Nikki M. James

Nikki Michelle James is an American actress, singer, and director. She is widely recognized for her stage performances in prominent musicals as well as her screen roles, notably appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.

Born to a Vincentian father and a Haitian mother who immigrated from the Caribbean to New Jersey, James spent her youth in Livingston, New Jersey, and graduated from Livingston High School. Her interest in performing began at an early age through participation in church and school productions. During high school, her performance as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! earned her a nomination for a Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Award. She subsequently pursued higher education at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

James made her initial appearance on Broadway in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Her early theater work also included playing Ottilie in the New York City Center Encores! production of House of Flowers, performing as Adela Alba in the Off-Broadway adaptation of Bernarda Alba, and joining the Broadway cast of All Shook Up. Additionally, she portrayed Dorothy Gale in a revival of The Wiz at La Jolla Playhouse and performed alongside Christopher Plummer in Romeo and Juliet and Caesar and Cleopatra at the Stratford Festival.

In 2011, James achieved major acclaim for originating the role of Nabulungi in the musical The Book of Mormon, winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 65th Tony Awards. While performing in the production, she temporarily departed in June 2012 to shoot the film adaptation of Lucky Stiff. She later took on the role of Éponine Thénardier in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables from 2014 until January 2015.

Her subsequent theatrical credits include starring in the 2017 New York City Center Encores! presentation of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin. In 2024, she portrayed journalist and activist Ida B. Wells in the musical Suffs, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards. She later joined the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey on March 6, 2026, performing opposite Jordan Fisher and Andy Karl prior to her scheduled final show on July 19.

Beyond her theater career, James has built an extensive film and television filmography. Her screen credits began with an appearance on Law & Order and extended to roles in 30 Rock, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, The Good Wife, Severance, and Daredevil: Born Again.