Nana Mensah

Last updated

Nana Mensah (born August 26, 1988)[ citation needed ] is an American actress, writer, and director known for her roles in 13 Reasons Why , An African City , New Amsterdam, Bonding, and The Chair. [1] Mensah's directorial debut, Queen of Glory , had its festival premiere in 2021, and was released in 2022.

Contents

Early life and education

Nana Afiah Mensah was born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in the Farmington Valley region. Her parents emigrated from Ghana in the 1970s. Her father is a chemical engineer. [2] She has one brother. She attended the Loomis Chaffee School, a private boarding school. Her high school drama teacher, Brian Kosanovich, encouraged her to pursue acting professionally. [3]

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, her parents wanted her to attend law school. After working in the legal field, she moved to New York City to become an actress in 2009. [4] [5] To support herself, she worked in restaurants, retail, administration, and childcare. [3] She trained at the now-defunct Actors Center, the Shakespeare Lab, at the Public Theater, and LAByrinth Theater Company Master Class. [3]

Career

In 2009, Mensah played Leslie in The Film You Did Not See. She spent the next few years landing roles in short films like 2010 comedy Behold the Swelling Scene, 2012 comedy Alternate Sides, and the 2013 biographical drama Daadi. [6]

In 2014, Mensah played Sade, Nigerian-Ghanaian expat in An African City. The web series created by Nicole Amarteifio was dubbed "Africa's answer to Sex and the City". She reprised the role for season two. [7]

Mensah has starred in various off-Broadway roles including Nollywood Dreams, reprising the role of Dede in after the production shut down due to COVID-19. [8] Other credits include The Bacchae , Mother Courage and Her Children , Inked Baby, and A Question of Impeachment. [9]

In 2016, she starred as Clare in the Obie Award-winning play, I'll Never Love Again. [10] In 2017 she played Tamyra in Man from Nebraska, for which she earned an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress. [11] In 2020, she co-starred in Farewell Amor as Linda, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival's U.S. Dramatic Competition. [12]

In 2021, Mensah premiered Queen of Glory , a film about a Ghanaian-American academic who inherits a Christian bookstore after the passing of her mother. [13] Mensah wrote, directed, and starred in the film which was completed in 30 days, but took over seven years total to complete. [14] She cited Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern, Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood For Love, films by the Duplass Brothers, Kevin Smith's Clerks, and Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture as influences. [4] Mensah stated that frustration with limited and stereotypical roles led her to create the film as an artistic outlet: "I wasn't given artistic opportunities anywhere else, so I had to go out and make some." [15] The film was funded through investors, Kickstarter campaigns, and Mensah's own savings. [16]

Queen of Glory premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival U.S. Narrative Competition. [17] Mensah won Best New Narrative Director and Special Jury Prize for Artistic Expression. In February 2022, the film was acquired by Film Movement with plans for a theatrical and video-on-demand release. [17] The film was nominated for Best First Feature at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards. [18] It won numerous film festival prizes, including two awards from the Champs-Élysées Film Festival and the inaugural California Film Institute's Mind the Gap Creation Prize. [19]

In 2021, The Chair premiered on Netflix, in which Mensah portrays Yasmin "Yaz" McKay, a popular English professor. [14] She was a staff writer on Random Acts of Flyness, Amazon's The Power, and the second season of the Netflix series Bonding. [4] She sold an-hour long drama pilot called Imperium to AMC. [20]

Mensah has a recurring role on The Diplomat , which premiered on Netflix in 2023, portraying Billie Appiah, the Chief of Staff to the President of the United States. [21]

She also appeared on Broadway in 2023 in Jaja's African Hair Braiding. [22]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009The Film You Did Not SeeLeslie
2014 Love or Something Like That AsantewaaDrama
2015 Beasts of No Nation Young GirlDrama / War
2017 The Misogynists Blake
2018 Like Father American Airlines Agent
2020 Farewell Amor Linda
2020 The King of Staten Island Kindergarten Teacher
2020The Man in the WoodsEthel Patterson
2021 Queen of Glory Sarah ObengAlso writer and director
2021 After Yang Cafe Owner

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014 An African City Sade10 episodes
2015The Walker Oprah Episode: "What Being a Celebrity Escort Is Like"
2017–2018 Madam Secretary Sally Palermo3 episodes
2018 The Good Fight KristenEpisode: "Day 422"
2018 Orange Is the New Black HairdresserEpisode: "Well This Took a Dark Turn"
2018 Elementary Agent KernerEpisode: "Breathe"
2019 New Amsterdam Dr. Camila Candelario12 episodes
2019 Evil EstherEpisode: "2 Fathers"
2019–2020 13 Reasons Why Amara Josephine Achola12 episodes
2020 Little America EuniceEpisode: "The Baker"
2021 Bonding Mistress Mira6 episodes
2021 The Chair Yaz McKay
2023–present The Diplomat Billie AppiahRecurring role
2024 Presumed Innocent Det. Alana Rodriguez8 episodes

