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Percy Miller also known as "Master P" was born on April 29, 1970 in New Orleans, LA. Although he was raised in the poverty of Calliope Housing Projects, he was motivated and determined to reach his goals and dreams, which led him to become a successful entrepreneur. As a student-athlete at the University of Houston, he studied Business Communications and later relocated to Richmond, CA where he opened his first small business, a record store he called No Limit Records. Within a few years, he turned it into a record label, which flourished into one of the biggest music brands in the industry. As a music mogul, he ventured off into the business of television, film, acting, producing, sports, clothing, and real estate.
However, none of his accomplishments and success would compare with his philanthropy and passion for helping the next generation where he created Let The Kids Grow Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help develop youth and their families through out-of school time and family strengthening programs in their communities. Founder Percy Miller discovered a way to help keep inner city youth off the streets away from drugs and gang violence by providing a safe haven for kids to express themselves with positive energy through film, dance and music. The foundation also offers an after school program for at-risk youth where the kids have access to academic support and guidance counseling. Let The Kids Grow program give youth and their families the tools that they need to become positive, confident, contributing members of our community.
Master P, The Entertainer Master P started with the music Rap group called TRU with his two brothers Corey Miller and Vyshonn Miller. And signed a brief distribution deal with In-A-Minute records who released their debut album. Understanding the retail business, he quickly formed his own record label, No Limit Records, which earned him the title of a marketing genius for the flashy gold and diamond album covers that lured fans into buying his product. After selling millions of records, he decided to sign his company, No Limit Records, to a straight pressing and distribution deal with Priority Records in 1995.
Since then, he's sold over 75 million records, attained 5 Grammys, 4 American Music Awards, 3 MTV Awards, 4 BET Awards, ranked #36 in VH1's Top 50 Greatest Hip Hop Artists, starred in Blockbuster movies like Gone In 60 Seconds, Hollywood Homicide, Dark Blue, co-starred in TV series like CSI: NY, Dark Angel, and Oz.
Businessman & Entrepreneur As founder and CEO of No Limit Entertainment, Percy Miller has taken No Limit Records to No Limit Forever Records. In 1998, Miller was ranked 10th on Forbes Magazine's List of America's 40 Highest Paid Entertainers was listed at #10 with an estimated income of $56.5 million. In 2001, Miller was one of only 6 celebrities to make Fortune Magazine's "America's Richest Forty Under Forty" list. His estimated worth of his business dealings put him at #20 with $361 million.
Percy Miller is also a published author with his book, Guaranteed Success When You Never Give Up in which he toured with on a national speaking tour on Financial Literacy alongside the likes of Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, Robert Kiyosaki, and Magic Johnson.
Percy Miller established a sports talent agency organization called No Limit Sports working with the likes of Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams, first round draft pick NBA players Ron Mercer and Ricky Davis, Jason Terry and Derek Anderson.
Film & Television Percy Miller has produced eight films, written and directed six, and starred in over a dozen including major studio releases such as Gone In 60 Seconds (starring Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie), Dark Blue with Kurt Russell and starred opposite Harrison Ford in the cop comedy Hollywood Homicide (2003). Percy's filmography also includes Uncle P (New Line), Uncle Willy's Family, Soccer Mom, and Repos. Miller is also the creator of the TV sitcom Uncle Willy Family and TV drama series The Calliope.
Basketball Career Percy Miller had a contract with NBA teams twice: First, with the Charlotte Hornets during the 1998/99 Season, then with the Toronto Raptors in the 1999/2000 Season. In 2002, he played in the (CBA) Continental Basketball Association for Fort Wayne Fury. In 2003, he played in the (IBL) International Basketball League for the San Diego Stingrays. In 2004, he also played in the (ABA) American Basketball Association for the Las Vegas Rattlers.
Philanthropy & Community Involvement In 1997, Miller funded Saint Monica Elementary School of New Orleans, LA to prevent the school from closing.
In 1998, he teamed up with Urban Born Foundation to help at-risk youth where he extensively donated his time and resources.
In 1999, Miller established "One Million Gifts" a food program during Thanksgiving, feeding underprivileged families and during Christmas, providing toys, coats and clothing to families in need.
