Michaela Coel, born Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson on October 1, 1987, in London, England, to Ghanaian parents, is a British actress, screenwriter, director, producer, and playwright.[1][2][3] She trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she faced racism but channeled those experiences into her work, including her breakthrough play *Chewing Gum Dreams* (2013), which transferred to major theaters like the National Theatre.[1][4][6] Coel's television career launched with a role in Channel 4's *Top Boy* (2013), followed by leading National Theatre performances in *Home* and *Medea*.[2][4][5] She created, wrote, starred in, and executive-produced the E4 sitcom *Chewing Gum* (2015–2017), playing Tracey Gordon, a young woman from a Pentecostal family navigating sexuality and identity in east London. The series earned her a BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme, a BAFTA Breakthrough Talent award, and two Royal Television Society awards.[1][2][4] Her most acclaimed work, *I May Destroy You* (2020), a BBC/HBO comedy-drama, drew from her personal experience of sexual assault. Coel wrote, starred as Arabella Essiedu, co-directed, and executive-produced the series, which explored consent, trauma, and Black and LGBTQ+ experiences with raw honesty. It received widespread praise, topping Metacritic's 2020 reviews, and won her the BAFTA for Best Actress, three RTS Awards (including Best Female Actor and Best Writer), two Independent Spirit Awards, a Gotham Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a historic Emmy as the first Black woman to win Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series.[1][2][4][6] Other notable roles include *Black Mirror* (2016–2017), *Black Earth Rising* (2018) as Kate Ashby, the film *Been So Long* (2018), *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* (2017), and *Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* (2022).[2][3][5] Named to *Time*'s 100 Most Influential People (2020) and British Vogue's influential women list, Coel has advocated against industry racism and sexism, mentored emerging writers, and shared her scripts.[4][5] A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL), she remains a vital voice in contemporary storytelling.[2]