Imani Duckett, professionally known as Imani Guy Duckette, is an American actress, writer, and multidisciplinary artist. Born on March 28, 1999, she is the daughter of actress and performer Jasmine Guy and Terrence Mitchell Duckett. Although her family connection introduced her to public attention, she has developed her own creative identity through acting, writing, animation, and visual art.
Now 27 years old in 2026, Imani has built a career that reaches beyond traditional acting. She studied drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, made her stage debut in Serial Black Face, appeared in the television movie Open, and later developed her visual-art project Paper Cuts. She is also credited as a co-author of A Different Girl: A Memoir with her mother, Jasmine Guy.
Quick Facts
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Imani Guy Duckette |
| Also Known As | Imani Duckett |
| Date of Birth | March 28, 1999 |
| Age | 27 years old in 2026 |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Actress, writer, multidisciplinary artist |
| Mother | Jasmine Guy |
| Father | Terrence Mitchell Duckett |
| Education | NYU Tisch School of the Arts |
| Field of Study | Drama |
| Stage Debut | Serial Black Face, 2016 |
| Screen Credit | Open, 2020 |
| Art Project | Paper Cuts |
| Upcoming Book | A Different Girl: A Memoir |
Imani Duckett’s Early Life and Background
Imani Duckett was born on March 28, 1999, to Jasmine Guy and Terrence Mitchell Duckett. Her mother had already established herself as a successful performer through acting, dancing, singing, and theater, with her best-known television role being Whitley Gilbert on A Different World. Growing up with an entertainer as a mother gave Imani an early connection to the performing arts and creative environment.
Jasmine Guy has discussed raising Imani while continuing her own entertainment career, including periods when Imani traveled with her mother for work. Imani’s parents married in 1998 and divorced in 2008, and she remained their only child. As she grew older, she developed interests in theater, drama, visual art, animation, and writing, eventually creating a professional identity that extended beyond her family background.
Imani Duckett’s Parents and Family
Imani is the daughter of Jasmine Guy and Terrence Mitchell Duckett. Jasmine Guy is an actress, dancer, singer, director, and writer whose career includes television, Broadway, film, and music. Terrence Duckett was married to Guy from 1998 until their divorce in 2008, and Imani is their only child.
Her family connection has naturally been an important part of her biography, but Imani has also developed her own creative direction. Rather than focusing exclusively on television and film acting, she has explored performance, writing, animation, and mixed-media visual art, creating a multidisciplinary career that gives her a distinct place within the family’s artistic story.
Imani Duckett’s Education at NYU
Imani attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied drama. Her education provided formal training in performance while also giving her opportunities to experiment with different forms of creative expression. During her university years, her interests expanded beyond conventional acting into animation, visual storytelling, and other artistic mediums.
Her time at Tisch became an important stage in the development of her artistic identity. The creative environment helped her combine performance with visual and written storytelling, and her university work eventually contributed to the development of Paper Cuts. This period connected her early interest in acting with the broader multidisciplinary practice she has pursued since then.
Imani Duckett’s Acting Career
Imani began developing her acting career while she was still a teenager. In 2016, she made her stage debut in the Atlanta production of Serial Black Face, playing 15-year-old Latoya in a production connected to the Atlanta Child Murders. The role gave her early professional theater experience and marked an important beginning for her work as a performer.
She later moved into screen acting, with IMDb listing her in the 2020 television movie Open, where she played Luna and received an additional credit connected with Wren. IMDb also lists an appearance as herself on Unsung Hollywood. While these screen credits form part of her acting résumé, her career has continued to expand into writing, animation, and visual art.
Imani Duckett’s Creative Style and Artistic Interests
Imani has developed a creative style that combines acting, writing, animation, and visual art. Her work demonstrates an interest in storytelling through different mediums, allowing her to communicate ideas through performance as well as images, mixed-media pieces, and written material.
This multidisciplinary approach became particularly visible through Paper Cuts, a project that grew from her studies at NYU. Her artistic work has allowed her to explore personal expression and storytelling in ways that go beyond a traditional acting career. Drama remains part of her creative foundation, while visual art and writing have become increasingly important elements of her professional identity.
Imani Duckett and Paper Cuts
Paper Cuts is one of Imani Duckett’s most notable artistic projects. The work began during her time at NYU and developed from her senior project into a larger body of creative work. In March 2024, it became the focus of her first solo exhibition in New York City, marking an important milestone in her development as a visual artist.
The project explores themes involving identity, emotional conflict, strength, vulnerability, and Black identity. Paper Cuts is significant because it places Imani’s own artistic voice at the center of her work, rather than defining her primarily through her connection to Jasmine Guy. Through mixed-media art, writing, performance, and animation, she has used the project to build a broader creative profile.
