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Adina Porter was born and raised in New York City, specifically in The South Bronx. She is a first-generation American; her father grew up in Sierra Leone, Africa, while her mother was born in Bermuda. As a child, Porter entertained her parents by staging plays in the family living room. Recognizing her artistic talent, they enrolled her in a children's acting class at St. Mark's AME Church in Harlem, where her first acting teacher was the legendary Butterfly McQueen, who led the church’s holiday programs.
During her early high school years, a teacher encouraged Porter to audition for the High School of Performing Arts, also known as Fame (1982). She auditioned and was accepted. Following that, Porter studied acting and graduated from SUNY Purchase. In her senior year, the university held showcases for New York agents, where a talent agent discovered her.
Porter then worked steadily in theatre, appearing in off-Broadway productions and regional theatre. She has performed at some of the country's top venues under renowned directors such as George C. Wolfe, Lisa Peterson, Mark Wing-Davey, Richard Foreman, Don Scardino, Michael Greif, and Risa Bramon Garcia. Her theatre credits include The Debutante Ball by Beth Henley at Manhattan Theatre Club, numerous plays at the NY Shakespeare Festival, and most notably, her Obie Award-winning role in Venus by Suzan-Lori Parks. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut in The Women, directed by Scott Elliott, with whom she had previously worked at The Williamstown Theatre Festival on Arthur Miller’s A Ride Down Mt. Morgan.
Porter has established herself across television, film, and theatre. She is best known for her seven-season role as Lettie Mae Thornton on HBO’s True Blood (2008). She also appeared as Kendra James for three seasons on Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama The Newsroom (2012). Recently, she guest-starred as the leader of the Guilty Remnant on The Leftovers (2014), marking her sixth collaboration with HBO, which also includes acclaimed films such as Lackawanna Blues (2005) and Gia (1998).
Beyond HBO, Porter plays Indra, a fierce Grounder warrior, on The CW’s post-apocalyptic series The 100 (2014). She also starred as Pearly Mae on WGN’s period drama Underground (2016), appeared on ABC’s The Jury (2016) opposite Archie Panjabi and Jeremy Sisto, and guest-starred on Shonda Rhimes’ The Catch.
Porter portrayed Gwen Walker for two seasons on NBC’s American Dreams (2002) and has held key roles on numerous TV series, including Code Black (2015), Grey’s Anatomy (2005), Murder House (2011), Glee (2009), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street (2012), Fight (2007), Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2011), Private Practice (2007), and House (2004), among others.
On the big screen, Porter will appear alongside Shirley MacLaine in The Last Word (2017) and recently starred opposite Emily Mortimer in Wig Shop (2016). Her film credits also include the multi-award-winning The Social Network (2010), The Peacemaker (1997), About Sunny (2011), and others.
In her free time, Porter enjoys spending time with her two children. She divides her time between Los Angeles and New York.
