Born and raised in Baltimore, and thoroughly bred in Brooklyn, Trae Harris is a multidisciplinary artist that incorporates the poetry of movement, the written word, visual aesthetics, and esoteric mysticism to reimagine and explore the healing journeys of queer women of color in the Americas through storytelling. Trae cultivated their identity and craft as a poet and actor in the Brooklyn art scene collaborating with innovative and prolific directors and artists such as Jamel Shabazz, Shaka King, Mariama Diallo, and Terence Nance. Trae’s ability to bring their personal style and comedic nuance to their performances shines in their body of work which spans genres and mediums highlighting the diversity of their skill and aesthetic. 

Trae’s professional acting career began as a teenager with a role on HBO’s The Wire. They then starred in the Sundance feature Newlyweeds (2013),  And I And Silence (2014) at New York City’s Signature Theater, Netflix series  Orange Is the New Black (2014),  Didn't I Ask For Tea? (2015), Ori Inu: In Search of Self (2015), Bodymore (2018), Hair Wolf (2019) winner of US Fiction Awards for shorts at Sundance, The Vacation (2022) winner of the Directors Award for shorts at Sundance 2023 and various web series. Trae’s first solo performance piece Detachment (2015), which they wrote, produced, and performed is the subject of a short film collection Detachment I & II (2022). In addition to their performance work, in 2020, Trae self-published a poetry chapbook entitled Hindsight.

Trae has received awards and fellowships for their written work including a 2020 Ruby Grant, A Maryland Arts Council Grant,  2022 Sundance Episodic Intensive Fellowship and a Film Independent Fast Track Film, Financing Market Grant.

Their commercial modeling work includes campaigns for brands such as Adidas, Calvin Klein, Cover Girl, W Hotel, Nor Black Nor White, Carol’s Daughter, Shea Moisture, and Lulu Frost.