Stage

YearTitleRoleVenue
2023 Jaja's African Hair Braiding Aminata Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanaa Lathan</span> American actress (born 1971)

Sanaa McCoy Lathan is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director Stan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the shows In the House, Family Matters, NYPD Blue, and Moesha. Lathan later garnered further prominence after starring in the 1998 superhero film Blade, which followed with film roles in The Best Man (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Disappearing Acts (2000), and Brown Sugar (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Greer</span> American actress (born 1975)

Judith Therese Evans, known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has appeared in a wide variety of films. She rose to prominence for her supporting roles in the films Jawbreaker (1999), What Women Want (2000), 13 Going on 30 (2004), Elizabethtown (2005), 27 Dresses (2008), and Love & Other Drugs (2010).

Nadia Buari is a Ghanaian actress. She received two nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009.

Felicity Ama Agyemang, also known as Nana Ama McBrown, is a Ghanaian actress, TV show hostess, and music composer. She rose to prominence for her role in a television series titled Tentacles. Later, she found mainstream success following her role in the Twi-language movies " Asoreba" and "Kumasi Yonko". She was the host, of the television cooking show McBrown Kitchen and an entertainment talk show United Showbiz on UTV until March 2023 when she moved to Media General. She is a TV show hostess on Onua TV for the Onua Showtime program. Royal drinks has chosen Nana Ama as the face of their brand

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Rodriguez</span> American actress

Elizabeth Rodriguez is an American actress. She began her career appearing in films Fresh (1994), Dead Presidents (1995), I Think I Do (1997) and Blow (2001). She played Detective Gina Calabrese in the 2006 film adaptation of Miami Vice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Frimpong-Manso</span> Ghanaian film director and producer

Shirley Frimpong-Manso is a Ghanaian film director, writer, and producer. She is the founder and CEO of Sparrow Productions, a film, television and advertising production company. She won Best Director at the 6th Africa Movie Academy Awards. Frimpong-Manso is also a principal of Sparrow Station, a video streaming service for African entertainment from Sparrow and other African film producers. In 2013, she was ranked the 48th most influential person in Ghana according to E.tv Ghana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omoni Oboli</span> Nigerian actress (born 1978)

Omoni Oboli is a Nigerian actress, scriptwriter, film director, producer and digital filmmaker. She studied at the New York Film Academy and has written several screenplays, including The Figurine (2009), Anchor Baby (2010), Fatal Imagination, Being Mrs Elliott, The First Lady and Wives on Strike (2016). In 2018, she starred and directed the comedy film, Moms at War.

<i>Queen of Glory</i> 2021 American film

Queen of Glory is a 2021 American comedy-drama film written and directed by and starring Nana Mensah, in her directorial debut. Set in the Bronx, New York City, it depicts a Ghanaian-American scientist who inherits a Christian bookstore from her deceased mother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi</span> Nigerian actress

Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, also known as FAR, is a Nigerian actress. She appeared in the film The Figurine, Tinsel and MTV Shuga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet Asante</span> Ghanaian actress and film producer

Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante is a Ghanaian film actress, producer and director, and philanthropist. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Film Authority (NFA). Her latest film, Silver Rain, was nominated for "Best Film in West Africa" and "Best costume" for 2015 in the Africa Magic viewer's choice awards (AMVCA) and also 2015 "Best Overall Film In Africa". In 1999, Asante started the production house Eagle House Productions. That same year she also started "Save Our Women International", a non-profit entity focusing on female sexual education and launched an innovation that makes short movies for the mobile phone in Africa in 2014 called Mobile Flicks. She is also the Founder and executive director of Black Star International Film Festival. Eagle Productions has helped train some actors and actresses in Ghana through its training arm, the Eagle Drama Workshop.

Raymond Ablack is a Canadian actor and comedian. He began his career in the early 2000s as a child actor on stage, performing as Young Simba in The Lion King at the Princess of Wales Theatre. He later gained recognition for playing Sav Bhandari in the teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation from 2007 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gifty Oware-Mensah</span> Ghanaian politician

Gifty Oware-Mensah is a Ghanaian politician and currently the deputy executive director of the National Service Scheme in Ghana. She has responsibility for administration and finance, helping to manage an annual personnel pool of about 100,000.

Gayle Rankin is a Scottish actress. She is known for her role as Sheila in the Netflix series GLOW (2017–2019). She also played Emily Dodson in the HBO series Perry Mason (2020). Her films include The Greatest Showman (2017), Her Smell (2018), Blow the Man Down, and The Climb.

