Naomi Baker is an American actress and model who has moved from commercial fashion work into increasingly visible film and television roles. Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Baker first built a professional career as a model before relocating to Los Angeles and pursuing acting more seriously. She appeared in All American: Homecoming and A Lifeguard’s Obsession, and in 2026 she reached a much wider audience as Anika in Tyler Perry’s Netflix drama Doing Life.
Baker’s path is notable because acting was not an overnight breakthrough. Her career developed through years of modeling, agency representation, college, acting classes, auditions and smaller screen credits before she was cast opposite Jay Reeves in a major Netflix film.
Who Is Naomi Baker?
Naomi Baker is an actress and model from Dayton, Ohio. She has worked in commercial and print modeling as well as television and film.
In a 2023 interview, Baker said she had wanted to work in entertainment from an early age. Modeling provided her first professional opportunity, but acting and television were long-term ambitions. She eventually moved to Los Angeles in August 2021 and began formal acting training the following year.
Her screen résumé includes Nessa in All American: Homecoming, Tina Jackson in A Lifeguard’s Obsession, and most prominently Anika in Tyler Perry’s Doing Life. Netflix lists Baker among the film’s leading cast alongside Jay Reeves and Tamberla Perry.
Naomi Baker Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
| Full name | Naomi Baker |
| Date of birth | May 6, 1998 |
| Age | 28 as of October 2026 |
| Birthplace | Dayton, Ohio, USA |
| Profession | Actress and model |
| Education | The Ohio State University |
| Known for | Doing Life, All American: Homecoming |
| Doing Life character | Anika |
| All American: Homecoming character | Vanessa “Nessa” Bailey |
| Career background | Commercial and print modeling |
| Based professionally | Los Angeles |
An official production press kit for A Lifeguard’s Obsession identifies Baker as born on May 6, 1998, in Dayton, Ohio.
Naomi Baker’s Age and Birthday
Naomi Baker was born on May 6, 1998, which makes her 28 years old as of October 2026. Her birthplace is Dayton, Ohio.
This is worth clarifying because some online profiles list only May 6 without a birth year, while the production material for A Lifeguard’s Obsession provides the full date.
Readers searching for “Naomi Baker age” should also be careful not to confuse the actress with other people who share her name.
Early Life in Dayton, Ohio
Baker was born and raised in Dayton and is the youngest of four siblings. In her own account of her upbringing, she said entertainment was something she imagined herself pursuing from childhood.
Performance was also part of her family environment. Baker has said her mother is a gospel recording artist and that she grew up staging performances with her sister and cousins. As she got older, she became involved in cheer and dance and took on leadership and choreography responsibilities.
Her early years did not offer an obvious path into Hollywood. Baker has described Dayton as a place with fewer entertainment-industry opportunities, making professional representation and access to larger markets particularly important to her development.
Education at The Ohio State University
Baker attended The Ohio State University and graduated in 2020.
Her education overlapped with the early stages of her modeling career. Instead of immediately moving to Los Angeles, she spent several years developing professional modeling experience while completing college.
After graduating, Baker told her mother agency that she wanted to expand her career to Los Angeles. That decision ultimately became an important turning point between her established modeling work and her growing focus on acting.
How Naomi Baker Started Modeling
Before Naomi Baker became widely known as an actress, she worked extensively as a model.
She said local designers in Ohio initially asked her to model their clothing, which encouraged her to pursue the field more seriously. In 2016, she signed with Indianapolis-based mother agency LModelz, marking what she considers the beginning of her professional career.
A year later, Baker received agency placement in Chicago. That opened the door to commercial work for recognizable retailers and fashion brands.
Over time, she reported working with more than 20 brands across fashion, retail, beauty and cosmetics.
Brands Naomi Baker Has Modeled For
Her self-reported client history includes:
- ASOS
- Sephora
- Foot Locker
- Kohl’s
- JCPenney
- Too Faced Cosmetics
- Finish Line
- Eastbay
- GlamGlow
- ghd
- LA Girl Cosmetics
- FLOWER Beauty
- Bio-Oil
- Bésame Cosmetics
Baker described commercial and print modeling as the main focus of that part of her career.
