Photo: Bam0822 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Issa Rae was born on January 12, 1985 in Los Angeles, California, United States and is credited as a film actor, screenwriter and YouTuber. That puts Issa Rae at 41 years old in 2026. Education on record includes King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science and Stanford University. Awards on record include OkayAfrica 100 Women (2017), Gracie Awards and Time 100 (2018, 2022). Notable works include Insecure.
My Take
Issa Rae earns my admiration because she refused to wait for permission. A Stanford graduate from Los Angeles, she built her own audience on YouTube when the industry offered no seat, then carried that vision all the way to HBO with Insecure. I find her model of creating the thing you wish existed genuinely inspiring, and the fact that she writes, stars, and produces speaks to a rare completeness of talent. Two Time 100 nods feel like the floor, not the ceiling. She tells overlooked stories with warmth and bite, and I expect her cultural footprint to keep widening.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Issa Rae
- Name (Japanese)
- イッサ・レイ
- Reading
- いっさ・れい
- Born
- January 12, 1985 (age 41)
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Occupation
- film actor / screenwriter / YouTuber / showrunner / television producer
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Ox
2. Background
- High school
- King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science
- University
- Stanford University
Awards & achievements
- 2017 OkayAfrica 100 Women
- Gracie Awards
- 2018 Time 100
- 2022 Time 100
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Insecure |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://issarae.com
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/issarae/
- Xhttps://x.com/IssaRae
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issa%20Rae
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13560267
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Issa Rae born?
Issa Rae was born on January 12, 1985 and is 41 years old.
Where is Issa Rae from?
Issa Rae is from Los Angeles, California, United States.
What does Issa Rae do?
Issa Rae works as film actor, screenwriter, YouTuber, showrunner, television producer.
Where did Issa Rae study?
Issa Rae attended Stanford University.
What is Issa Rae known for?
Issa Rae's notable works include Insecure.
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