Numa Perrier is a Haitian-American actress, artist, director, writer, and producer. She is a co-founder of Black&Sexy TV and started her production company titled, "House of Numa". Her debut feature film, Jezebel, premiered at SXSW in 2019. Her sophomore film, the Netflix romantic comedy The Perfect Find premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival where it received the Audience Award for Narrative Film.

<i>The Perfect Picture: Ten Years Later</i> Ghanaian Film

The Perfect Picture: 10 Years Later is a 2019 Ghanaian film produced and directed by Shirley Frimpong-Manso and Ken Attoh. It is a sequel to The Perfect Picture, also produced and written by Shirley Frimpong-Manso. At the 2020 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, Gloria Sarfo won the Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or TV Series for her role in the film.

Mercy Asiedu is a Ghanaian veteran actress who has contributed to the growth of the movie industry. She is known for the role she played in Concert Party and Asoreba. She is also known as being one of the popular Kumawood actresses starring in several roles in the 2000s.

Rose Akua Attaa Mensah is a Ghanaian actress who is best known as Kyeiwaa for her role in the Film Kyeiwaa.

<i>This Lady Called Life</i> 2020 Nigerian film by Kayode Kasum

This Lady Called Life is a 2020 Nigerian romance drama written by Toluwani Obayan, and directed by Kayode Kasum. The film stars Lota Chukwu, Bisola Aiyeola and Wale Ojo in the lead roles. The film had its theatrical release on 9 October 2020 and opened to extremely positive reviews from critics. The film is rated as one of the best Nigerian films of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackline Mensah</span> Ghanaian social media personality

Jackline Mensah also known as ' TikTok goddess' or ' Lassu' is a Ghanaian social media personality, comedian, actress and influencer. She gained internet popularity by posting comedic video contents on the mobile-app TikTok, amassing over 2.0 million followers as of 2022.

Zoe Ramushu is a South Africa based Zimbabwean writer, director, producer, actress and multimedia journalist. Her debut film, It Takes A Circus was nominated for the Student Academy Awards. Zoe Ramushu is co-founder and former spokesperson of Sisters Working in Film and Television. She also chairs a committee for the South African Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

References

  1. ↑ "'The Chair' Star Nana Mensah Will Never Be Bored". W Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  2. ↑ Nana Mensah at TEDxBrooklyn , retrieved 2022-03-09
  3. 1 2 3 "Nana Mensah". the muse project. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  4. 1 2 3 "'The Chair' Star Nana Mensah Will Never Be Bored". W Magazine. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  5. ↑ Broadway.com #LiveatFive with Nana Mensah of MAN FROM NEBRASKA , retrieved 2022-03-09
  6. ↑ "Woman Crush Wednesday: Let's Give A Standing Ovation for 'The Chair' Actress Nana Mensah". Decider. 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  7. ↑ "An African City". anafricancity.vhx.tv. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  8. ↑ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "BWW Interview: Nana Mensah Talks NOLLYWOOD DREAMS, QUEEN OF GLORY & More". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  9. ↑ "An African City". anafricancity.tv. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  10. ↑ Shaw, Helen. "I'll Never Love Again (a chamber piece)". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  11. ↑ "Outer Critics Circle Awards: Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play". www.abouttheartists.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  12. ↑ "farewell-amor". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  13. ↑ Grobar, Matt (2022-01-19). "'Queen Of Glory' Filmmaker Nana Mensah Inks With WME". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  14. 1 2 "Nana Mensah On Her Directorial Debut 'Queen Of Glory,' Netflix's 'The Chair' & Doing It All". Essence. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  15. ↑ Goldhammer, Arthur (2011), "Why Feudal Prerogatives Had Become More Odious to the People in France Than Anywhere Else", Tocqueville: The Ancien Régime and the French Revolution, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 31–38, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511977114.011, ISBN   9780521889803 , retrieved 2022-03-09
  16. ↑ "Tribeca 2021 Women Directors: Meet Nana Mensah – "Queen of Glory"". womenandhollywood.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  17. 1 2 "The 2021 Tribeca Festival Announces Award Winners". Tribeca. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  18. ↑ Queen of Glory (2021) - IMDb , retrieved 2022-03-09
  19. ↑ MVFF44: 'Queen of Glory' - Conversation with Director Nana Mensah , retrieved 2022-03-09
  20. ↑ Sedode, Pilot (2021-06-17). "Ghanaian-American Actress Nana Mensah On Her New Film And How She Pulled It Off". Kuulpeeps - Ghana Campus News and Lifestyle Site by Students. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  21. ↑ Netflix [@netflix] (March 16, 2023). "Keri Russell stars in The Diplomat, a new series created by Debora Cahn (Homeland, The West Wing), premiering April 20. She plays a career diplomat who lands a high-profile job she's unsuited for, with seismic implications for her marriage and political future" (Tweet). Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ↑ Jerkins, Morgan (October 11, 2023). "Braiding Her Way Onto Broadway". The Cut.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.