Erivo was born to Nigerian immigrants in South London and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

In 2013, Erivo played the role of Celia in the London version of the musical "Purple Flowers of the Fields", and before that she played in the British tour of the musical "Act Sister". In 2014, she recorded one of the songs for the American film Behind the Scenes.

In 2015, Erivo traveled to the US, where she made her Broadway debut as Celia in a new version of the musical "Purple Flowers" with Jennifer Hudson as Shug Avery and Danielle Brooks as Sophia. The role won her a number of awards, including a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

In 2019, Erivo played Harriet Tubman in the film Harriet, for which she was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Filmography:

Year			Film
2015			Chewing Gum
2016			Mr Selfridge
2016			The Tunnel
2017—2019			Broad City
2018			Widows
2018			Bad Times at the El Royale
2018			The Boss Baby: Back in Business
2019			Harriet
2020			The Outsider
2020			Genius
2021			Chaos Walking
2022			Pinocchio
2023			Luther: The Fallen Sun
2024			Wicked: Part One