Quick Facts
Biography
Yaani King (born August 10, 1981) is an American actress, known for her role as Neely Lloyd in the TNT crime drama series Saving Grace.
Early life
King was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Queens. She of West Indian/Guyanese descent. King attended LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in New York, and later studied acting at The Actors Centre in London.
Career
King began her acting career appearing in a number of Off-Broadway productions and played guest starring roles on television series include Law & Order, and Sex and The City. She made her film debut in a small part in the 2003 erotic thriller In the Cut, before supporting turn as one of Julia Stiles's lead character's best friends in 2004 romantic comedy The Prince & Me. In 2007, King moved to Los Angeles and had guest starring roles on Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Ghost Whisperer. From 2009 to 2010, she was regular cast member in the TNT crime drama series, Saving Grace opposite Holly Hunter, playing Neely Lloyd, the young drug addict.
After Saving Grace, King guest starred on Mad Men, Major Crimes, and NCIS. She voiced Riley Abel in the 2013 video game The Last of Us: Left Behind. In 2014, she played plantation slave in the Civil War western film, Deliverance Creek produced by Nicholas Sparks. In 2015, she was cast in the recurring role as Ada Eze on the ABC prime time television soap opera, Blood & Oil.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | In the Cut | Frannie's student | |
| 2004 | The Prince and Me | Amanda | |
| 2005 | God's Forgotten House | Crystal | |
| 2008 | For Heaven's Sake | Ashley | |
| 2008 | Gospel Hill | Sarah | Uncredited |
| 2012 | The Last Fall | Chris | |
| 2013 | Cavemen | Jasmine | |
| 2015 | Kraft of Revenge: Mousetrap 2 | Mousetrapketeer | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Education of Max Bickford | Student | Episode: "I Never Schlunged My Father" |
| 2002 | Law & Order | Monique Thomas | Episode: "Access Nation" |
| 2003 | Sex and the City | Marcy | Episode: "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little" |
| 2007 | Campus Ladies | Deborah | Episode: "Barri & Joan Rush a Black Sorority" |
| 2007 | Criminal Minds | Deborah Lewis | Episode: "Fear & Loathing" |
| 2007 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Sheila Latham | Episode: "Fallen Idols" |
| 2008 | Numb3rs | Laurie Porter | Episodes: "End Game", "Atomic No. 33" |
| 2009 | Ghost Whisperer | Anne-Marie Ramsey | Episode: "Excessive Forces" |
| 2009–2010 | Saving Grace | Neely Lloyd | Main role (season 3), 19 episodes |
| 2011 | Against the Wall | Tamika | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| 2012 | Vegas | Estelle Drew | Episode: "Legitimate" |
| 2012 | County | Angela | Unsold television pilot |
| 2013 | Mad Men | Phyllis | Episodes: "Collaborators", "The Flood" |
| 2013 | Major Crimes | Mrs. Walker | Episode: "Risk Assessment" |
| 2014 | Extant | Mom | Episode: "Extinct" |
| 2014 | Deliverance Creek | Cassie | Television film |
| 2015 | NCIS | Leandra Perkins | Episode: "Status Update" |
| 2015 | The Haves and the Have Nots | Alliyah Delong | Recurring role |
| 2015 | Blood & Oil | Ada Eze | Recurring role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Last of Us: Left Behind | Riley Abel | Voice and motion capture |