Yaya DaCosta

Yaya DaCosta is an American actress and model who first gained national prominence as the runner-up on Cycle 3 of the reality competition series America's Next Top Model. Following her television debut, she successfully transitioned into a full-time career in modeling, television, film, and theater, becoming known for her roles in major drama series and feature films.

DaCosta was born on November 15, 1982, and was raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. She is of African-American and Brazilian descent, and she speaks both English and Portuguese. She completed her high school education at Northfield Mount Hermon School before enrolling at Brown University, where she majored in Africana studies and international relations.

After finishing as runner-up on America's Next Top Model—where she was in the bottom two only once—DaCosta built a steady modeling career. She featured on the cover of Hype Hair and appeared in major publications, including the cover of W in September 2010, L'Officiel in November 2010, and Vogue in January 2011 in a shoot by Patrick Demarchelier. In 2014, she landed a spot in Tom Ford’s Fall/Winter advertising campaign.

DaCosta made her acting debut in 2005 with a guest role on the UPN sitcom Eve, followed by an appearance in the 2006 dance film Take the Lead. She went on to secure supporting roles in independent feature films, including Honeydripper in 2007 and The Messenger in 2009. On television, she portrayed Cassandra Foster on the ABC daytime drama All My Children in 2008, departing after less than four months to star in the Broadway production of The First Breeze of Summer, presented by the Negro Ensemble Company from 2008 to 2009. In 2009, she also played the recurring role of Nico Slater in the fourth and final season of ABC's Ugly Betty.

In 2010, DaCosta had supporting roles in the comedy-drama film The Kids Are All Right and the science fiction action-adventure film Tron: Legacy. For her performance in The Kids Are All Right, she shared nominations with the cast at both the Critics' Choice Movie Award and the Gotham Award. In 2013, she played the role of Carol in the historical drama film The Butler.

DaCosta starred as singer Whitney Houston in the 2015 Lifetime television film Whitney, earning praise for her performance along with a nomination for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series. From 2015 to 2021, she starred as emergency department nurse April Sexton on the NBC medical drama Chicago Med. She announced her departure after six seasons in May 2021.

Following her exit from Chicago Med, DaCosta took on the lead role in the Fox drama series Our Kind of People, which aired for 12 episodes. She later joined the cast of Netflix's drama series The Lincoln Lawyer, appearing as a recurring character in season 2 and a main character in season 3, before departing ahead of season 4. In her personal life, she was in a relationship with independent film producer and director Joshua Bee Alafia from 2012 to 2015, giving birth to their son, Sankara, in September 2013.