Top 10 Things To Know About Top Model Yaya DaCosta

DaCosta at Nice Guys premiere 2016 photo by Nice Guys premiere 2016 Wikimedia 

Top 10 Things To Know About Top Model Yaya DaCosta

The American actress and model Dacosta are also known as Camara DaCosta Johnson. She was born in 1982 in New York City, and her ancestors were Black Americans and Brazilians. Yaya was reared in New York City’s Harem district.

Prior to enrolling at Brown University, where she majored in Africana studies and international affairs, she completed her high school education at the prestigious Northfield Mount Hermon School.

America’s Next Top Model’s Cycle 3 runner-up was her. In the end, DaCosta went on to feature in the ABC drama series All My Children (2008–2009), the ABC comedy-drama Ugly Betty (2009–2010), and the NBC medical drama Chicago Med (2015–2022). DaCosta played singer Whitney Houston in the 2015 Lifetime television movie Whitney, and the film garnered plaudits for her work.

1. Yaya DaCosta was the runner-up in Cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model

DaCosta at Nice Guys premiere 2016 photo by Nice Guys premiere 2016 Wikimedia

As the runner-up on cycle three of the well-known reality television program “America’s Next Top Model,” she achieved widespread notoriety. America’s Next Top Model Cycle 3 runner-up DaCosta went on to have a prosperous career. Throughout the competition, DaCosta didn’t place in the bottom two more than once. She has appeared in commercials for Dr. Scholl’s, Oil of Olay, Garnier Fructis, Radioshack, Seda, and Lincoln Townhouse. Several magazines, including W, Hype Hair, Splash, and Global Models have featured her on their covers.

2. At age of 11 years she had her first acting gig in her junior high school

When Ann Willis Ratray, a theater teacher in her junior high school, urged her to try out for instructional films at the age of eleven, she landed her first acting role. Between high school and college, she continued to appear in school plays, and in 2005’s Take the Lead, she made her feature film debut.

She made her Off-Broadway debut in “The First Breeze of Summer” at The Signature Theater in 2008, to rousing acclaim and the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Award for Excellence in Black Theater. Yaya has played a variety of roles, including the weak teenage daughter of Danny Glover in John Sayles’ Honeydripper and Mark Ruffalo’s voluptuous lover in Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right. She has been referred to as one of Hollywood’s new

3. The Actress and Model can speak several languages

Yaya DaCosta attending “To John – With Peace & Love” Global Launch Of The Montblanc John Lennon Edition on September 12, 2010, at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Photo by Nick Stepowyj Wikimedia

DaCosta is a native speaker of four other languages, including Japanese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Yaya also dabbles in Kiswahili She had chosen acting as a career even in high school, but she had to finish her education before she could follow her dream.

4. Yaya Dacosta has been an advocate  for natural hair

She was featured on the covers of the publications W, Hype Hair, Splash, and Global Models. Yaya has appeared on the cover of L’Officiel in 2010 and the Vogue cover in 2011. DaCosta served as the face of Tom Ford’s Fall/Winter 2014 marketing campaign.

5. She has a star in ABC’S Daytime Drama Series 

As Cassandra Foster, Yaya DaCosta joined the cast of the ABC television series All My Children in 2008. She left the program a few months later to perform in the Broadway production of The First Breeze of Summer, which was staged by the Black Ensemble Company between 2008 and 2009. She portrayed Vanessa in the television film Racing for Time that same year.

6. Yaya DaCosta played April Sexton in six seasons of the Medical drama series Chicago Med

DaCosta at Nice Guys premiere 2016 photo by Nice Guys premiere 2016 Wikimedia

Throughout six seasons of the medical drama Chicago Med from 2015 to 2021, she played April Sexton. When the casts of Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. were combined, which occurred in multiple episodes of both shows, she also played the same character in those episodes.

In 2021, Yaya DaCosta departed Chicago Medical and joined the cast of the Fox drama series Our Kind of People, which was canceled after its one season. According to Variety, she picked up her April Sexton role at Chicago Med and returned.

7. She played singer and actress Whitney Houston in the Biographical film Whitney

In the 2015 biographical movie Whitney, which was directed by Angela Bassett, DaCosta portrayed singer and actress Whitney Houston. DaCosta received high praise for her performance. Deborah Cox handled all of Houston’s vocals in the movie, which also starred Arlen Escarpeta, Yolonda Ross, and Suzzanne Douglas. She provided Princess Kemi’s voice in a The Simpsons episode that same year.

8. DaCosta has appeared in several Films

DaCosta at Nice Guys premiere 2016 photo by Nice Guys premiere 2016 Wikimedia 

Her 2010 acting credits include Siren in Tron: Legacy and Tanya in the comedy-drama The Kids Are All Right. She co-starred in the latter movie with Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett, and Michael Sheen. DaCosta appeared in the drama series Army Wives as Specialist Amber Stiles and the medical drama series Mercy as Brooker Sullivan in the same year. In the short film Lost and Found, she also appeared.

In 2011, she acted in four films: The Shanghai Hotel, Weekends at Bellevue, Whole Lotta Sole, and In Time with Justin Timberlake and Brendan Fraser. She played Greta in In Time (as Kendra). She also had a small role in an episode of the medical/crime comedy-drama Body of Evidence as Holly Bennett.

9. Also she featured in Sade the Nigerian Film Mother of George 

Yaya DaCosta played Sade in the 2013 Nigerian drama film Mother of George opposite Nollywood star Bukky Ajayi, Ivorian-French American actor Isaach de Bankolé, American actress Danai Gurira, a native of Zimbabwe, and English-American actor Tony Okungbowa. She also played Annie in the film Big Words and portrayed Carol Hammie in the acclaimed historical drama The Butler.

10. Yaya DaCosta  majored in Africana studies and international relations

Yaya DaCosta attending “To John – With Peace & Love” Global Launch Of The Montblanc John Lennon Edition on September 12, 2010 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Photo by Nick Stepowyj Wikimedia

Yaya DaCosta is a part of the Eight Schools Association and attended the prestigious secondary school Northfield Mount Hermon. She attended the exclusive, Ivy League school Brown University for her college training, where she double majored in Africana Studies and International Relations.

At the end of the day, Yaya has proven to be a multi-talented and successful person who has established herself in both the fashion and film industries. Several others have been inspired by her success as an actress, model, and proponent of natural hair. Due to her varied upbringing, Dacosta is a role model for many people and a true icon in the entertainment business.

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