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Danielle Pinnock
American actress, comedian and writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Danielle Pinnock (born May 11, 1988)[1] is an American actress, writer, and comedian. Pinnock won an Astra Television Award and an NAACP Image Award for her performance as a main cast member on the CBS comedy Ghosts (2021– ), where she plays the 1920s Prohibition era jazz singer Alberta.[2]
She played a supporting role as Ms. Ingram on the CBS comedy Young Sheldon (2017–2020) and has acted in This Is Us, Workaholics, A Black Lady Sketch Show, and others.
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Early life and education
Pinnock was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Jamaican immigrant parents, and from age 10 was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey.[3][4] At the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards Pinnock said her middle name was Ashley and that she was named for Ashley Abbott of The Young and the Restless.[5]
Beginning in fifth grade, she performed in local theater productions at school and at the Garage Theater Group.[6] In high school at Saddle River Day School, she was active in performing arts activities.[1] Her father died when she was 16.[4]
She received her bachelor's degree in theater and communications from Temple University, and there met fellow student Quinta Brunson.[7] She received her graduate degree in acting from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She interviewed approximately 300 people for her one-woman dissertation show Body/Courage, which centers body image and diet culture, and went on to perform the show over a five-year period.[1][4] Pinnock later received a fellowship to train in improv and sketch comedy at Second City in Chicago.[1]
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Career
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Pinnock moved to Los Angeles in 2016 and was cast as an understudy for the Robert O'Hara play Barbecue, staged at Geffen Playhouse and directed by Colman Domingo.[1][4] Shortly after, she was cast in her first television role on NBC's This Is Us.[1] She has also appeared on the series Get Shorty, Workaholics, A Black Lady Sketch Show and done voice acting for the programs The Boss Baby: Back in Business, Where’s Waldo?, and ThunderCats Roar.[8][9][1] From 2017, for seasons 1–4, Pinnock was a supporting character on Young Sheldon.[4]
In 2018, she created the Instagram series Hashtag Booked to comment on the barriers encountered by Black women in the entertainment industry.[4][6] She and co-creator LaNisa Renée Frederick received a Webby Award for the series.[1] After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Pinnock gained wider prominence for her comedic videos posted to her Instagram and TikTok.[4] She was named to Backstage's list of 25 On-the-Rise Performers You Need to Know in 2022.[10]
Pinnock gained wider prominence as a main cast member on the 2021 CBS comedy Ghosts, on which she plays Alberta, a 1920s era jazz singer.[1] Although she has no formal vocal training, she started to take lessons after she was cast.[7] Salon hailed her acting as one of 10 breakout performances of 2021.[11] She won in 2024 Astra Award and a 2025 NAACP Image Award, as well a Black Reel Award nomination for her performance.[12][13][14]
Unmentionables, an adult animated series she co-created with Punam Patel is in development with 20th Century.[9] The series is produced by Taraji P. Henson and Anthony Hemingway.[1] Pinnock hosted the 37th Artios Awards.[15]
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Personal life
Pinnock resides in Los Angeles. In 2013[16] she married British dialect coach Jack Wallace, whom she met while in her graduate program at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.[1]
Filmography
Television
Film
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Awards and nominations
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Notes
References
External links
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