In 2000, he created "Game Of Life" Programs where he provides free Summer Basketball Camps in communities across the U.S. for underprivileged kids.
For Hurricane Katrina victims, he provided shelter, resources and recovery programs. For the survivors of the Haiti earthquake, he provided water, resources, educational books and supplies to help rebuild schools.
Percy Miller was appointed the Youth Ambassador for the NAACP, a position previously held by former president, Bill Clinton. In 2008, Miller donated his time and resources to the Joel John Scholastic Academy in Los Angeles to ensure the school remained open for its students. Consequently, he was asked to serve on their executive board. Miller also received 2 NAACP Awards for Community Service and for promoting Education for the Next Generation.
Percy Miller has also received numerous acknowledgment and recognitions from across the country:
Keys to the Cities of Memphis, TN; New Orleans, LA; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; Jackson, MS; Houston, TX; Baton Rouge, LA; and Gulfport, MS
Certificates of Special Recognition as Social Justice Entertainer of the Year Award in the spirit and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awarded by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, from Maxine Waters, Member of Congress; from the City of Pasadena; from State of California John Garamendi Lieutenant Governor; from Roderick E. Wright, State of California Senate; from California State Assembly; from County of Los Angeles;
Certificates of Appreciation for Civil, Social and Economic Rights in the spirit and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from The California State Assembly
Miller has declared as his lifelong commitment visiting schools and communities across the country to help underprivileged kids and their families through his organization Let The Kids Grow Foundation.- Tyler Lepley was born on 24 March 1987 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor, known for Harlem (2021), Baggage Claim (2013) and The Haves and the Have Nots (2013).
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Aaron O'Connell's Biography (2021)
Aaron John O'Connell was born April 8th, 1986 in Dayton, Ohio. In 2013, Aaron was casted in the first television drama ever created by Tyler Perry, The Haves and The Have Nots (2013-2020). Due to the growing popularity of OWN's first scripted drama series, Aaron garnered much attention as his role of "Wyatt Cryer", and since then he has starred along side Jean-Claude Van Damme as CIA Operative in Black Water (2018), Runnin' from My Roots (2018), along with recent guest starring roles in "NCIS," and "Lethal Weapon", and is anticipated in his lead role on "Game of Love" alongside Brenda Song (2021).
In 2013, he earned his private pilot's license, and later became an instrument-rated pilot in 2014. When Aaron gets a break from the entertainment business, he loves to fly for the charity "Pilots 'N Paws," ferrying dogs from kill shelters to their new families.- Actor
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"A native of Brooklyn NY, and an Entertainment Industry veteran, with a career spanning more than 30 years, Peter Parros stars as ' David Harrington ' of "Tyler Perry's The Haves and The Have Nots" (OWN TV). Parros is also known for his longtime role as ' Dr. Ben Harris ' of "As the World Turns" (CBS), as ' RC3 /Reginald Cornelius, III ' , of the popular TV Series "Knight Rider" and as 'Officer Gus Grant ' of "The New Adam 12" Series. Parros' work has earned two NAACP Image Award nominations.
His TV Guest Star credits, include "Seinfield", "Castle", "CSI: Miami", "Law and Order", "Royal Pains", "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper", "Charles in Charge", "Star Trek: The Next Generation", "The Facts of Life" and "New York Undercover", Parros' film credits include "Death Before Dishonor " and "Real Genius".
A member of the Writers Guild of America West, Mastermedia International , the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Black Documentary Collective, in 2004 Parros also became a member of the Executive Advisory Board of Heritage Luminaries for the New Jersey Black Cultural and Heritage Initiative Foundation.
Parros has written and co-written movies, including "Something to Sing About" and "The Climb" which was voted "Best Picture" at the International Family Film Festival (2002) and International Christian Visual Media Awards' "Best Picture" . Additionally, in partnership with LaPhonso Ellis, Parros founded "Ten Talents Productions ", producing Christian Entertainment , including the "Kidz of the King Adventures" animated DVD and comic book series.- Leith M. Burke was born on 15 November 1966 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Suburbicon (2017), Bosch (2014) and Eastsiders (2012).
