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Lovie Simone

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Lovie Simone
Simone interviewed in 2020
Born
Lovie Simone Oppong

(1998-11-29) November 29, 1998 (age 26)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active2009–present

Lovie Simone Oppong (born November 29, 1998)[1][2] is an American actress, best known for her role as Zora Greenleaf in the drama series Greenleaf (2016–2020), and Keisha Clark in the critically acclaimed Netflix teen drama series Forever (2025).

Life and career

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Simone was born in New York City in The Bronx and raised in Orange County, New York. Here, she attended Monroe-Woodbury High School from her freshman year to senior year. Her mother is African American and her father is Ghanaian.[3] She has a twin sister named Yuri, who's a musician that goes by Reiyo The Giant[4] and a younger brother and sister.[1][5] She studied at an acting school in New York and later appeared in a national commercial for JC Penney.[1]

Beginning in 2016, Simone starred in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf playing the role of Zora Greenleaf, the daughter of Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne) and Jacob Greenleaf (Lamman Rucker).[5] Simone was originally cast as a recurring cast member, but was promoted to a series regular by the second season.[6] Simone later made her film debut in a supporting role opposite Jennifer Hudson and Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the 2018 drama film Monster, which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.[1][7] The following year, she appeared in two drama films that premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Share and Selah and the Spades in which she played the titular role.[8][9] Both films received positive reviews from critics.[10][11] In 2020, Simone played one of the leads in writer-director Zoe Lister-Jones' horror film The Craft: Legacy, a sequel to the 1996 film The Craft.[12][13][14]

In 2021, Simone starred in the first season of Starz crime drama series, Power Book III: Raising Kanan.[15] In 2022, she was cast opposite Tobias Menzies Apple TV+ limited series, Manhunt.[16] She starred in the period drama film The Walk, and in 2023, starred in the science fiction thriller 57 Seconds.[17] In 2025, she starred as the lead character Keisha Clark in the Netflix teen drama series Forever, which received rave reviews from critics.[18]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Monster Renee Pickford
2019 Share Jenna
2019 Selah and the Spades Selah Summers
2020 The Craft: Legacy Tabby
2022 The Walk Wendy Robbins
2023 57 Seconds Jala

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2016–20 Greenleaf Zora Greenleaf Main role, 60 episodes
2017 Orange Is the New Black Jasmin 1 episode
2017 Blue Bloods Gina Walker 1 episode
2020 Social Distance[19] Ayana 1 episode
2021 Power Book III: Raising Kanan Davina Harrison Main role, 10 episodes
2024 Manhunt Mary Simms Miniseries
2025 Forever Keisha Clark Miniseries

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hanson-Firestone, Dana (September 23, 2019). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Lovie Simone". TVOvermind.
  2. ^ Kwateng-Clark, Danielle (September 27, 2019). "Lovie Simone on the Psychology of Her "Greenleaf" Character and Wanting Complex Storylines". Teen Vogue. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  3. ^ "V Girl: Lovie Simone | V Magazine". vmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  4. ^ "Reiyo The Giant - Topic - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  5. ^ a b Kwateng-Clark, Danielle (September 27, 2019). "Lovie Simone on the Psychology of Her "Greenleaf" Character and Wanting Complex Storylines". Teen Vogue.
  6. ^ Pedersen, Erik (October 27, 2016). "'Greenleaf': GregAlan Williams & Lovie Simone Upped To Regulars On OWN Drama". Deadline Hollywood.
  7. ^ Cain, Spencer (August 3, 2017). "It's time to meet Lovie Simone". ASOS. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  8. ^ Obenson, Tambay (January 24, 2019). "'Selah and the Spades' Trailer: Sundance Drama Explores Underground Life at Boarding School". IndieWire.
  9. ^ Lang, Brent (July 17, 2019). "Amazon Studios Buys 'Selah and the Spades,' Will Develop Original Series (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  10. ^ "Share (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  11. ^ "Selah and the Spades (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  12. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 19, 2019). "Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna Join Cailee Spaeny To Lead 'The Craft' Remake From Blumhouse". IndieWire.
  13. ^ Mangum, Trey (September 19, 2019). "'The Craft' Remake Taps Lovie Simone To Star As One Of The Four Leads". shadowandact.com.
  14. ^ Mangum, Trey (February 20, 2020). "'The Craft' Remake Starring Lovie Simone Wraps Filming". shadowandact.com.
  15. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 6, 2020). "'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Casts 'Greenleaf' Star Lovie Simone (EXCLUSIVE)".
  16. ^ Petski, Denise (February 25, 2022). "Anthony Boyle & Lovie Simone Join Tobias Menzies In Apple's Lincoln Assassination Limited Series 'Manhunt'".
  17. ^ Horst, Carole (May 22, 2022). "Morgan Freeman, Josh Hutcherson Team on Time-Bending Thriller '57 Seconds' in First Look Photo".
  18. ^ Shayo, Lukas (2025-05-10). "Netflix's New Judy Blume Series Debuts With Strong Rotten Tomatoes Score With Both Critics & Audiences". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
  19. ^ Allaire, Christian (October 27, 2020). "Lovie Simone on Starring in 'The Craft' Reboot and Embracing Witchy Style". Vogue. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
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