Celia Rose Gooding

Celia Rose Gooding is an American actor and singer who was born on February 22, 2000. They gained broad recognition after making their Broadway debut originating the role of Mary Frances "Frankie" Healy in the rock musical Jagged Little Pill. Gooding is also widely known for playing Nyota Uhura in the Paramount+ television series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Gooding was raised by their mother, the performer LaChanze, alongside their sister, Zaya. Their father, Calvin Gooding, died during the September 11 attacks. Gooding attended the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York, graduating with honors in performing arts. During high school, they balanced academics with workshops for Jagged Little Pill, receiving morning tutoring and using their participation in the show's out-of-town tryout as their senior project. Their training also included dance at the Alvin Ailey Institute and acting, film, and Shakespeare at the Berridge Conservatory in Normandy. Gooding enrolled at Pace University in 2018, initially studying musical theatre and child psychology before focusing solely on theatre.

Inspiration to act came in 2006 when Gooding watched their mother win a Tony Award on television. Gooding began doing musical theatre in ninth grade, playing roles such as Carmen in a student production of Fame. At age 17 in 2017, they joined the initial reading for Jagged Little Pill, an original musical written by Diablo Cody using Alanis Morissette's music. Gooding originated the role of Frankie Healy, a teenage Black, bisexual activist. Following a 2018 lab, Gooding performed in the musical's world premiere at the American Repertory Theatre in Massachusetts.

When Jagged Little Pill transferred to Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre in November 2019, Gooding reprised their role. Around the same time, Gooding and their mother performed on Broadway simultaneously. Gooding promoted the musical through televised performances on Good Morning America, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. In September 2021, Gooding announced they would not return to the production, citing alleged abusive and transphobic treatment toward non-binary cast members.

For their work in Jagged Little Pill, Gooding won an Antonyo Award and a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. They were nominated for a 2020 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical at age 20, becoming one of the youngest performers nominated in that category. Gooding also earned Broadway.com's Debut of the Year, a Clive Barnes Award nomination, Broadway World's Debut of the Month, and recognition on BET's Future 40 list.

In addition to their work on Broadway, Gooding joined the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as Nyota Uhura. Outside of acting roles, Gooding has participated in various public panels focused on racial justice, the realities faced by Black artists on Broadway, and consent advocacy for sexual assault victims.