Danielle Pinnock (born May 11, 1988)[1] is an American actress, writer, and comedian. She is a main cast member on the CBS series Ghosts (2021– ), where she plays the 1920s Prohibition era jazz singer Alberta.
Pinnock was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Jamaican immigrant parents, and from age 10 was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey.[3][4] Beginning in fifth grade, she performed in local theater productions at school and at the Garage Theater Group.[5] In high school at Saddle River Day School, she was active in performing arts activities.[1] Her father died when she was 16.[4]
She received her bachelor's degree in theater and communications from Temple University, and there met fellow student Quinta Brunson.[6] She received her graduate degree in acting from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She interviewed approximately 300 people for her one-woman dissertation show Body/Courage, which centers body image and diet culture, and went on to perform the show over a five-year period.[1][4] Pinnock later received a fellowship to train in improv and sketch comedy at Second City in Chicago.[1]
In 2018, she created the Instagram series Hashtag Booked to comment on the barriers encountered by Black women in the entertainment industry.[4][5] She and co-creator LaNisa Renée Frederick received a Webby Award honor for the series.[1] After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Pinnock gained wider prominence for her comedic videos posted to her Instagram and TikTok.[4] She was named to Backstage's list of 25 On-the-Rise Performers You Need to Know in 2022.[9]
Pinnock is a main cast member on the 2021 CBS comedy Ghosts, on which she plays Alberta, a 1920s era jazz singer.[1] Although she has no formal vocal training, she started to take lessons after she was cast.[6]Salon hailed her acting as one of 10 breakout performances of 2021.[10]
