Laverne Cox
A groundbreaking actress who turned a prison breakout role into a platform for transgender visibility, changing the face of American television and culture.
Born 1972 (age 54)·American actress and LGBTQ advocate·Birthday: May 29·Generation X
Biography
Laverne Cox didn't just break barriers; she redesigned the doorway. Before her Emmy-nominated role as Sophia Burset on 'Orange Is the New Black,' transgender characters on TV were often punchlines or tragic figures. Cox brought humanity, complexity, and glamour to the screen, making her a sudden and powerful symbol for a movement. Born in Mobile, Alabama, she faced bullying and discrimination from a young age, finding solace in dance and performance. Her advocacy work began long before fame, but the platform of Netflix's hit show allowed her voice to reach millions. She uses it with eloquence and patience, appearing on talk shows, producing documentaries like 'The T Word,' and speaking on college campuses to educate about gender identity. Cox's impact is measured not just in awards but in the tangible shift she helped engineer, making transgender stories part of mainstream conversation and paving the way for a new generation of actors.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Laverne was born in 1972, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Laverne Was Born
The biggest hits of 1972
#1 Movie
The Godfather
Best Picture
The Godfather
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Laverne's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1972Born
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1977Started school
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1985Became a teenager
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Could drive
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1990Could vote
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1993Turned 21
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2002Turned 30
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 40
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 50
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 54 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category for 'Orange Is the New Black.'
- Featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2014, a landmark moment for transgender visibility in mainstream media.
- Won a Daytime Emmy Award as an executive producer for the documentary 'Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.'
- Became the first transgender person to play a transgender series regular on a mainstream scripted television show.
Did You Know?
She is a trained classical dancer and attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts before studying at Marymount Manhattan College.
Cox is a twin; her brother, M. Lamar, is a musician and performer who ironically played the pre-transition version of her character, Sophia, in flashbacks on 'OITNB.'
She was the first openly transgender person to have a wax figure displayed at Madame Tussauds, unveiled in San Francisco in 2015.
Cox has a podcast called 'The Laverne Cox Show' where she interviews guests about identity and culture.
“It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.”
