Star File

Joaquina Kalukango

Joaquina Kalukano received the 2022 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her extraordinary performance as Nelly O’Brien in Paradise Square. She received a 2020 Tony Award nomination for her performance in the critically acclaimed Broadway production of Slave Play. For that production, she also received an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress and Broadway.com listed her as one of the top five performers (male or female) of the year. Joaquina is a 2021 SAG Award nominee for Cast in a Motion Picture for her role as Betty X opposite Kingsley Ben-Adir in Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami. Additionally, she recurred on the HBO series, Lovecraft Country. Other TV credits include Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series, When They See Us, and Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, directed by Kenny Leon. Additional Broadway credits include: The Color Purple, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and Godspell.