Samira Wiley

Samira Wiley is an Emmy-winning actress best known for her roles on Orange Is the New Black and The Handmaid’s Tale, the latter earning her a Primetime Emmy Award. Wiley spent her childhood in Washington, D.C., and attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts before earning a degree in drama from The Juilliard School in 2010.

Wiley made her television debut with guest roles on Unforgettable and Person of Interest before landing her breakout role as Poussey Washington on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black in 2013. She later gained critical acclaim for her portrayal of Moira on Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, winning an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2018.

In addition to her television success, Wiley has appeared in films such as Nerve (2016), Detroit (2017) and Vault (2019). She has also lent her voice to the animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus and starred in Equal (2020), an HBO Max docuseries about LGBTQ+ history.

Wiley married screenwriter Lauren Morelli, whom she met while working on Orange Is the New Black, in 2017. The couple welcomed their daughter, George Elizabeth, in 2021. They separated in 2026.