Biography

Zainab Jah was raised in Sierra Leone and returned to London at the age of ten. After graduating from London Contemporary Dance, she toured as a modern dancer, eventually trading dance for acting. She appeared in numerous plays, winning rave reviews for shows both on and off-Broadway including the Tony-nominated Eclipsed, and won Best Actress from the Philadelphia Critic’s Circle for Hamlet at the Wilma Theatre. Her work in film & TV includes anti-corruption minister Aminata Sissoko in the second season of Deep State, Aby Bah in Homeland, and Harriet Tubman in Showtime’s The Good Lord Bird. Other work includes appearances on Blindspot, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the EPIX series Deep State, and the Sundance hit Farewell Amor. Most recently, she was featured in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She can currently be seen in the John Wick spin-off mini-series The Continental.

Photos

Filmography

View Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999Series
7.9
View The Blacklist
The Blacklist

The Blacklist

2013Series
7.6
View Homeland
Homeland

Homeland

2011Series
7.6
View Elementary
Elementary

Elementary

2012Series
7.6
View Blindspot
Blindspot

Blindspot

2015Series
7.4
View Only Murders in the Building
Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building

2021Series
8.5
View Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

2022Film
7.0
View East New York
East New York

East New York

2022Series
7.1
View The Continental: From the World of John Wick
The Continental: From the World of John Wick

The Continental: From the World of John Wick

2023Series
7.4
View The Good Lord Bird
The Good Lord Bird

The Good Lord Bird

2020Series
6.7
View Drift
Drift

Drift

2024Film
6.4
View Dinner Rush
Dinner Rush

Dinner Rush

2000Film
7.0