Kiersey Clemons

Clemons in 2013, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Kiersey Nicole Clemons

Place of Birth: Pensacola, Florida, U.S.

Date of Birth: December 17, 1993

Ethnicity:
*African-American (father)
*English (mother)

Kiersey Clemons is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles in the films Dope (2015), The Only Living Boy in New York, Flatliners, Justice League (2017), Little Bitches, Hearts Beat Loud, An L.A. Minute, Sweetheart, Lady and the Tramp (2019), Scoob!, Antebellum, Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), Somebody I Used to Know, and The Flash (2023), on the shows Austin & Ally, Transparent, Eye Candy, Extant, Easy, Angie Tribeca, and Fairfax, and in the made-for-tv movie Cloud 9.

Her father is black and her mother is white. She was raised in Redondo Beach, California. In an interview regarding her ethnicity, she stated:

I love to be able to do projects where I can be an advocate for something without having to verbally say it, so New Girl was perfect… And clearly I’m proud to be a Black American woman… Because honestly, as a biracial girl, sometimes people try to come after you, especially when you’re an actor, and say, ‘She doesn’t do enough Black roles’— whatever that means. There are always people who try to attack that part of you. When I got into the business, I was like, ‘S–t, I really need a good role that shows people that I love who I am.’ Because sometimes you can get caught up in stereotypical roles like the girlfriend or the cheerleader, and people feel like you’re not accepting your culture. So, it was cool with Dope that I could do that without fitting into a stereotype of what being Black is.

Kiersey’s maternal grandfather was Toby Eldon Howell (the son of A. B. Howell and Bobbie Jean Sanders). A. B. was the son of Arthur Benjamin Howell and Mady Green Strickland. Bobbie is the daughter of Walter William Sanders/Saunders and Hazel M. Edenfield.

Kiersey’s maternal grandmother is Phyllis Anita Mims (the daughter of Wilburn Mims and Harriet Nolia Pitts). Wilburn was the son of Henry Larue Mims and Amanda/Mandy Jane Birge. Harriet was the daughter of James Wilburn “Jim” Pitts and Harriet Malinda Luada Forehand.

Sources: http://www.dazeddigital.com

Marriage record of Kiersey’s maternal great-grandparents, A. B. Howell and Bobbie Jean Sanders – https://www.familysearch.org