Laverne Cox Bio
Laverne Cox (born May 29, 1972) is an American actress, producer, and LGBTQ advocate whose career has reshaped representation for transgender performers across film, television, and mainstream media. She rose to international prominence with her portrayal of Sophia Burset on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, a role that earned her historic Emmy nominations and made her one of the most visible transgender actors working in Hollywood. Beyond acting, Cox is an executive producer of documentary work centered on trans experiences and a sought-after public speaker on gender equality and inclusion.
Cox has built a multifaceted career that spans scripted television, reality programming, documentary film, fashion, and advocacy. Her work has been recognized with a Daytime Emmy Award and multiple Primetime Emmy nominations, along with honors from organizations such as GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign. She continues to use her platform to advance the rights of transgender people and to broaden the stories told on screen.
Early Life and Background
Laverne Cox was born on May 29, 1972, in Mobile, Alabama. She was raised by a single mother and her grandmother within the AME Zion church, an environment that grounded her early years in faith and family. Cox has spoken publicly about facing bullying throughout her childhood and about attempting suicide at the age of eleven, experiences that later informed her advocacy for transgender youth.
She has an identical twin brother, M. Lamar, who would later portray the pre-transition version of her Orange Is the New Black character. Cox attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, where she initially studied creative writing before shifting her focus to dance. She later studied for two years at Indiana University Bloomington and then transferred to Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, where she transitioned from classical ballet to acting. She also studied fashion merchandising management at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Path to Celebrity
Cox’s early career in entertainment began in New York City, where she performed as a drag queen on the Lower East Side while working at a restaurant. She first appeared on television as a contestant on the first season of VH1’s reality series I Want to Work for Diddy. The exposure led VH1 to approach her about developing new programming, resulting in TRANSform Me, a makeover television series that she co-produced and co-hosted. The series made Cox the first African-American transgender person to produce and star in her own television show, and it earned a GLAAD Media Award nomination for outstanding reality program.
Alongside her reality television work, Cox took on small roles in scripted series such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Bored to Death, as well as the independent film Musical Chairs. These early projects allowed her to develop her craft and build a résumé that would soon catch the attention of Netflix producers casting Orange Is the New Black. Her growing visibility as both a performer and an advocate positioned her to take on the role that would define her career.
Laverne Cox Career
Early Career (2000s)
Laverne Cox began her professional career around 2000, working in television, independent film, and live performance. Her early credits included guest appearances on scripted shows and a recurring presence in reality programming. Both I Want to Work for Diddy and TRANSform Me earned GLAAD Media Award nominations, and when I Want to Work for Diddy won in 2009, Cox accepted the award, delivering a speech about the importance of authentic storytelling.
During this period, Cox also contributed to advocacy efforts, becoming a recognizable voice within the transgender community. Her growing reputation as both an artist and an activist helped her secure increasingly prominent roles and laid the foundation for the breakthrough that would come with her casting in Orange Is the New Black.
Breakthrough (2013–2019)
Cox’s breakthrough arrived in 2013 when she was cast as Sophia Burset, an incarcerated transgender woman, in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black. Her nuanced performance earned widespread critical acclaim and turned Sophia into one of the most recognized transgender characters in television history. In 2014, Cox became the first transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category, receiving a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.
That same year, Cox appeared on the cover of Time magazine, becoming the first openly transgender person to receive that distinction. She also produced and narrated the MTV and Logo documentary Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, which premiered in 2014 and went on to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special in 2015. The win made Cox the first transgender woman to receive a Daytime Emmy as an executive producer.
In 2017, Cox expanded her television footprint by joining the CBS legal drama Doubt as transgender attorney Cameron Wirth, becoming the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on U.S. broadcast television. That same year, she received a second Primetime Emmy nomination, this time for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Orange Is the New Black. Cox continued to break barriers with appearances in campaigns for Ivy Park and a feature role in Taylor Swift’s You Need to Calm Down music video, and she became the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of British Vogue in 2019.
Notable Works and Milestones
Cox’s signature role remains Sophia Burset on Orange Is the New Black, a performance that earned her two Primetime Emmy nominations and cemented her status as a pioneering figure in Hollywood. Her executive production of Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word brought her a Daytime Emmy Award and marked another historic first for transgender representation. Beyond television, Cox executive produced the documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, which premiered on Netflix in 2020, and she has appeared in projects ranging from live hosting duties on E!’s Live from the Red Carpet to a guest turn on The Masked Singer in 2024.
Laverne Cox Award Nominations
Laverne Cox has earned multiple Emmy nominations across her career, including two Primetime Emmy nominations for her work on Orange Is the New Black. In 2014, she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, and in 2017, she earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Earlier in her career, Cox was also nominated for GLAAD Media Awards for her work on I Want to Work for Diddy and TRANSform Me.
Laverne Cox Awards Won
Laverne Cox won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2015 for Outstanding Special Class Special as executive producer of Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, making her the first transgender woman to win a Daytime Emmy as an executive producer. She has also received honors from organizations such as GLAAD, which presented her with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award in 2014, and The New School, which awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in 2016 for her work advancing gender equality.
Laverne Cox Family
Laverne Cox has an identical twin brother, M. Lamar, who portrayed the pre-transition version of her character, Marcus, in early episodes of Orange Is the New Black. She was raised in Mobile, Alabama, by her mother and grandmother, both of whom played formative roles in her upbringing.
Personal Life
Cox has been open about her personal journey as a transgender woman, including her childhood experiences with bullying and her early suicide attempt, subjects she has addressed in interviews and in her advocacy work. She has spoken publicly about the importance of family support, mental health awareness, and access to affirming resources for transgender youth. In 2019, she attended the Emmy Awards with ACLU attorney Chase Strangio, drawing attention to the Supreme Court case involving transgender workplace protections.