- The guest star Quincy on Tyler Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots" on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Newark, NJ rapper-turned-actor MEDINA has become one of Hollywood's fresh new faces to look out for. Universally known throughout the hip hop community as "The Six Million Dollar Man," MEDINA earned the social media moniker "6Milly" for his years as a ghostwriter and contributions to several of today's top platinum selling artists.
No stranger to struggle and adversity, this self proclaimed "Antwone Fisher" has grappled with some of life's most dreadful blows. As a child, MEDINA's most vivid memories were of his schizophrenic mother during visitation hours in mental institutions where she was committed for kidnapping him and attempting to sell his brother. By the time MEDINA was 10, his mother's mental illness reached its tipping point, ultimately causing her to abandon him and his siblings and he never saw or heard from her again. Recovering from such heart-wrenching trials takes more than a lifetime for most, but MEDINA's challenges continued as he downward spiraled into a street life filled with drugs and violence which lead to the murder of his best friend. Later becoming homeless, sleeping on the streets, and in and out of Job Corps, MEDINA moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he was accepted into Morris Brown College.
From Homeless 2 Hollywood, music has been an outlet for MEDINA to tell his story and inspire others to overcome their personal struggles. Fueled by relentless drive and impeccable work ethic, MEDINA has amazingly made the quantum leap from Beats & Rhymes to "Lights, Camera, Action!". When asked about his triumphant rise to success he simply says, "Sometimes you don't have to win to WIN!" - Actor
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Jon began performing in High School, when he took Drama as an elective course. Jon was a fixture in school plays, having played leading roles in "Oedipus Rex", "A Midsummer's Night" and "Romeo and Juliet." Upon graduation, Jon went on to attend Fort Valley State University, where he later received his B.A. in Mass Communications. He began his professional career, working as a production assistant, camera operator and associate producer. He worked on numerous live-action shows, before going back to his first love, acting. He made his on-screen debut on the long-running Lifetime series, Army Wives.
Jon resides in Los Angeles with his wife and son.- Actor
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Deon Cole was born on 9 January 1972 in Roseland, Cook County, Chicago, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Black-ish (2014), The Harder They Fall (2021) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016).- Actor
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The first US-born member of his West Indian family, Brooklyn-bred Romany Malco began his career at the age of seven, when he picked up a microphone and started rapping. As a teen he moved to Texas and formed the rap group R.M.G., and upon relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal to Virgin Records. The group's name was changed to College Boyz and their first big hit, "Victim of the Ghetto," went to #1 on the rap charts.
Malco was working as a music producer on The Pest (1997) starring John Leguizamo when the actor, impressed by Malco's dynamic personality, encouraged him to pursue acting. Malco's rapping background soon came in handy when he landed the lead in the VH-1 telepic, Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story (2001), Weeds (2005) opposite Mary-Louise Parker and Elizabeth Perkins.
Romany was most recently seen on the big screen in the Universal hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005). He has received critical praise for his star-turning performance, play Jay, the streetwise, trash-talking womanizer who sets the tone for the film's antics. Malco recently co-starred in the independent film Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004) opposite Neve Campbell and Christian Slater.- AMARR is a Washington DC native whose credits span from TV and Film. He started his career at just 3 years old when he started working in his hometown on local television; things soon progressed with landing numerous national commercials and working on his first theatrical release at 6 years old.
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Known for his charming looks and deep personality, Michael Ealy blessed the movie screen with his role in Barbershop (2002). When he left Silver Spring, Maryland, with a degree in English, he headed off to New York. From there he performed in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway hits "Joe Fearless" and "Whoa-Jack". He's appeared in Showtime's Soul Food (2000), on NBC's Law & Order (1990) and the ABC sitcom Madigan Men (2000).
