Aja Naomi King is an American actress best known for her role as Michaela Pratt in How to Get Away with Murder and Cassandra Kopelson in Emily Owens, MD.
Early Life
Although Aja Naomi King was born in Los Angeles, she grew up in Walnut, California. Not much is known about her early life except that she received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in Acting at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She then continued her education and got a Master’s degree in Fine Arts at the School of Drama, part of Yale University, in 2010.
During her education at Yale University, King performed in numerous productions, such as Little Shop of Horrors, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Career
King started her acting career with several minor roles in the film industry. Her debut is considered to be the guest role in Blue Bloods, a police drama television series. Later on, she also appeared as a guest in popular TV shows The Blacklist, Deadbeat, and Person of Interest.
Her big break came in 2012 when she was cast for Emily Owens, MD as the main antagonist, Cassandra Kopelson. 2013 was also an important year in her career, as she starred in two independent movies, one of which was drama Four. This role got her a Los Angeles Film Festival Award for Best Performance by Cast.
In 2014, King launched her career by playing in a medical drama series Black Box. However, the legal thriller drama series How to Get Away with Murder is a project that truly made King’s breakthrough official. Her role of Michaela Pratt, one of the five main students, got her a nomination for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
King played her first leading role in Reversion, a science-fiction thriller released in 2015. Furthermore, King received positive reviews for her female lead role in The Birth of a Nation. This role also got her an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture nomination.
Over the last several years, Aja Naomi King appeared in multiple projects, including The Upside, A Girl from Mogadishu, Sylvie’s Love, and The 24th.
Films:
- Gloria Mundi, 2008
- A Basketball Jones, 2010
- Eve, 2010
- Damsels in Distress, 2011
- Love Syncs, 2012
- 36 Saints, 2013
- Four, 2013
- The Rewrite, 2014
- Reversion, 2015
- The Birth of a Nation, 2016
- The Upside, 2017
- A Girl from Mogadishu, 2019
- Sylvie’s Love, 2020
- The 24th, 2020
Television:
- Blue Bloods, 2010
- Person of Interest, 2012
- Emily Owens, MD, 2012-13
- The Blacklist, 2013
- Deadbeat, 2014
- Black Box, 2014
- How to Get Away with Murder, 2014-2020
- BoJack Horseman, 2015
- Scandal, 2018
- A Black Lady Sketch Show, 2019
Relationships
Aja Naomi King is very private about her personal life, so there’s not much information about her current relationship status. Nevertheless, she gave birth to her son Kian in 2016 with her partner Dan King. Before giving birth to her son, Aja Naomi King suffered two miscarriages.
In The News
King is a very famous face in the cosmetics industry. She was the face of Olay’s 2015 fall marketing campaign for their skincare products. In 2017, King became a spokesperson for L’Oreal Paris. King appeared on the cover pages of numerous magazines, such as Elle, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Nylon, Marie Claire, and Shape.
As for the acting career, King will star in an upcoming comedy film Shriver, written and directed by Michael Maren. The movie is based on the novel Shiver by Chris Belden.
