Nicco Annan is an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. He is best known for his portrayal of Uncle Clifford on the Starz drama series P-Valley, an adaptation of the Katori Hall play Pussy Valley, in which Annan originated the role.[1]
Nicco Annan | |
|---|---|
 Annan in 2020 | |
| Born | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | State University of New York, Purchase (BFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor dancer choreographer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Known for | P-Valley |
Early life and education
editAnnan was raised on the Westside of Detroit, Michigan.[2] His mother is African American and was raised in the south, and his father is Ghanaian.[3] He wanted to pursue acting from a young age and studied improv and theater from youth.[4] When he was 17 he joined a dance troupe.[5] Annan received his diploma from Cass Technical High School[6] and studied theater at State University of New York-Purchase, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[3]
Career
editAfter college, Annan was hired as the choreographer in residence at the Yale School of Drama.[3] He also performed in theater productions on and off-Broadway. He moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue television acting.[7][3] Annan has appeared in Claws, Shameless, This is Us, and Snowfall.[8][7][3] He is also the choreographer for the series All American.[7]
In 2009, Annan's friend recommended him for a role in Pussy Valley, a play by Katori Hall centered on a strip club in the Mississippi Delta. Annan auditioned for and was cast as Uncle Clifford, the club's non-binary owner.[2] He developed a detailed backstory for the character and portrayed the role in several smaller runs as well as the full production at Mixed Blood Theatre in 2015.[2]
When the play was ordered for a television adaptation by Starz, Annan again auditioned for the role of Uncle Clifford and was re-cast.[2] The series, P-Valley, premiered in 2020 and Annan received critical acclaim for his season one performance.[5] He was named to THR's list of Best TV Performances of 2020 and received nominations from the NAACP Image Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.[8]
Annan played a lead role in Hall's play The Hot Wing King, which premiered March 2020 off-Broadway.[9][10]
Personal life
editAnnan is openly gay.[12]
Accolades
edit- 2020 – Nominee, Best Featured Actor in a Play Off-Broadway, Antonyo Awards (for The Hot Wing King)
- 2021 – Nominee, Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series, Independent Spirit Awards (for P-Valley)[13]
- 2021 – Nominee, Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, NAACP Image Awards (for P-Valley)[14]
- 2023 – Winner, Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, NAACP Image Awards (for P-Valley)[15]
References
edit- ^ Cuby, Michael (2020-09-04). "How Nicco Annan Crafted One of the Most Gender-Defying, Badass Roles on Television". them. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ a b c d Desta, Yohana (2020-07-31). "P-Valley: Nicco Annan Has Been Perfecting Uncle Clifford for Years". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ a b c d e Fallon, Kevin (2020-07-22). "Meet Uncle Clifford, the Most Fabulous TV Character... Ever?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ "NUNN ON ONE TV Nicco Annan makes it rain on 'P-Valley' - Windy City Times News". Windy City Times. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ a b Valentine, Claire (14 September 2020). "Nicco Annan On 'P-Valley,' Uncle Clifford And The Power Of The Pynk Posse". Nylon. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ Cass Tech Alumni Association (2020-07-11). "Technicians, set your calendars to tune in and catch Cass Tech alum Nicco Annan in the premiere of P-Valley". Twitter.
- ^ a b c Penrice, Ronda Racha (2020-07-27). "Meet Nicco Annan: 'P-Valley's' Uncle Clifford Who's Giving Us Life". Essence. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ a b "Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the Best TV Performances of 2020". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ Teachout, Terry (2020-03-05). "Opinion | 'The Hot Wing King' Review: Spicy Family Drama". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (2020-03-02). "Review: In 'The Hot Wing King,' a New Recipe for a Family". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ "7 Names from HBO Max's 'Legendary' Season 2 You Already Know". 6 May 2021.
- ^ "Meet Nicco Annan: 'P-Valley's' Uncle Clifford Who's Giving Us Life". 4 November 2020.
- ^ Walsh, Charlotte (2021-01-26). "Never Rarely Sometimes Always Leads 2021 Indie Spirit Nominations". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
- ^ Carras, Christi (2021-02-02). "Netflix, HBO and Beyoncé lead 2021 NAACP Image Award nominations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
- ^ France, Lisa Respers (2023-02-26). "NAACP Image Awards 2023: See the complete list of winners". CNN. Retrieved 2023-03-05.