Diarra Kilpatrick

Diarra Kilpatrick is an American actress. She is best known for acting on the ABC Digital series American Koko and HBO's Perry Mason. Kilpatrick also appeared in Private Practice, The Last O.G., and The Twilight Zone.[2][3]

Diarra Kilpatrick
Born1983/1984 (age 36–37)[1]
Detroit, Michigan, USA
NationalityAmerican
Occupation
  • actress
  • writer
  • producer
Years active2007-
Notable work
American Koko

Early life and education

Kilpatrick was raised in Detroit.[4] She is the half-sister of Kwame Kilpatrick.[4] She grew up performing in productions at Meadow Brook Theater. When she turned 12, she joined Mosaic Youth Theatre and starred in her first production.[4][1] Kilpatrick graduated from Detroit Country Day[2] and attended NYU Tisch for her bachelor's degree.[1]

Career

Kilpatrick moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and acted in local theater productions including Three Sisters After Chekhov, The Interlopers, and Tarell Alvin McCraney's In the Red and Brown Water.[2]

In 2015, she wrote, produced, and starred in a satirical web series, American Koko, and launched it on YouTube.[1] The series won the American Black Film Festival’s Best Web Series Award in 2015, after which it caught the attention of Julius Tennon, the husband of Viola Davis.[1] The series was developed through their production company, JuVee Productions,[1] and was purchased by ABC. The original first season was re-shot and a second season was also produced.[3] Both seasons premiered online on ABC Digital on June 19, 2017.[5] It follows Koko (played by Kilpatrick), who "is a Los Angeles race detective at the Everyone’s a Little Racist Agency, which has the daunting mandate of ending racism in America."[6]

Kilpatrick wrote and starred in a pilot for Amazon Studios in fall 2017, The Climb. It is a "Detroit-set comedy about an assistant who ditches her job to find internet fame."[7] The series was not picked up by Amazon.[8]

She appeared in The Twilight Zone reboot, and had supporting roles on Private Practice, The Last O.G., and HBO's Perry Mason.[9][10]

Personal life

Kilpatrick is married.[10]

Awards and nominations
  • 2011 - Ovation Awards - (Nomination) Lead Actress in a Play, The Interlopers[11]
  • 2013 - Ovation Awards - (Nomination) Lead Actress in a Play, In the Red and Brown Water[12]
  • 2018 - Primetime Emmy Awards - (Nomination) Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy Series, American Koko[7]

References
  1. Tate, Crystal (2017-06-19). "Actress Diarra Kilpatrick Is One To Watch". Essence. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  2. Johnson, Reed (2012-12-04). "Diarra Kilpatrick is a natural as a force of nature". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  3. N'Duka, Amanda (2017-06-19). "'American Koko': Viola Davis-Produced Digital Series Launches Season 2 In Honor Of Juneteenth". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  4. Hinds, Julie (2017-09-15). "Web series created by Kilpatrick family member gets rave reviews". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  5. Rose, Jacqueline. "Viola Davis produced series tackles racism through comedy". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  6. Weatherford, Ashley (2017-07-12). "The Radical ABC Show Tackling Racism Head-on". The Cut. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  7. "'The Climb' Creator Reflects on Her Public Pilot, From Pitch to Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  8. "Amazon passes on picking up Diarra Kilpatrick's 'The Climb' as a series". shadowandact.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  9. Collins, Sean T. (2020-07-05). "'Perry Mason' Season 1, Episode 3 Recap: If the Teeth Fit …". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  10. Terrell, Kellee (2019-04-18). "From 'The Twilight Zone' to 'The Last O.G.,' Diarra Kilpatrick Proves She Can Do it All". Shondaland. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  11. "Ovation Awards nominations announced for 2010-11 season". LA Times Blogs - Culture Monster. 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  12. Wetherbe, Jamie (2013-09-17). "Center Theatre Group leads 2012-2013 Ovation Awards nominations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
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