Laverne Cox



Laverne Cox is an American actress, reality television star, television producer, and LGBTQ advocate.

Cox is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Sophia Burset in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, for which she made history in 2014 by becoming the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy Award in an acting category, and the first to be nominated for an Emmy since composer/musician Angela Morley's last nomination in 1990.

She is also known for appearing as a contestant on the first season of VH-1's I Want to Work for Diddy, and for producing and co-hosting the VH1 makeover television series TRANSform Me. In April 2014, Cox was honored by GLAAD with its Stephen F. Kolzak Award for her work as an advocate for the transgender community. On June 9, 2014, Cox became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine.