Betty Gabriel

Last updated
Betty Gabriel
Human Capital 02 (48816747746).jpg
Gabriel in 2019
Born (1981-01-06) January 6, 1981 (age 43)
Education Iowa State University (BS)
Juilliard School (MFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present

Betty Gabriel (born January 6, 1981) is an American actress. For her work in horror films, particularly Blumhouse films, Gabriel has been established as a scream queen. [1] [2] [3] She has been nominated for two Black Reel Awards, a NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Contents

Gabriel began her career in musical theater. She made her screen debut with the short film In Memoriam (2011), and played Laney Rucker in the action film The Purge: Election Year (2016). She earned critical acclaim for starring as Georgina in the horror film Get Out (2017), a performance which The New York Times called one of the best of 2017. She has portrayed Nari in the horror film Unfriended: Dark Web (2018), Detective Cortez in the cyberpunk film Upgrade (2018), Deeks in the drama film Adopt a Highway (2019) and Joyce in the horror film It Lives Inside (2023).

On television, Gabriel has played Denise in the period drama series Good Girls Revolt (2016), Maling in the dystopian series Westworld (2018), Naya Temple in the science fiction series Counterpart (2018–2019), Pam Duffy in the miniseries Defending Jacob (2020), Sophie Brewer in the drama miniseries Clickbait (2021), and Elizabeth Wright in the series Jack Ryan (2022–2023).

Early life

Gabriel was born January 6, 1981, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and in Hyattsville, Maryland. [4] In 2002, Gabriel received a BSc in animal science from Iowa State University. [5] After college, Gabriel relocated to Chicago, studying modern dance and working as an actress in the Chicago theater community. [6] [7] In 2014, she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in drama from Juilliard. [8]

Career

After doing a bit of theater at Iowa State University, [9] Gabriel got her start working as an actress and dancer in Chicago theater, first as part of her further studies, and then in various productions. [6] [10] Gabriel's first film role was in the 2011 drama In Memoriam. [1] She began her career as a television actress with minor recurring roles in Good Girls Revolt and Westworld before landing her first major film role in the 2016 horror sequel The Purge: Election Year. [4] [11] Gabriel's character allows viewers to consider whether "the American dream" has become "the American nightmare" for many African-Americans, much as in her 2017 film Get Out . [12] [13]

Gabriel was on vacation when she was invited to audition for Get Out. To prepare for the role, Gabriel watched the TED talk of Martin Pistorius to get insight into the feeling of being trapped inside one's own body. [14] She also watched Bride of Frankenstein and talked to her own grandmother, who was raised in Alabama, about racial tensions from her era. [15] The film was a critical and commercial success, and Gabriel earned critical acclaim for her performance. Her role was discussed as a contender for Best Supporting Actress for the 2018 Academy Awards by Variety and The New York Times. [16] [17] The New York Times cited her role as Georgina as one of the best performances of 2017. [18]

Gabriel starred opposite Logan Marshall-Green in the sci-fi action horror film Upgrade (2018), written and directed by Leigh Whannell, and shot on location in Melbourne, Australia. [19] [20] [21] In 2017, Gabriel joined the cast of Westworld as the character Maling. [22] In February 2018, it was announced she would join the second season of Counterpart playing an FBI agent. [23]

In March 2021, Gabriel had a role in the animated horror film The Spine of Night, written and directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King. [24] Later in August 2021, she continued her career in the horror genre by playing the role of Sophie Brewer in the Netflix miniseries Clickbait (2021), co-written by Christian White and Tony Ayres, [25] and despite the miniseries receiving a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, [26] it received 1.46 billion views in one week following its debut. [27]

Gabriel also appeared in the Apple TV+ limited series Manhunt , [28] [29] as well as having a recurring role in the TV series Jack Ryan for its third season [30] in 2022.

Filmography

Film

YearFilmRoleNotes
2009MaidenheadIsabeauShort
2011In MemoriamKayla
2013 He's Way More Famous Than You Hairstylist
The Story of Your LifeHouston
2015 Experimenter Sally
2016 The Purge: Election Year Laney Rucker
2017 Get Out Georgina/Marianne Armitage
Beyond Skyline Jones
2018Diverted EdenShirley
Unfriended: Dark Web Nari Jemisin
Upgrade Det. Cortez
2019 Adopt a Highway Deeks
Human Capital Ronnie Manning
2021 The Spine of Night Phae-Agura
2023 It Lives Inside Joyce Dixon
2025 Novocaine TBAFilming

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016 Good Girls Revolt DeniseRecurring role
12 Deadly Days Willow Russell1 episode
2018 Westworld Maling4 episodes
2018-19 Counterpart Naya TempleMain role, 8 episodes
2019 The Twilight Zone Herself1 episode
2020 Defending Jacob Pam DuffyMiniseries, 8 episodes
2021 Clickbait Sophie BrewerMiniseries, 8 episodes
2022–23 Jack Ryan Elizabeth WrightMain cast (seasons 3–4); 8 episodes
2024 Manhunt Elizabeth Keckley 1 episode

Theater

Awards and nominations

YearNominated workAwardCategoryResultRef.
2017 Get Out 11th Fright Meter AwardsBest Supporting ActressNominated [34]
14th Women Film Critics Circle Awards Invisible Woman AwardWon [35]
201816th Gold Derby Awards Best Ensemble CastNominated [36]
18th Black Reel Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated [37]
Best Breakthrough Female Performance Nominated
24th Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated [38]
2022 Clickbait 53rd NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated [39]

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