Deborah Ayorinde

Deborah Ayorinde was born in London, England. At age seven, she performed in her first play with a drama school in the Forest Gate area of London. It was there that she developed a passion for the arts. When she was eight years old, she and her family relocated to San Jose, California. She continued to develop her talents by participating in talent shows and contests, performing with dance teams, cheerleading teams, and choirs, and continuously training. In May of 2009, she graduated with honors from Howard University's John H. Johnson School of Communications with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production. During her matriculation at Howard, she won the coveted Paul Robeson Best Actress award for her performance in a short film she wrote and directed (The film also won the award for Best Cinematography). Deborah made her professional stage debut at the Lyric Hammersmith in London in the role of Julia in the play Wedding Band by Alice Childress. Her Film credits include but are not limited to: Fatherhood (Netflix); Harriet (Universal); Girls Trip (Universal); and Barbershop: The Next Cut (MGM). Television credits include but are not limited to: Them - Lead (Amazon Prime Video); Riches - Lead (ITV and Amazon Prime Video); Luke Cage (Marvel/Netflix); Truth Be Told (Apple TV+); True Detective Series 3 (HBO); The Village (NBC); and The Affair (Showtime). She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series for her work in Season 1 of Them and is nominated for a Stage Debut Award for Best Performer in a play for her work in Wedding Band.