Kara Young has stayed focused on her journey to becoming one of the most recognizable names in the entertainment industry. As a performer of remarkable versatility, Young has earned multiple accolades, including two Tony Awards. The actress has established herself as a powerhouse, delivering career-defining performances on Broadway and off-Broadway. With the myriad of awards Young has stacked up, her efforts and talent have not gone unrewarded.
Kara Young discovered her passion for acting at a young age and stuck with it. She didn’t just rely on her talent; Young gained professional training and explored diverse cultures, including in Thailand. Beyond her extensive stage career, the American actress has expanded her performance resume to include film and television appearances. Her notable screen projects include the miniseries The Punisher and I’m a Virgo. Explore more interesting facts about the multiple award-winning actress.
Where’s Kara Young From?
Although she was born and raised in Harlem, New York, Kara Young is originally from Belize. Her parents immigrated from Belize. In 1992, her father, Klay, worked as a server in the Rainbow Room at 30 Rockefeller Plaza before he was promoted to captain. Her mother on the other hand, worked at Bellevue Hospital in New York in the health administration department. Growing up in Harlem shaped Young’s career choice in many ways.
Kara Young attended elementary school and high school in Spanish Harlem, where she picked up her interest in the performing arts. At age five, Young took after-school lessons at the 92nd Street Y to learn how to mime. After spending little time at Gettysburg College and the City College of New York, Young graduated from the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. She briefly moved to Thailand in 2008 to study traditional theater for a month. Young is proud to be sharing her success in the performing arts with the community she grew up in. The actress still lives just three blocks from where she was raised.
She Made Her Broadway Debut in 2021
Watching her older brother take classes at the 92nd Street Y piqued Young’s interest in theater. She enrolled as a five-year-old and began performing with actors around Manhattan. She officially began her professional theater career in 2016, appearing in two plays, including Pretty Hunger at the Public Theater. In 2017, she joined the LAByrinth Theater Company and performed off-Broadway in plays such as Syncing Ink, The New Englanders, and All the Natalie Portmans.
Kara Young’s Broadway debut came in 2021 when she performed at the Hayes Theater in Lynn Nottage‘s Clyde’s. Her performance as a single mother in the play earned her a Tony Award nomination. After wrapping up her Clyde’s stint in 2022, Young joined the cast of Twelfth Night at the Classical Theatre of Harlem and Broadway’s Cost of Living at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Other Broadway plays in her resume include Purlie Victorious as Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins (2023-2024) and Purpose as Aziza (2025).
Kara Young’s Movies and TV Shows
Although theater occupies an important place in Kara Young’s career, she has built a robust profile on the screen. The American actress made her screen debut in 2018, appearing in one episode of Random Acts of Flyness as Janelle and the short film Hair Wolf as Cami. Her television career grew with two minor roles on The Punisher and The Other Two in 2019. After a brief stint on The Staircase cast, Young landed her most recognized television role so far, portraying Jones on I’m a Virgo. In 2024, she reprised her Broadway role as Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins on the television show Great Performances.
While Kara Young has not gotten her big break on the big screen, she has appeared in a few notable films, including the 2020 romantic drama Chemical Hearts starring Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams. In 2021, she played Erin in an uncredited role in the Kogonada-directed movie After Yang. Young starred alongside Regina Hall in Master (2021). She played a more significant role as Mari Winters in We Strangers (2024).
Kara Young Has Earned Several Record-breaking Awards and Recognition
Known for her electrifying stage performances on Broadway and off-Broadway, Kara Young has received various accolades, including two Tony Awards in the category of Best Featured Actress in a Play for her roles in the Broadway revival of Purlie Victorious (2024) and Purpose (2025). With her second win, Young set a record as the first African-American actress to win two consecutive Tony Awards. She is also the first African-American actress to earn Tony nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Play in four consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025).
In addition to her Tony Awards and nominations, Kara Young has won two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and an Obie Award. She has earned over 20 award nominations and 10 wins all of which are for her stage career. Young is yet to gain recognition for her appearances on the screen.
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