Yara Shahidi is an award-winning actress, producer, and the breakout star of ABC’s Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series black-ish. In 2019, alongside her business partner and mother, Keri Shahidi, she expanded her relationship with ABC by signing a multi-year producing deal under the moniker “7th Sun Productions.”

Currently, she serves as executive producer and lead of Freeform’s black-ish spinoff series, grown-ish. She also executive produces and stars in Meta’s new interview show, Yara Shahidi’s Day Off, where she joins her celebrity peers and gets a glimpse into their lives through a variety of experiences that reflect their authentic interests outside of their fame. Shahidi recently took on the role of Tinker Bell in Disney’s live-action film, Peter Pan & Wendy, also voiced a character in Netflix’s 2022 animated film, My Father’s Dragon. She also appeared in Apple’s limited series, Extrapolations.

This fall, Shahidi will executive produce and star in Amazon Studios’ upcoming romantic-comedy Sitting in Bars with Cake. She will also appear in the upcoming action-thriller Ballerina Overdrive, alongside Lana Condor and Lena Headey.

Offscreen, Shahidi is a champion for inclusive media programming, and an advocate for equity. Identified as a leader of the New Hollywood guard, she has received numerous accolades for her work outside of entertainment, such as TIME Magazine’s 30 Most Influential Teens, Forbes 30 Under 30, British Vogue Forces for Change, Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year and Essence Magazine’s Black Women in Hollywood to name a few.

Inspired by her extensive work with President and First Lady Obama, Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18, now called WeVoteNext, to shine a light on Gen Z and BIPOC inclusion in the political process. A sought-after public speaker, Shahidi has appeared in conversation with university peers and thought leaders such as: Dr. Angela Davis, President Obama, Harry Belafonte Jr., former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Dr. Cornell West, Senator Cory Booker, and Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock.

Last year, she graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Social Studies and African American Studies, with a concentration in Black Political Thought Under a Neocolonial Landscape. Her final thesis for graduation was entitled, “I AM A MAN”: The Emancipation of Humanness from Western Hegemony Through the Lens of Sylvia Wynter. Shahidi currently serves as a global ambassador for Cartier and Dior Beauty. This year, she also served as the spokesperson and judge for the New Legacy Challenge 2.0, the design competition developed through a partnership between Tommy Hilfiger’s People’s Place Program and Harlem’s Fashion Row.