Royalty Hightower | |
---|---|
Born | Royalty Hightower March 25, 2005 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2010–present |
Notable work | The Fits |
Parent | Charyce Harris |
Relatives | Yrmajesti Hightower |
Royalty Hightower (born March 25, 2005) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress in 2014 and is best known for her role as Toni in the 2015 film The Fits, portraying a young girl dealing with peer pressure and unusual occurrences within her local dance group. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for the Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor in 2016. [1] Hightower has also appeared in And Then I Go (2017) and the action drama Great Performers: L.A. Noir (2016).
Royalty Hightower was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She became involved in the performing arts at an early age through dance, joining the Q-Kidz Dance Team. [2] [3] Her participation in the troupe's performances and online presence led to her discovery. Her dance experience contributed to her being cast as Toni, the lead character in the 2015 film The Fits, directed by Anna Rose Holmer. [4] [5]
Hightower received recognition for her role in The Fits, a psychological drama about a young girl named Toni who joins a dance troupe and encounters mysterious, unexplained fits affecting her teammates. [6] Her performance was noted for its depth and maturity, particularly given her age. In 2016, she was nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor. [7]
Following the release of The Fits, Hightower appeared in the 2017 drama And Then I Go, based on Jim Shepard's book Project X. The film examines the lives of two troubled middle school boys, and Hightower's performance received positive feedback. In 2017, [8] she signed with the talent agency Paradigm. Hightower is also slated to appear alongside Laurence Fishburne in Leah Rachel's crime thriller Ruby in Murdertown. [9]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Jury Prize | Best Actress | Won | |
2016 | NBR Award | Breakthrough Performance - Female | Won | [10] |
Gotham Independent Film Award | Breakthrough Actor | Nominated | [1] | |
CFCA Award | Most Promising Performer | Nominated | [11] | |
Golden Space Needle Award | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
2017 | Black Reel | Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture | Nominated | |
Black Reel Awards | Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female | Nominated |
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