When he moved to Los Angeles, he landed a lead role in "Barbershop" after a friend informed him about it. In addition, he appeared in Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Company (2002), directed by Joel Schumacher. The natural, blue-eyed actor can be seen in HBO's Baseball Wives (2002).- Actor
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Joseph Sikora was born and raised in the city of Chicago on the far northwest side. He studied acting at the Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanton, Illinois and also at Columbia College, Chicago where he received his B.A. degree in Theatre. He has been nominated for a Joseph Jefferson award for theatre in Chicago and received an Ovation award for theatre in Los Angeles.- Actor
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Omari Latif Hardwick was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Joyce (Johnson) and Clifford Hardwick III, and grew up in Decatur, GA. His parents gave him a name to set a precedent, "Omari" meaning "most high," and "Latif" meaning "gentle." He shares, "I in no way believe that I am the highest or most high, but I feel like my name gives me something to strive for." Growing up, sports were Hardwick's world, but early on he knew he had a passion for the arts. By the age of fourteen, Hardwick was writing poetry on a regular basis, a passion he would carry with him into adulthood. In high school, he excelled at basketball, baseball, and football, and went on to play football at the University of Georgia. Although a star on the field, Hardwick never gave up his passion for acting, and minored in theatre in college. He shares, "I hugely attribute sports to my success in entertainment business. Being on the field taught me dedication and discipline - I already came from a strict household when I was growing up, sports just took that to another level. Whenever I approach a set, I always feel as though the cast, crew, director, are all part of a team. I have always married athletics and art, two huge parts of my life."
After graduation, Hardwick relocated to San Diego for a spot on the San Diego Chargers (NFL) however a knee injury cut his football career short. He decided to revisit his original passion for acting, and moved to New York to study his craft more extensively. In New York, Hardwick studied off Broadway until 2000, when he made the move to Los Angeles. As a struggling actor, he worked odd jobs to pay for acting classes, however the security gigs and substitute teaching at times were not enough to make ends meet, and at one point he lived out of his car. Hardwick shares, "what is so crazy, is that where I presently shoot my series 'Dark Blue,' is where I lived in my car when I first moved to Los Angeles. It is surreal at times."
Hardwick's first big break came in 2003, when he was cast in his first major role as a series regular in Spike Lee's Sucker Free City. Two years later, he landed the feature The Guardian and TNT's Saved - both of which he booked within a three-week span in 2005. He notes, "I felt like I had arrived when I went back to one of my odd jobs that had let me go several years prior, and I looked out over Sunset Boulevard right next to the Chateau Marmont, and saw myself plastered on a billboard overlooking the city. I had to break down a little at that point, it was a big moment for me." Throughout 2007 - 2009 Hardwick worked on various projects, including guest starring on several television series, and filming several movies including Summit Entertainment's Next Day Air and Touchstone Picture's Miracle at St. Anna. In 2008 he landed the role of "Ty Curtis" on the TNT series Dark Blue. Season 1 aired throughout 2009. His continued success came when he was cast as the lead of the Starz series Power. Omari's performance is critically lauded, and the show went on to produce multiple spinoffs for the network. Having reached a new level of stardom, Omari can most recently be seen in Boots Riley's critically acclaimed Sorry to Bother You, Nobody's Fool opposite Tiffany Haddish, Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead for Netflix, and opposite Toni Collette in Pieces of Her, also for Netflix. He'll next be seen in Netflix projects The Mothership, opposite Halle Berry, and The Mother, opposite Jennifer Lopez.
In addition to acting, Hardwick is a founding member of Plan B Inc. Theater Group, and a co-founder of Los Angeles Actor's Lounge. He has big plans for his production company, Bravelife, in 2010 as well, and plans on expanding the company. Hardwick also continues to work on his poetry, and has written over 4,000 poems.- Actor
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Born in Los Angeles, Jonathan spent four years living in Germany as a youth and still speaks some German. He first became interested in show business when his cousin Crystal brought him along on her acting auditions. At age nine, he asked his cousin to let him audition, and within six months got his first role, a small part in the television series "21 Jump Street." When he's away from the set, Wesley enjoys basketball, volleyball and swimming. He has also performed as a singer, rapper and hip-hop dancer with a group he formed with his friends.- Actor
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Jay Ellis is a television and film actor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Born in Sumter, South Carolina, Ellis spent the majority of his childhood traveling with his military family. His father completed over 15 years of service in the Air Force while his mother was an accomplished finance executive and former board member of the Consumer Advisory Council for the Federal.
Jay graduated Suma Cum Laude at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon where he also played basketball and held the position of student body president. Ellis interned briefly with the Portland Trailblazers and also joined AmeriCorps to provide care and resources to disadvantaged students of Portland.
