Actor Biography

In Hollywood, the term overnight sensation is typically an over-exaggerated definition of a suddenly famous celebrity, but for 13-year-old Marsai Martin, this shooting star is already on course to be a whirlwind sensation. Born in Plano, Texas, Marsai began acting before she could talk. At the age of five, she landed her first national commercial with the agency, appearing in The Choice Hotel ad "Voice of the People.'

Marsai relocated to Los Angeles in 2013, and, in a little more than 100 days, secured a major national commercial campaign with Meineke. That meteoric whirlwind also included being cast as the co-star in a number one network comedy. Marsai plays Diane Johnson on the ABC Emmy-nominated hit comedy black-ish. Alongside an all-star cast including Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Laurence Fishburne, the young starlet has stolen the hearts of viewers who tune in every week to see her mischievous antics on the show. Her work on the award-winning show has earned her two NAACP Image Awards in the categories of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Young Artists Award for Best Performance in a TV Series, Supporting Young Actress, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Marsai most recently performed in the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Tony Award-winning Musical Dreamgirls with the original stars (Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holliday), singing the hit song "Move." Additionally during her break from black-ish, Marsai worked on the films How to Die Happy with Meagan Good, and Fun Mom Dinner, with Adam Scott, Katie Aselton, Toni Collette and Adam Levine. In 2016 she starred in Amazon's An American Girl Story – Melody 1963: Love Has to Win, set in Detroit during the Civil Rights Movement.

With opportunities presenting themselves daily, Marsai is excited about what's to come, and when asked what she wants to do when she grows up, her answer is simply, "To be a legend." In addition to acting, she loves producing, singing, dancing and creating her own content for social media.

Marsai studied at the Cathyrn Sullivan Acting for Film.