Annie’s All Good: The Irrepressible Intensity of Annie Ilonzeh

Annie Ilonzeh. Maybe you’ve noticed the name in show and movie credits. Or seen it on a best-dressed list. Or heard it while watching a red-carpet event. But whether you recognize the name or not, you’ve seen Annie’s face. Whatever the case, you’ll likely not forget her from now on.

Who’s That Girl?!

She was the awesomely fit Becky slinking past Barney on How I Met Your Mother. The curly coiffed Natasha on Melrose Place. Charlie’s Angels’ Kate Prince. General Hospital’s Maya Ward. She made recurring appearances on Switched at Birth, Drop Dead Diva, Arrow, and Person of Interest. She was the tempting journalist Harper Scott on Empire. Tupac’s main squeeze Kidada Jones in All Eyez On Me. And today she plays heroic paramedic Emily Foster on Chicago Fire, a show with a weekly audience of 11.7 million viewers.

Remember her name: Annie Ngozi Ilonzeh. She works.

Raised by a dedicated, doting pair—a Polish mother with a proactive attitude and a Nigerian father with a strong work ethic—this lifelong player of competitive sports went to Hollywood to hustle and win.

Read the full feature story in Radiant Issue No. 13, The Taboo Issue.