Ellis made the move to Los Angeles to pursue his passion for acting before landing his first role on the BET series The Game, which ran for 147 episodes. Over the years Ellis has been featured on critically acclaimed series Masters of Sex, Grace and Frankie, How I Met Your Mother, Grey's Anatomy, and NCIS.
Ellis lives in Los Angeles, CA and can be seen on the HBO comedy series Insecure.- Actor
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Affion Crockett is a rare multi hyphenate who is known as a rapper, dancer, stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his work on Wild'n Out, What We Do In The Shadows, and A Haunted House 1 & 2. He also produced and self financed his upcoming film A Hip Hop Story, a parody based comedy about Hip Hop culture.- Actor
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Dijon Talton was born on 17 September 1989 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for How to Get Away with Murder (2014), Á La Carte (2022) and A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. (2018).- Actor
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Lofton is born from mother, Angela Lofton and father Willie Lofton and also has one sister, Kristan Lofton. At the tender age of 8, he wrote his first song, recorded it and passed it out at school to all his friends in the lunch room and gym. With his talent quickly taking the notice of others, Lofton was offered the opportunity to play a role in the movie "Hardball" in 2001 starring Keanu Reaves. This big screen film led him to being featured on the "Hardball" music video featuring Lil' Wayne, Lil' Zane, Sammie and Bow Wow at 12 years old. Upon graduating from Proviso West High School in 2006, the same year, Lofton became the Walmart Back-to-College Spokesperson, as well as made an appearance on MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen", an NBC 5 News Segment and various McDonald's commercials. As busy as Lofton was, his passion and talent only drove him to do more, leading him to the 2008 movie "The Promotion" starring Jon C. Riley and Sean William Scott and the more recent 2008 Tyler Perry hit movie "Meet the Browns" as the role of "Calvin." Aside from his first love of acting, he also has a love for music which was present way before movie roles were being thrown his way. "Triple threat" is not the word, for Lofton raps, sings, writes songs, articles, and even movie scripts. He also contributes his "photographic memory" as to much of his success. Lofton has always been a star, even off the screens, and specifically in school where he served as a star athlete at basketball and in football. Upon high school graduation, he was offered a baseball scholarship to Grambling State University but turned it down to pursue his dream entertainment career.- Actor
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David is Afro-Brazilian / American and fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. He first hit the stage in 3rd grade. He is classically trained and holds a BFA in Theatre from Arizona State University, where he carried lead roles in multiple main stage shows and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
He is a multi-hyphenate actor, writer, and filmmaker with over 120 professional credits in studio films and major network TV including Major Recurring Guest Star roles across various shows including Queen Of The South (Netflix), Tyler Perry's Ruthless (BET) Westworld (HBO), Seal Team (Paramount+), Criminal Minds (Paramount+) and many more. His work has earned him membership into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
David says, "Our job is to translate text into a moving, palpable experience for the audience, to bring the words to life in a way that is honest to its present, past, and future."
As a filmmaker, he has produced 6 feature films and is the founder of Exertion Films. His company has licensed projects to HULU, HBOMax, Paramount+, and more. He recently completed his original 8-episode science fiction series 'RZR. David is the creator, show-runner, co-writer, and lead actor opposite Mena Suvari, Richard Cabral, Emilio Rivera and Danny Trejo. RZR is slated for a 2024 release worldwide.
David is a globally known spoken word poet with live appearances on two seasons of the award-winning TV-one series Verses and Flow. He produces high-concept spoken word films he dubs "Spinema" (spinning cinema through spoken word) He has produced spinema with celebrated actors/poets such as Emmy Nominee Malcolm Jamal Warner, Mustafa Shakir, Joivan Wade, and other notables.
David has a good heart, an almost chameleon-like talent that allows him to adapt to any role... to any circumstance.- Tommy Oliver - Sundance Winning Producer/Screen Gems/Sony
David's professionalism never fails, a true artist in genuine form.- Youssef Delara - Sundance Grand Jury Nominated Director
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Elijah Long is a Producer, Writer and actor. He is the first African American to join the producing ranks of the Rambo franchise's 30-year history as Executive Producer. Rambo V: Last Blood, opened in theaters globally September 2019. Long also served as Executive Producer on the film TESLA, the bio pic of the great inventor Nikola Tesla, starring Ethan Hawke. TESLA premiered in Sundance Film Festival 2020 and was recently purchased by IFC Films.
