Adina Porter

Adina Elizabeth Porter is an American performer recognized for her work across stage, television, and film. She is widely known for portraying Lettie Mae Thornton in the HBO fantasy horror show True Blood, Kendra James in the HBO drama The Newsroom, Indra in the CW science fiction series The 100, and Sheriff Susan Peterkin in the Netflix teen series Outer Banks.

Raised in New York City, Porter completed her education at the State University of New York at Purchase. Her initial acting instruction came from Butterfly McQueen. She began her career in theatrical productions, performing off-Broadway and in regional theater. Her off-Broadway credits include plays such as The Debutante Ball, Jersey City, Aven' U Boys, Girl Gone, Silence, Cunning, Exile, Dancing on Moonlight, and Hurricane. In 1996, her performance in Venus earned her an Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress. She later made her Broadway debut in 2001 in a revival of The Women, which was broadcast on PBS, and participated in various productions for the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Porter transitioned into screen roles with guest appearances on television series including Law & Order, New York Undercover, Brooklyn South, and NYPD Blue. Her early film debut occurred in the 1992 feature Swoon, followed by minor roles in films such as The Peacemaker, Gia, Body Shots, The Fluffer, and The Salon. Between 2002 and 2003, she held a recurring role as housekeeper Gwen Walker in the drama American Dreams. In 2005, she portrayed Ricky in the HBO film adaptation of Lackawanna Blues, winning a Black Reel Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Movie or Cable project.

Her career continued to grow with television guest roles on programs like ER, Prison Break, Without a Trace, House, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2008, she joined the cast of True Blood as Lettie Mae Thornton, eventually becoming a main cast member in the final season. Concurrent with this, she appeared as Kendra James on The Newsroom from 2012 to 2014 and began her multi-year recurring portrayal of Indra on The 100 in 2014. Additionally, she made guest appearances on Grey's Anatomy and took part in television pilots such as Doubt and The Jury.

Porter achieved further prominent recognition through her work on the FX anthology series American Horror Story. After a minor guest appearance during the first season in 2011, she returned in subsequent seasons playing distinct characters: Lee Harris in Roanoke, Beverly Hope in Cult, Dinah Stevens in Apocalypse, and Chief Burleson in Double Feature. Her performances in the franchise earned her two Saturn Award nominations and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

In addition to her work on American Horror Story, Porter played Pearly Mae in the first season of Underground in 2016 and took on the role of Sheriff Susan Peterkin in Outer Banks in 2020. In her personal life, Porter has been married twice and has two children from her second marriage to Larry Earl Madison Jr.