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Imani Duckett’s Work Beyond Acting
Although acting was one of Imani’s earliest professional interests, her work now reaches across several creative disciplines. Her background includes visual art, writing, animation, performance, and theater, allowing her to approach storytelling through different forms instead of concentrating on only film and television.
Her projects demonstrate how these interests can overlap. Paper Cuts combines visual and personal storytelling, while her work on A Different Girl: A Memoir adds another writing and collaboration credit to her career. Together, these projects show a continued interest in using different mediums to develop and communicate creative ideas.
Imani Duckett’s Professional Development
Imani’s professional development began with her 2016 stage appearance in Serial Black Face and continued with her television work in Open. These early acting experiences gave her opportunities to work professionally while she was also developing her education and artistic interests at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Over time, her career expanded from performance toward projects involving greater creative participation. Paper Cuts became a major example of this development because it allowed her to present her own artistic work, while A Different Girl: A Memoir added writing and collaborative storytelling to her professional experience. Her career therefore reflects a gradual expansion across several creative fields.
What Makes Imani Duckett’s Career Distinct?
Imani Duckett’s career combines several forms of storytelling, including theater, television, visual art, animation, and writing. Instead of following only one professional path, she has continued exploring different ways to express ideas and develop creative projects.
Her relationship to Jasmine Guy is an important part of her family history, but Imani’s own projects have created a separate artistic identity. Her stage work, screen credits, Paper Cuts, and involvement with A Different Girl each represent different parts of her creative development and show how her professional interests have expanded over time.
Imani Duckett’s Writing and New Book
Writing has become another important part of Imani’s creative career. She is officially credited alongside Jasmine Guy as a co-author of A Different Girl: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster describes Imani as Jasmine’s daughter and confidante who helped with the memoir, which covers Guy’s childhood, dance career, Broadway years, Hollywood experiences, and life as a mother.
The U.S. edition is scheduled for publication on February 9, 2027, through Atria/Black Privilege Publishing, and the book is listed at 320 pages. The memoir gives Imani another major creative credit while connecting her writing work with her mother’s personal and professional story. It also represents a collaboration between two generations of the family.
Imani Duckett’s Relationship With Jasmine Guy
Imani shares a strong creative connection with her mother, Jasmine Guy, whose long career in television, theater, dance, and music shaped an important part of her childhood environment. Jasmine has also supported and highlighted her daughter’s creative work, including projects connected with Imani’s development as an artist.
Their creative relationship continued through A Different Girl: A Memoir, where Imani contributes as a co-author and collaborator. The project brings together Jasmine’s decades of entertainment experience with Imani’s developing skills in writing and storytelling. Their collaboration adds another dimension to the professional relationship between mother and daughter.
Imani Duckett’s Social Media Presence
Imani has used social media in connection with her artistic work. Earlier coverage documented an Instagram presence called IGD Creations, which was associated with showcasing her artwork and creative development. Her online activity has therefore provided another way for audiences to discover her work outside of her acting credits.
Jasmine Guy has also shared attention for Imani’s artistic projects through her own social media presence, including work connected with Paper Cuts. As a result, social media has played a role in presenting Imani’s artwork to a wider audience, particularly as she has expanded her professional identity into visual art, writing, and animation.
Fun Facts About Imani Duckett
- Imani was born on March 28, 1999, and turned 27 in 2026.
- Her professional name is often listed as Imani Guy Duckette.
- She is the daughter of Jasmine Guy and Terrence Mitchell Duckett.
- Her stage acting debut came in Serial Black Face in 2016.
- She studied drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
- Her project Paper Cuts began during her university years and became a solo exhibition in 2024.
- She is a co-author of A Different Girl: A Memoir with Jasmine Guy.
- Her creative work covers acting, writing, animation, and mixed-media visual art.
Conclusion
Imani Duckett has developed a creative identity that extends beyond being known as Jasmine Guy’s daughter. Born in 1999, she studied drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and gained experience through theater and screen acting before expanding into visual art, animation, and writing.
From her 2016 stage debut to Open, Paper Cuts, and her upcoming collaboration on A Different Girl, Imani’s career includes several distinct creative milestones. Her work continues to connect performance with visual storytelling and writing, creating a multidisciplinary professional profile that reflects her own artistic interests.
FAQs
Who is Imani Duckett?
Imani Duckett is an actress, writer, and multidisciplinary artist and the daughter of Jasmine Guy and Terrence Duckett.
How old is Imani Duckett?
Imani Duckett was born on March 28, 1999, making her 27 years old in 2026.
Who are Imani Duckett’s parents?
Her parents are Jasmine Guy and Terrence Mitchell Duckett, who married in 1998 and divorced in 2008.
Where did Imani Duckett study?
She attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she studied drama and developed her interests in performance and other creative disciplines.
What is Imani Duckett known for?
She is known for acting, writing, visual art, animation, her Paper Cuts project, and her collaboration with Jasmine Guy on A Different Girl: A Memoir.
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