Karan Kendrick
Hailed for her powerfully nuanced portrayal of "Minnie McMillian" in the blockbuster Just
Mercy, Karan Kendrick is among the artistic elite. Her other credits range from The Hunger Games (LionsGate), Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox), and dramas like the 2018 20th Century Fox feature The Hate U Give (20th Century Fox), to television—Grey's Anatomy (ABC)—and regional theater (Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, Goodman Theatre, Alliance Theatre). Her recent credits include Laura Steinel's 2019 feature comedy Fam-i-l-y (Naegle Ink), season four of CW's The Originals, and Greenleaf on OWN.
In addition to her work as an actor, Karan has served tirelessly for the past decade to
provide students with an opportunity to build character, discipline, and an eternal
passion for the arts.
As cofounder of The Kendrick Academy in 2010, Karan taught students drama, dance,
and music while simultaneously pursuing her acting career. Expanding from her
hometown of Fort Valley, Georgia, The Kendrick Academy (TheKendrickAcademy.com) is now a fully virtual academy offering weekly online classes in acting and screenwriting to students across the
country. In addition to the creative aspect, Ms. Kendrick also offers classes and special workshops that focus on helping young actors and their families understand how to build a sustainable acting career. With topics from "Where do I begin?" "Now what?" and "From residuals to retirement," Ms. Kendrick helps to build the whole actor as a thriving working artist. "I believe in the mantra of
'lifting as you climb.' For me, it wasn't about "making it" and then giving back. Giving back is a part of who I am and that is the way I choose to share what I was learning and experiencing to students who have similar interests. I want them to see—very tangibly—what a working artist looks like, so that they will know that it is an attainable goal, and a sustainable career." —Karan Kendrick
Building on her role in the feature film Hidden Figures, Karan invited select students
across the country to participate in her Girls Empowerment Tour. The discussions focused on encouraging students to choose excellence at every step on their journey, and how that choice can change the world. Girls ages 8–12 chosen to participate in the program received a complimentary copy of the book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, and rounded out the day by attending a VIP screening of the film with the actress as well. "This was an incredible opportunity to share the values that I worked to instill in my KA students with a larger audience. It was also a way to
reinforce to young girls the power of and beauty of intelligence, persistence, leadership, and excellence." —Karan Kendrick
Born and raised in Fort Valley, Georgia, Karan graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta,
Georgia (BA, Drama and Dance) and earned her graduate degree (MBA, Management) at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. As a speaker, Karan has appeared at the following: NASA (Ames) speaker, Women's History Month; Stanford University featured panelist for Hidden Figures sponsored by Boeing and NSBE; Fort Valley State University commencement speaker 2018. Additional acting credits include Grey's Anatomy, Goddess (O'Neill Musical Theatre Conference), Breath and Imagination (The Colony Theatre), Drop Dead Diva, Army Wives, The Wronged Man, Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleading Scandal (Lifetime Television), Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Madea Goes to Jail, (Tyler Perry Studios), the feature films The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Parental Guidance, Merry Friggin' Christmas, and more.
