Kara Young
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Kara Young, a highly acclaimed actor who is the first female Black actor to win two consecutive Tony Awards and to be Tony-nominated for four consecutive years from 2022-2025, made her feature film debut in a supporting role in King of Knives (2020), starring Gene Pope (who co-wrote the screenplay with Lindsay Joy), Mel Harris, Roxi Pope and Emily Bennett under Jon Delgado’s direction, and released by Gravitas Ventures. Young had an uncredited role in Kogonada’s drama, After Yang (2021), and then played a supporting role in director/writer Mariama Diallo’s psychological horror movie, Master (2022), starring Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, Amber Gray, and Molly Bernard, launching at the Sundance Film Festival and opening theatrically and in streaming via Amazon Studios.
Young co-starred in directors/writers/producers/editors Ryan Dickie’s and Abigail Horton’s comedy thriller, Blow Up My Life (2022), with Jason Selvig, Ben Horner, Davram Stiefler, and Reema Sampat, produced by Alisha Bhowmik, and which was released globally by WPDA Studios. Young joined the ensemble of debuting director/writer Anu Valla’s indie drama, We Strangers (2024), co-starring Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Tina Lifford, Sarah Goldberg, and Maria Dizzia, and after premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival, had a theatrical release by Quiver Distribution.
Kara Young joined the vivid cast of director/writer Boots Riley’s crime comedy, I Love Boosters (2026), starring Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Demi Moore, Don Cheadle and Jason Ritter, produced by Annapurna Pictures/Ryder Picture Company/Savage Rose Films, and which was released wide by Neon (U.S.-Canada)/Focus Features-Universal Pictures (International) after launching at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
Young led the cast of debuting director/writer Aleshea Harris’s film version of her play, Is God Is (2026), co-starring Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monae, Erika Alexander and Mykelti Williamson, produced by Tessa Thompson, Janicza Bravo, Riva Marker and Kishori Rajan, produced by Orion Pictures/Viva Maude/Linden Entertainment and released wide by Amazon MGM Studios.
Personal life
Kara Young was born and raised in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City by her Belize-born parents, Vanessa (health administrator) and Klay (Captain at New York’s Rainbow Room). Young has one brother named Klay Jr. Young attended elementary and high school in Spanish Harlem and then attended Gettysburg College and the City College of New York, and then studied theater and acting and graduated from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. Young lives in West Harlem. Young’s height is 5’ 2”.
Kara Young Movies
actor
Upcoming (2)
- 2026 |
- 2026 |
Previous (1)
- 2025 |
We Strangers
asMari Winters
We Strangers is an addictive and haunting study of race, class and assimilation, centering around Ray, a charming and self-determined woman living in Gary, Indiana.
Facts About Kara Young
Hometown: Kara Young lives in West Harlem, only three blocks from where she grew up.
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