An undeniable talent on the rise, actress and musician Kiersey Clemons has quickly become known for the diverse and captivating characters she has brought to life on screen. On the film front, this year Clemons can be seen co-starring in "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" [Universal Pictures, May 2016] as 'Beth' opposite Chloe Grace Moretz, Seth Rogen, and Zac Efron. Clemons also recently completed filming and will star in the independent teen comedy-drama "Little Bitches," directed by Nick Kreiss and produced by Scott Aversano and Will Shapiro.
2015 was a breakout year for Clemons, hitting the big screen in "Dope" [Open Road Films] which premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance. Clemons was a scene stealer, "Diggy," a tough lesbian high schooler with a colorful imagination who gets caught up in a plan to unload a big stash of drugs. "Dope," produced by Forest Whitaker's Significant Productions and Pharrell Williams, was released nationwide in June and re-released nationwide in September. The film won the African-American Film Critics Association award for Best Screenplay and was nominated at multiple festivals including Cannes and the Deauville American Film Festival. In 2016 "Dope" was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture, and Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture.
Aside from her work in film, Clemons is also making her mark in television and can currently be seen recurring as 'Bianca' on the Golden Globe and Emmy award winning Amazon series "Transparent." Season 2 was released on December 11, 2015 and was recently nominated at both The People's Choice Awards and SAG Awards for Favorite Streaming Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, respectively. Additional recent TV credits include Steven Spielberg's "Extant" [CBS] alongside Halle Berry, and Fox's "New Girl."
In addition to acting, Clemons is a talented musician and works on her craft daily. She has collaborated with Grammy Award winning producer/artist Pharrell Williams on multiple tracks, and her vocals can be heard in a handful of projects including "Dope" and "Transparent." In September 2015, she appeared in Lady Gaga's most powerful music video to date "Til it Happens to You," directed by Catherine Hardwicke, best known for "Twilight." Receiving an Oscar Nomination for Best Original Song, "Til it Happens to You," was written exclusively for "The Hunting Ground," a 2015 documentary about the college campus rape epidemic taking place around the country.
Born in Pensacola, Florida, Clemons and her family settled in Redondo Beach, California when she was 12 years old. She was immersed in creativity throughout her childhood, taking vocal lessons, modeling, participating in local theater, and putting on shows for her family and friends. By 16-years-old she yearned for a bigger platform, and reached out to an agency seeking representation. They immediately signed her, and soon after she landed her first TV gig, a guest star role on the hit Disney Channel Original series, "Shake it Up!" Proving herself to the network, she eventually became a recurring character, "Kira Starr," on "Austin & Ally." Disney worked with her yet again, in the Disney Channel Original Movie, "Cloud 9," where she starred as "Skye Sailor." Clemons also appeared on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Good Luck Charlie," and "Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures," early on in her career.