Long joined forces with CIROC and Paramount Pictures to Executive Produce the cross-branding commercials for Will Packer's What Men Want.
Long co wrote and produced on All-Star Weekend, Jamie Foxx's directorial debut. He and the Oscar winner worked closely tailoring a script worthy of a star-studded cast which included Gerard Butler, Robert Downey, Jr., Eva Longoria, and DJ Khaled, and more.
He recently returned to the screen and starred in the multi-award-winning short film Still Harlem by Lynn Dow.
Long's journey began in Chicago's Southside. After high school, Long traveled the world in the US NAVY. He found himself wanting to pursue a career in entertainment. He completed his military tour and headed for New York. Finding himself homeless and living on the streets Long, eventually started getting acting roles in Equity stage plays and off Broadway. However, his heart was set on television and film. Long decided to move to Los Angeles.
He hit the TV circuit landing roles on hit shows including Fox's Lie to Me, House M.D., Lincoln Heights, Nip/Tuck, The Protector and Clean House.- Actor
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Jordan Peele is an Oscar- and Emmy-winning director, writer, actor, producer, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions. Peele's first feature film, "Get Out," was a critically acclaimed blockbuster, recognized with four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film would earn Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. His second feature, "Us," broke numerous box-office records, becoming the biggest opening for an R-rated original film in history when released in March of 2019 to widespread critical praise. Peele's third feature, the original horror epic, "Nope," opened in the summer of 2022 to rave reviews, the No. 1 slot at the box office, and once again becoming a widely discussed cultural phenomenon. Five years in the making, Peele produced and co-wrote Henry Selick's stop-motion animated feature, "Wendell & Wild," to which he also lent his voice as one of the title characters. Under the Monkeypaw banner, Peele co-wrote and produced Nia DaCosta's "Candyman" which made history as the first film helmed by a Black woman director to open at No. 1 at the box office. He also produced Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman," which earned a nomination for Best Picture and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He has also served as executive producer for numerous television series, including "Hunters" (Amazon), "Lovecraft Country" (HBO), and "The Twilight Zone" (CBS). Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Peele was a celebrated comedian who was the co-star and co-creator of "Key & Peele" on Comedy Central.- Actor
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Winston Duke was born on 15 November 1986 in Trinidad and Tobago. He is an actor and producer, known for Black Panther (2018), Us (2019) and Nine Days (2020).- Actor
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is an American actor. He portrayed David Kane, the Black Manta in the DC Extended Universe Aquaman films and Bobby Seale in the Netflix historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. For his portrayal of Cal Abar in the HBO limited series Watchmen, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He also starred in an episode of The Handmaid's Tale and Black Mirror. Abdul-Mateen portrayed incarnations of Morpheus and Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections.- Actor
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From bringing dynamic characters to life on screen to producing and writing films, award winning actor Mehcad Brooks has become known in the entertainment industry for his raw and refined talent, charisma, and moving presence. This year, Mehcad can be seen starring as Jackson 'Jax' Briggs, a cybernetically-enhanced super soldier and leader of Earthrealm in Warner Bros' highly anticipated action adventure feature film "Mortal Kombat." Directed by Simon McQuaid and produced by James Wan ("Aquaman"), the film is based on the iconic video game series that centers on an extensive roster of character fighters from a variety of realms in a fictional universe battling for supremacy; the series has sold over 49 million copies, spanning over a dozen canon games and expansions, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises of all time. "Mortal Kombat" was released simultaneously in theaters worldwide, and on HBO Max on April 16, 2021.
In film, Mehcad starred in Netflix's most watched thriller of 2020, Tyler Perry's "A Fall From Grace," which in its first four months following its debut remained one of the Top 10 Most Watched titles. He also recently starred in "Nobody's Fool" (Paramount Pictures) opposite Tika Sumpter, Tiffany Haddish and Whoopi Goldberg. Additional film credits include "In the Valley of Elah" opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, Disney's "Glory Road" produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, "Just Wright" opposite Queen Latifah, Common, and Paula Patton for Fox Searchlight Pictures and "About Last Night" opposite Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, and Regina Hall for Screen Gems.