The experience also gave her years of professional camera work before she began taking on larger acting roles.
Naomi Baker’s Move From Modeling to Acting
Baker officially moved to Los Angeles in August 2021 with the intention of developing her acting career. She signed with Discover Management and began classes at MAD Acting Studio in 2022.
Her first significant acting opportunities followed quickly.
According to Baker, she booked two roles back-to-back in October 2022. One was a guest role in All American: Homecoming, while another was a Lifetime feature film.
The progression can be viewed as a clear career timeline:
| Year | Career Milestone |
| 2016 | Signed with LModelz and began professional modeling |
| 2017 | Secured agency placement in Chicago |
| 2020 | Graduated from The Ohio State University |
| 2021 | Moved to Los Angeles |
| 2022 | Began acting classes and booked screen roles |
| 2023 | Appeared in A Lifeguard’s Obsession |
| 2026 | Starred as Anika in Tyler Perry’s Doing Life |
That gradual progression makes Baker’s career more than a single breakout role. Her 2026 Netflix lead came after roughly a decade of professional work across modeling and acting.
Naomi Baker in All American: Homecoming
One of Baker’s first notable television appearances was on All American: Homecoming.
She played Vanessa “Nessa” Bailey in the Season 2 episode “Integrity,” which aired on November 28, 2022. TVMaze and IMDb both identify Baker as Nessa in the episode.
In her 2023 interview, Baker described the guest role as an especially meaningful achievement because television had long been one of her primary goals.
Although it was a guest appearance rather than a long-running series role, it became an important résumé credit. Netflix later specifically referenced All American: Homecoming when introducing Baker as one of the leads of Doing Life.
Naomi Baker in A Lifeguard’s Obsession
Baker also appeared as Tina Jackson in the 2023 thriller A Lifeguard’s Obsession.
The Johnson Production Group lists Naomi Baker among the film’s cast alongside Amanda Jones, Christian Howard, Noah Fearnley, Steven Olson and Christina Gray.
The production became another step in Baker’s transition from modeling into narrative screen acting and provided a feature-film credit before her later Netflix breakthrough.
Naomi Baker Stars as Anika in Tyler Perry’s Doing Life
Baker’s biggest screen role to date arrived with Tyler Perry’s Doing Life.
Released on Netflix on October 2, 2026, the drama stars Baker as Anika, opposite Jay Reeves as Carousel. Tyler Perry wrote, directed and produced the film.
Netflix describes the story as centered on a single mother and an incarcerated man who develop an unexpected bond. Baker’s Anika is the single mother at the center of that story, while Reeves plays the man whose connection with her develops through extraordinary circumstances.
Who Does Naomi Baker Play in Doing Life?
Naomi Baker plays Anika, a young single mother trying to keep her family together.
Netflix describes Anika as struggling for stability when she develops a connection with Carousel, played by Jay Reeves. Their relationship becomes the emotional foundation of the drama.
The role is considerably larger than Baker’s earlier guest appearance on All American: Homecoming. Instead of appearing in a limited television part, she is one of the central performers carrying a feature-length Netflix drama.
Naomi Baker and Jay Reeves
Baker stars opposite Jay Reeves, who plays Carousel.
The two characters come from different circumstances but develop an emotional connection. Netflix describes the film as a story of redemption, hope and love, with Anika and Carousel forming a bond that challenges how they see their futures.
The supporting cast includes Tamberla Perry, Karen Obilom, Jasmine Sargent and Danielle Moné Truitt.
Naomi Baker Movies and TV Shows
Baker’s verified acting credits include both independent productions and larger television and streaming projects.
| Year | Project | Role |
| 2020 | Club Alli | Tierra Alli |
| 2022 | We’re Fcked, Lol!* | Delusion |
| 2022 | All American: Homecoming | Nessa |
| 2023 | A Lifeguard’s Obsession | Tina Jackson |
| 2026 | Doing Life | Anika |
IMDb also lists newer or developing credits associated with Baker, but release status can change, so announced and unreleased projects should be treated separately from completed work.
