlem Margaret JohnsonMain role, 20 episodes
2023 Lawmen: Bass Reeves Sally ReevesMain role

Theater

Year(s)ProductionRoleLocationCategory
2017–2018 School of Rock Sophie Winter Garden Theatre Broadway
2018 The Lion King young Nala Minskoff Theatre Broadway

Awards and nominations

Solo Awards for Demi Singleton
YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2022 Black Reel Awards Breakthrough Performance – Female King Richard Nominated [7]
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Youth PerformanceNominated [8]
Ensemble Awards for Demi Singleton
YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
2022
 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Ensemble King Richard Nominated [7]
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion PictureNominated [9]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated [10]

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References

  1. ↑ "THEY'RE IN THE BAND! SCHOOL OF ROCK GETS TWO NEW DEWEY FINNS". Medium. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "School of Rock to Welcome a New Batch of Young Stars". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Demi Singleton and Mikee Castillo Join THE LION KING, Eleanor Koski on "Alex, Inc." Tonight, and more!". Young Broadway Actor News. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "'Godfather of Harlem': TV Review". Hollywood Reporter. 29 September 2019. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "'King Richard' Finds Its Young Venus & Serena, Adds Aunjanue Ellis To Will Smith-Starring Warner Bros. Pic". Deadline. 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "SERENA, VENUS ROLES CAST FOR WILL SMITH MOVIE, KING RICHARD". tennis.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Press Releases". Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  8. ↑ "2021 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society . 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (18 January 2022). "NAACP Image Awards: 'Harder They Fall,' 'Insecure' Lead Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  10. ↑ Coates, Hilary Lewis,Tyler; Lewis, Hilary; Coates, Tyler (12 January 2022). "SAG Awards: 'House of Gucci,' 'The Power of the Dog' Lead Film Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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