On the television front, Mehcad most recently starred in the DC Comic superhero action-adventure series "Supergirl" (The CW) opposite Melissa Benoist. The series debuted in 2015 to critical acclaim, being called "a damn good time" by The New York Observer, "bright, fun, exciting" by Forbes and "just great television" by The Los Angeles Times. For five seasons, Mehcad was a fan favorite as friend, mentor, and object of affection to Supergirl (Benoist), James "The Guardian" Olsen.
Mehcad landed his first big break in television in 2005, securing the role of Matthew Applewhite (Alfre Woodward's son) on the award-winning series "Desperate Housewives" for ABC. During his time on the show he won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and also secured a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Mehcad went on to co-star on the critically acclaimed Alan Ball HBO series "True Blood" as Benedict 'Eggs' Talley opposite Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer from 2008-2010. When his time on "True Blood" came to an end, he quickly booked a lead role on USA's drama series "Necessary Roughness," which was based on the true story of a female psychologist who worked for the New York Jets. Mehcad was a scene stealer as football player Terrence 'TK' King, a star wide receiver who becomes notorious for his frequent fumbles and regular run-ins with the law. The series ran for three seasons, from 2011-13. In between "True Blood" and "Necessary Roughness," Mehcad landed a celebrity endorsement deal with Calvin Klein, in one of the most notorious global campaigns to date, making international headlines as one of the four faces of their CK X underwear line two years in a row.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas Mehcad grew up excelling at academics while being immersed in sports, becoming an all-state basketball player. While he loved spending time on the court and in the classroom (being recognized nationally in academics), he had a deep-rooted passion for the arts, whether it was acting, playing music, producing, or writing. Upon graduating high school, he decided to forgo 26 basketball scholarships and a full academic scholarship to Yale. He decided to attend the prestigious University of Southern California to study at their School of Cinematic Arts, to further hone his craft. Early credits for Mehcad include: "Malcolm in the Middle," "Boston Public," "One on One," "Cold Case," "The Game," "Dollhouse," and "Ghost Whisperer."
While bringing characters to life remains one of Mehcad's biggest passions, his love for telling stories through music is equally important. Mehcad recently released his debut, full length album "May 20th" which was inspired by multiple near-death experiences, all taking place on May 20th and forever changing his life. "May 20th" is available on all digital platforms.- Actor
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Michael Blackson was born on 28 November 1972 in Ghana. He is an actor and writer, known for Next Friday (2000), The Savages (2007) and Meet the Blacks (2016).- Producer
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Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.
Rock has been in stand-up comedy for several decades. He made his big screen debut in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and spent three years on the cast of Saturday Night Live (1975). He does commercials for 1-800 Collect and Nike and covered the presidential campaign for the show Politically Incorrect (1993). He lives in Alpine, New Jersey.- Actor
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Lance Gross was born on 8 July 1981 in Oakland, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for House of Payne (2006), Sleepy Hollow (2013) and Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013). He has been married to Rebecca Mamie Jefferson since 23 May 2015. They have two children.- Actor
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Robbie Jones was born on 25 September 1977 in California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), Hellcats (2010) and Hurricane Season (2009).- Actor
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andre De'Sean Shanks in Schweinfurt, Germany. Andre spent much of his early life moving with his parents around the country living in New York, North Carolina, Louisiana and abroad due to his father's active role in the military. He and his family moved to DeRidder, LA, where he graduated from DeRidder High School, and decided to call the city home. It was not until his senior year of high school, when his youth pastor gave him the lead role in a play did Andre begin to think about acting. Andre had caught a serious case of the "acting bug." Andre was already enrolled at Our Lady of the Lake College in Baton Rouge, LA, to study Physical Therapy. After three semesters, he dropped out of college to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. His introduction to the acting industry came from an advertisement back in 2008 that he heard on the radio that was seeking talent and through that, met an agent by the name of David McDermott who gave Andre his starting foundation. He worked as an extra and non-paid actor in indie films for two years. In 2010 Andre found talent representation in New Orleans, LA. It was a rough start to his acting career, full of disappointments, but in 2012, things began to look up. He booked his first principal role in the television series "Breakout Kings" in the episode entitled "SEALd Fate." The following month, Andre decided to further develop his skills and mold his craft as an actor. He enrolled and attended The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City. His passion continues to burn in his relentless pursuit of his dreams.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Gregory Keith Grainger is known for Queen & Slim (2019), Uncle Drew (2018) and Summer Madness (2019).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Bokeem Woodbine grew up in Harlem, New York. At the age of 19, he secured the lead role in the HBO production of Forest Whitaker's directorial debut Strapped (1993). Bokeem moved to Los Angeles shortly after completing the film Jason's Lyric (1994), and has pursued his dream of becoming a noteworthy film actor while balancing a passion for musical expression. Along the way he has appeared alongside Oscar- wining actors and worked with many of today's top directors, producers, and networks. To date he has appeared in biographical movies, like "Ray," comedies like "Life," horror, "Devil," and most recently science fiction, in the much anticipated film, In the Shadow of the Moon (2019). Bokeem respects the responsibilities inherent in taking on any role, and enjoys the process.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Daniel Kaluuya is a British actor and writer. He is best known for Get Out (2017), Black Panther (2018) and for portraying Fred Hampton in Judas & The Black Messiah (2021).
