Diarra Kilpatrick

Diarra Kilpatrick (born c. 1983) is an American actress, writer and producer. She produced, wrote and starred in the ABC web-series, American Koko (2017), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series nomination. From 2020 to 2023, Kilpatrick starred in the HBO period drama series, Perry Mason. Kilpatrick created, produced and plays the leading role in the BET+ mystery comedy-drama series, Diarra from Detroit.

Early life and education
Kilpatrick was born in 1983, and reared in Detroit. She is the half-sister of Kwame Kilpatrick.

She grew up performing in productions at Meadow Brook Theater. When she turned 12, she joined Mosaic Youth Theatre and starred in her first production. During her early school years, Kilpatrick attended Alonzo W. Bates Academy for the gifted and talented. Thereafter, Kilpatrick attended and graduated from the Detroit Country Day and attended NYU Tisch for her bachelor's degree.

Career
Kilpatrick made her film debut appearing in the 2006 drama film Forbidden Fruits. She later moved to Los Angeles in 2007 and acted in local theater productions including Three Sisters After Chekhov, The Interlopers, and Tarell Alvin McCraney's In the Red and Brown Water. She co-starred in the comedy-drama film Hollywood, je t'aime (2009) and made guest-starring appearances on television series such as House, The Game, Hart of Dixie, Mike & Molly, Southland and five appearances on Private Practice. She appeared in the independent films H4 (2012) and Stand Down Soldier (2014) starring, written and directed by Jeryl Prescott. In 2015 she appeared opposite Viola Davis in the crime drama film Lila & Eve, and starred in the drama film The Salton Sea (2016).

In 2015, she wrote, produced, and starred in a satirical web series, American Koko, and launched it on YouTube. The series won the American Black Film Festival’s Best Web Series Award in 2015, after which it caught the attention of Julius Tennon, the husband of Viola Davis. The series was developed through their production company, JuVee Productions, and was purchased by ABC. The original first season was re-shot and a second season was also produced. Both seasons premiered online on ABC Digital on June 19, 2017. It follows Koko (played by Kilpatrick), who "is a Los Angeles race detective at the Everyone’s a Little Racist Agency, which has the daunting mandate of ending racism in America." The role gained her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series nomination.

Kilpatrick wrote and starred in a pilot for Amazon Studios in fall 2017, The Climb. It is a "Detroit-set comedy about an assistant who ditches her job to find internet fame." The series was not picked up by Amazon. She later starred in an episode of The Twilight Zone reboot, and had recurring role in the comedy series, The Last O.G.. In 2020 she was cast as Clara Drake in the HBO period drama series, Perry Mason. In 2021 she starred in the television film revival of Nash Bridges.

In April 2023, she had signed an overall deal with BET Studios. She created, produced and went to star in the Diarra from Detroit, a mystery comedy-drama series set in Detroit. The series received positive reviews from critics.

Personal life
Kilpatrick is married.

Awards and nominations

 * 2011 – Nominated, Ovation Awards, Lead Actress in a Play (for The Interlopers)
 * 2013 – Nominated, Ovation Awards, Lead Actress in a Play (for In the Red and Brown Water)
 * 2018 – Nominated, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series (for American Koko)