For most viewers in 2026, Doing Life represents the clearest introduction to Naomi Baker as a leading actress.
Is Naomi Baker in Ghost of Tsushima?
This is an important case of two different people sharing the same name.
The credits for the 2020 video game Ghost of Tsushima list a Naomi Baker as a concept artist in the art department. There is no reliable evidence that this credit belongs to Naomi Baker, the actress from Doing Life and All American: Homecoming.
Therefore, “Naomi Baker Ghost of Tsushima” should not be included in the actress’s filmography.
It appears to refer to another professional named Naomi Baker.
Is Dr. Naomi Baker the Same Person as the Actress?
No.
Search results for Dr. Naomi Baker largely refer to an academic at the University of Manchester. The university identifies Dr. Naomi Baker as a Senior Lecturer in Renaissance Literature.
That Naomi Baker is a different person from the Dayton-born American actress and model.
This distinction is useful because a broad Google search for “Naomi Baker” can surface several unrelated people with the same name.
Does Naomi Baker Have a Baby?
There is no reliable public source confirming that actress Naomi Baker has a child in her personal life.
The confusion may partly come from her 2026 role in Doing Life. Baker plays Anika, a single mother, and the character’s responsibilities as a parent are central to the movie.
That is a fictional role and should not be treated as evidence about Baker’s real-life family.
Responsible celebrity coverage should keep an actor’s personal life separate from the characters they portray unless the actor has publicly confirmed otherwise.
Naomi Baker’s Personal Life
Baker has publicly discussed her upbringing, siblings, career journey and support from her family, but reliable information about her romantic relationships is limited.
There is no need to infer a boyfriend, husband or relationship from social media photographs or entertainment roles without direct confirmation.
Her public interviews have focused primarily on modeling, acting, career development and the challenges of building an entertainment career.
What Makes Naomi Baker’s Career Interesting?
Baker’s journey stands out because it developed in stages.
She began by modeling for local designers in Ohio, found agency representation, booked national commercial clients, finished college, moved across the country and then committed more seriously to acting.
That foundation eventually led from a television guest role to a starring Netflix performance.
It also reflects how careers in entertainment often develop across multiple disciplines. Baker did not abandon modeling when she discovered acting; instead, her commercial experience became one part of a broader professional career.
Her starring role in Doing Life marks the most visible point in that journey so far.
Frequently Asked Questions About Naomi Baker
Who is Naomi Baker?
Naomi Baker is an American actress and model from Dayton, Ohio. She is known for All American: Homecoming, A Lifeguard’s Obsession and Tyler Perry’s Netflix movie Doing Life.
How old is Naomi Baker?
Naomi Baker was born on May 6, 1998. She is 28 years old as of October 2026.
What role does Naomi Baker play in Doing Life?
Baker plays Anika, a single mother who forms an unexpected connection with Carousel, played by Jay Reeves.
Was Naomi Baker in All American: Homecoming?
Yes. Naomi Baker guest-starred as Vanessa “Nessa” Bailey in the 2022 episode “Integrity.”
Where is Naomi Baker from?
She was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. Baker has spoken publicly about growing up there as the youngest of four siblings.
Is Naomi Baker from Ghost of Tsushima?
The Ghost of Tsushima credits include a concept artist named Naomi Baker, but there is no reliable evidence that this person is the actress from Doing Life. The two should not be treated as the same person.
Does Naomi Baker have a baby?
There is no reliable public confirmation that the actress has a child. Baker plays a mother named Anika in Doing Life, but that is a fictional character and should not be confused with her personal life.
Conclusion
Naomi Baker has taken a steady route from Dayton, Ohio, to an increasingly visible acting career. She began modeling professionally in 2016, completed her education at The Ohio State University, moved to Los Angeles in 2021 and soon started building television and film credits.
Her appearance as Nessa in All American: Homecoming introduced her to television audiences, while A Lifeguard’s Obsession expanded her film résumé. In 2026, Baker took her largest role yet as Anika opposite Jay Reeves in Tyler Perry’s Netflix drama Doing Life.
With Doing Life placing her in a leading role on a major streaming platform, Baker has entered a significantly more visible stage of her acting career.
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