Dominique Fishback

Dominique Fishback is an American actress born on March 22, 1991. She is recognized for her performances across theater, television, and feature films. She gained widespread recognition for her work in television series such as The Deuce and Swarm, as well as her acclaimed supporting role in the historical film Judas and the Black Messiah.

Fishback first developed an interest in acting around the age of ten. She pursued her education at Pace University, graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater. While enrolled in college, she also learned American Sign Language.

In 2014, Fishback premiered her off-off-Broadway solo play, Subverted, in which she portrayed twenty-two distinct characters. The production earned a nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance at the 2015 Innovative Theater Awards. She subsequently landed her first major recurring television role as single mother Billie Rowan in the Yonkers-set drama series Show Me a Hero. In 2016, she was named one of the recipients of the Abingdon Theatre Company's inaugural Residency Program.

Fishback secured her first series regular role in the 1970s Times Square drama series The Deuce, playing the character Darlene. Her performance was noted as a standout on the show, and co-creator David Simon highlighted her strengths as an actress. For her work on the series, USA Today featured her as one of five faces to watch on fall television in 2017. In December 2017, she appeared as a younger version of Jay-Z's mother, Gloria Carter, in the music video for his song Smile.

Her feature film debut, Night Comes On, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. That same year, she played Kenya in the film adaptation of the young adult book The Hate U Give. On August 14, 2020, Netflix released the film Project Power, in which Fishback portrayed a street-smart teenager.

In 2021, Fishback portrayed Deborah Johnson, the partner of Fred Hampton, in Judas and the Black Messiah. Her performance earned her nominations for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. She followed this with a role in the 2023 film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the sequel to Bumblebee.

In 2023, Fishback began starring in the Amazon Prime Video psychological horror series Swarm. Her performance received universal praise and earned her a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards. For 2026, she is set to appear as a performer in the Off-Broadway revival of The Whoopi Monologues at Lincoln Center Theatre, directed by Whitney White alongside Kerry Washington, Kara Young, Danielle Pinnock, and Kecia Lewis.