André Holland

3.1. Early work and stage debut

Holland's professional acting career began in 2006 with his first on-screen appearance in an episode of the crime drama Law & Order. Concurrently, he became more active in theatre. In 2006, he gained recognition for his portrayal of three distinct characters in the play Blue Door, earning positive reviews from critics, including Charles Isherwood of The New York Times.

In 2008, Holland appeared as Eric in the play Wig Out! and made his film debut in the sports drama Sugar. The following year, he took on the roles of Elegba and Marcus in The Brother/Sister Plays. In 2010, Holland was cast in the Matthew Lopez play The Whipping Man, a performance for which he was awarded the Vivian Robinson/Audelco Award for Best Supporting Actor.

3.2. Rise to prominence

Between 2011 and 2015, Holland took on roles that significantly raised his profile. In 2011, he starred as Julian "Fitz" Fitzgerald for 13 episodes of the NBC sitcom Friends with Benefits. He made notable appearances in historical films, portraying sportswriter Wendell Smith in the 2013 film 42, which chronicled Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier in baseball. In 2014, he played politician and activist Andrew Young in Ava DuVernay's critically acclaimed historical drama Selma. His performance in Selma earned him a nomination for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, along with nominations for Best Cast from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, San Diego Film Critics Society, and Best Ensemble from the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. From 2014 to 2015, Holland starred opposite Clive Owen in the Cinemax original drama series The Knick, where he played Dr. Algernon Edwards for 20 episodes. For his work on The Knick, he won a Satellite Award for Best Cast - Television Series and received nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and another Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

3.3. Breakthrough with Moonlight

In 2016, André Holland achieved widespread recognition and critical acclaim for his performance as Kevin in Barry Jenkins' drama film Moonlight. The film garnered numerous accolades, including several Academy Awards, most notably the Best Picture at the 89th annual ceremony.

Holland's portrayal of Kevin was particularly highlighted by film critics, with publications such as Rolling Stone and GQ singling him out as a "standout" in the film. As part of the film's ensemble cast, he received a nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards. His performance also earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor from the Florida Film Critics Circle and Outstanding Supporting Actor at the Black Reel Awards. Furthermore, he received several ensemble awards for Moonlight, including the Boston Online Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble, Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Ensemble, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble, Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance, Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award, and New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Ensemble Cast. He also received nominations for ensemble performance from the Detroit Film Critics Society, Phoenix Film Critics Society, San Diego Film Critics Society, and Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association.

3.4. Subsequent projects and directing

Following the success of Moonlight, Holland continued to pursue diverse roles across stage, film, and television, and also began directing. In 2017, he returned to Broadway, portraying Youngblood in August Wilson's play Jitney. His next film appearance was in Ava DuVernay's fantasy adventure A Wrinkle in Time, released in March 2018, where he played Principal James Jenkins.

Later in 2018, Holland took on the leading role of Henry Matthew Deaver in the Hulu series Castle Rock. His performance in the series received positive reviews, with Amy Woolsey of Vulture praising it as "textured." Also in 2018, Holland made his Off Off Broadway directing debut with a production of Greg Keller's play Dutch Masters. Since July 2018, he has starred in a production of Othello at Shakespeare's Globe, performing alongside Mark Rylance. In 2016, he also starred as Matt Miller in the FX series American Horror Story: Roanoke.

In 2019, Holland starred as Ray Burke in the film High Flying Bird, for which he also served as an executive producer. He appeared in the short film Battle at Big Rock as Dennis the same year. In 2020, he took on a lead role as Elliot Udo in the Netflix musical drama series The Eddy, directed by Damien Chazelle. Holland continued his film work, appearing as Brian Redfield in the 2021 film Passing and as Frank Yearly in the 2022 film Bones and All.

Looking ahead, Holland is set to appear in several productions. In 2022, he was cast as Paul Cole in Duke Johnson's upcoming film The Actor, an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake's novel Memory, which is currently in post-production. He is also set to star in Exhibiting Forgiveness as Tarrell and Shirley as Walter Fauntroy, both released in 2024. For 2025, he is attached to Love, Brooklyn as Roger, a film he also produces, and The Dutchman, both in post-production. Holland is also filming The Revisionist alongside Dustin Hoffman, Alison Brie, and Tom Sturridge. On television, he appeared as Huey P. Newton in the 2024 miniseries The Big Cigar and voiced Malcolm Lee in the 2024 animated series Terminator Zero.

4.1. Film

4.2. Television