Indya Adrianna Moore was born January 17, 1995 and is an American actress and model.
Indya is a Bronx native, and she is of Haitian, Puerto Rican, and Dominican ancestry. At the age of 14, she left her parents’ home due to her parents’ transphobia, and entered into foster care. She moved around frequently during this time, eventually living in all five boroughs of New York City. After being frequently bullied, Moore dropped out of high school during her sophomore year.
She began working as a model at the age of 15, and eventually earned her General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
Moore became a model at the age of 15, and began working shoots for Dior and Gucci, despite the fashion industry’s initial treatment of her as a risky choice.
Although Moore was booking modeling gigs, she became increasingly disenchanted with the fashion industry and its emphasis on body image. Moore met legendary dancer and ballroom veteran Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza while doing background for the television series The Get Down. He encouraged her to pursue acting and sent Moore to an audition for the independent film Saturday Church. Moore landed the role of Dijon, and the film was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In early 2017, Moore walked in New York Fashion Week and was photographed for Vogue España. That year, Moore appeared in Katy Perry’s music video for the single “Swish Swish”, and performed live with Perry on the May 20, 2017 episode of Saturday Night Live, where she was credited as a member of the House of Xtravaganza.
In late 2017, Moore was cast in Pose, Ryan Murphy’s FX television series about New York City ball culture in the late 1980s. Moore portrays Angel Evangelista, a transgender sex worker who joins the House of Evangelista after leaving the House of Abundance with her friend Blanca.
In 2018, Moore signed a contract with IMG Models and William Morris Endeavor (WME). Moore was WME’s first signed contract with a trans actor. Moore also started the production company Beetlefruit Media, which provides a platform for stories about disenfranchised groups.
Moore has appeared in J.View’s 2017 “Don’t Pull Away” music video, and in Blood Orange’s 2018 “Saint” video.
In May 2019, Moore became the first transgender person to be featured on the cover of the U.S. version of Elle magazine.
In December 2019, Moore debuted as the voice of Shep on the animated limited series Steven Universe Future. The character is also non-binary.
Moore will appear in the upcoming horror television series, Magic Hour, a gender-bending recreation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, directed by Che Grayson and filmed in Tokyo, on which she also serve as an executive producer.
Moore is set to appear in the short film Spot. Moore has been cast in the sequel to the 2019 psychological thriller film Escape Room.
In June 2020, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named her among the fifty heroes “leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people”.
Moore is transgender and non-binary and go by they/them and she/her pronouns.
