Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Da'Vine Joy Randolph (born May 21, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She first gained recognition as Oda Mae Brown in the Broadway production of Ghost: The Musical (2012) for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. Randolph's early films include The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014) and Office Christmas Party (2016) before gaining prominence for her roles in Dolemite Is My Name (2019), and The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2020). She is known for her television roles in Selfie (2014), People of Earth (2016–17), Empire (2017–18), High Fidelity (2020), Only Murders in the Building (2021–present), and The Idol (2023). Early life Randolph grew up in Philadelphia and Hershey, Pennsylvania. She went to Temple University to focus on vocal performance, but in her junior year she decided to switch concentrations to musical theatre. After graduating from Temple she went to the Yale School of Drama. She graduated from Yale in 2011 with her master's degree. As a youth she attended Interlochen Arts Camp, studying theatre. Career Randolph auditioned for an understudy role in the Broadway transfer of Ghost: the Musical (which was playing in London's West End), but the producers decided to cast her in the principal role of Oda Mae Brown. Before the casting of the Broadway transfer was announced Sharon D. Clarke, who played Oda Mae in the London run of Ghost the Musical, suffered a minor knee injury. Randolph was quickly flown to London to cover the role in Clarke's absence. Her debut performance took place on Friday December 16, 2011, and she continued to share the role with understudy Lisa Davina Phillip until early January 2012, when Clarke returned.