The only daughter of an NYPD officer mother, Yaani was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and raised in Queens. Of West Indian/Guyanese descent, she has two elder brothers, she spent most of her childhood around the theatre, as her mother was a stage and commercial actress before becoming a police officer. As a teen, she was accepted into the High School of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center (New York). After moving back to Brooklyn at age 17, Yaani decided to pursue a career as an actor and was immediately cast Off-Broadway in the production of "The Alchemist" at The Classic Stage Company and received wonderful reviews. She also trained in 2007 at The Actor's Centre in London.

Her mother is a retired NYPD officer.She trained at The Actors Centre in London.One of only two girls screen tested for the lead role in James Cameron's Avatar (2009).One of the final four actresses selected from more than 1,000 in six cities for the lead in "Children of Men".She is of Guyanese descent. UpdateYou may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.Add resumeWith our Resume service you can add photos and build a complete resume to help you achieve the best possible presentation on the IMDb.Click here to add your resume and/or your photos to IMDb. Browse biographies section by nameA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z