Ilfenesh Hadera

Ilfenesh Hadera (born December 1, 1985) is an American actress.

Early life
Hadera was born on December 1, 1985, in Harlem. She identifies as half Ethiopian and half white. Her father is a Tigrayan refugee and founder of the African Services Committee, a Harlem-based organization that works with African refugees. She volunteered with the organization prior to beginning her acting career.

Hadera attended The Harlem School of the Arts, followed by the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. She went on to receive an MFA in text and performance studies from RADA/King's College London.

Career
In 2010, Hadera made her acting debut in the film 1/20.

A frequent collaborator with Spike Lee, she has appeared in Da Brick, The Blacklist, Oldboy, Show Me a Hero, Chi-Raq, Chicago Fire, The Punisher, and She's Gotta Have It.

Hadera co-starred as Stephanie Holden in the 2017 film Baywatch, and in 2018 starred as Kay Daniels in the TV series Deception. She had a recurring role in the Showtime series Billions, as a secretary to billionaire fund manager Bobby Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis.

On September 29, 2019, Hadera began starring as Mayme Johnson, the wife of Bumpy Johnson in the premiere of the American crime drama television series, Godfather of Harlem on Epix.