Minnie Mink in the 2015 Film 'The Hateful Eight'

Dana Gourrier | Biography

Detective Leroy on HBO Series 'Treme' in 2011

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Original : January 05, 2022

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Dana Gourrier is an American actress best known for her role as Minnie Mink in the 2015 mystery crime-drama film The Hateful Eight.

Who is Dana Gourrier?

Dana Gourrier is an actress, singer, writer, and instructor. She began her acting career as a theater actress at a young age. She made her on-screen debut portraying the role of a teacher in the 2011 television movie Worst. Prom. Ever. The same year, she appeared in a recurring role as Detective Leroy in two episodes of HBO’s musical drama series Treme in 2011. She later appeared in recurring roles in television series like American Horror Story, True Detective, The Astronaut Wives Club, Togetherness, Raising Dion, and Don’t Look Deeper. She also guest-starred in multiple television series, including Memphis Beat, Red Band Society, Superstore, GLOW, and P-Valley.

Gourrier made her film debut as Deputy Coroner in the 2012 action thriller film Bullet to the Head. She later appeared in over a dozen films, including Django Unchained (2012), Lee Daniels The Butler (2013), The Hateful Eight (2015), Kidnap (2017), and The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021). She also starred in short films like The Tale of Four (2016), The Good Time Girls (2017), In Confidence (2018), and Awaken (2021). As of 2021, she appeared on an episode of the crime drama television series The Good Fight that aired on 5 August 2021. In addition to her acting career, Gourrier is a writer, executive producer, and director of the short film In Confidence.

Age and Early Bio

Gourrier’s age is 42 years as of 2022. She was born on 31 July 1979 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds American nationality, and she is of French descent.

Growing up, Gourrier developed a passion for acting, singing, and dancing at age 12. She began performing at the theater at a young age. Later, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2002. After graduation, she immediately headed to New York to pursue her dream career.

In an interview with The Philadelphia Sunday Sun, she shared that moving to New York was one of the craziest things she had ever done. She also said in the interview that she had once turned down Harvard University after learning that she was accepted into their graduate program. She considered both of her decisions turned out to be the right decisions for her life.

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed her childhood home, and she found the certificate of her undergraduate degree months later. In 2010, she received a Master of Fine Arts degree from California Institute of the Arts, where she performed in many classical and contemporary theatrical productions.

Personal Life

Gourrier is married to her husband, Brent Schaefer. The couple together has one son named Brixton.

She took to Instagram on Mother’s Day on 9 May 2021 to share her story to inspire women not to give up their desire to be a mother. She shared that she was becoming 41 years in age, weighed 306 lbs, and had eight fibroid tumors in her uterus. She said she had emotional stress due to the loss of her family and friends amid COVID-19 and the fear of not working again after becoming a mother, but she made it through and happily introduced her son to the world. 

Further describing her son, she wrote, “He is so loving, very precocious, and he’s really funny. He’s independant and a serious thinker. His favorite things are Mama’s milk, Daddy’s spaceship rides (love you Brent), his Godmother’s outfits, and all of his grandparent’s, family and friend’s love. This little boy is so loved by so many people. I am in awe at the Blessing he is to all our lives.”