He had a supporting role in Sicario (2015).
He also starred in the Black Mirror episode "Fifteen Million Merits".
For his work in Get Out he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Kaluuya also had minor roles in Johnny English Reborn (2011) and Kick-Ass 2 (2013).
His film debut was Shoot the Messenger (2006).- Actor
- Producer
Kareem J. Grimes is known for All American (2018), The Vince Staples Show (2024) and S.W.A.T. (2017).- Actor
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
I was born "Angel Andres Garet Gutierrez" on September 3rd, 1986 in Caracas, Venezuela. I am the son of Emilio Garet (born in Uruguay with French and Spanish descent) and Beatriz Gutierrez (born in Peru). My parents divorced when I was 12. My mother took full custody of my sister and me. After living a few years in Caracas, we moved to the United States in 2002 and made our home in Charlotte, NC.
I played varsity soccer in high school and I was part of a competitive soccer club. After graduating in 2006, I went to South Georgia College on a full soccer and cross country scholarship, where I earned my Associates Degree in Science of Criminal Justice in 2010.
Right after graduation, I moved back to Charlotte, NC to be near my family. Playing sports allowed me to develop a great physique, which helped me get attention in the modeling field. Within a year, I was represented by an agency, appeared in many runway shows, print jobs, and shot some commercials. I was starting to get into acting and becoming curious about story telling.
In 2012, I was eager to learn everything about movies, TV shows and theater. I took as many classes as I could and took any job opportunity to learn the business. I was blessed with the chance to be an extra in the first Hunger Games movie that filmed in NC. That movie led me to develop a great passion and love for acting and telling stories. Later that year, I knew I had to aim higher, be bold and take a risk. I packed my all my bags, quit my job and drove across the country with just one destination in my mind: "Hollywood"- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Flex Alexander was born on 15 April 1970 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Snakes on a Plane (2006), One on One (2001) and The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007). He has been married to Shanice since 14 February 2000. They have two children.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Born July 24, 1975 in Detroit, MI but raised in Flint, MI, Christian got his start in the entertainment industry by appearing in stage plays having since graduated to television and film. Since his introduction as an actor he has added singer, author and producer to his resume. He describes his ethnicity as a combination of African American (father) and Native American/French (mother). Mr. Keyes has one son named Christian Keyes, Jr.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Andra Fuller is an American actor, born and raised in Houston, TX. While in Texas, he was a scholarship football player at Baylor University before jump-starting his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian. Shortly after moving to Hollywood, Andra booked several national commercials and guest starred on a few notable TV shows, before eventually landing a recurring role on Fox's Prison Break. In addition to being a versatile actor, Andra is also a skilled writer, producer, and director, and has quickly become one of the most sought-after emerging talents in Hollywood.
In 2012, Fuller landed his first lead role on The CW's critically acclaimed TV series, The L.A. Complex, where he played complex, closeted-gay, rap superstar, 'Kaldrick King'. His performance earned him a nomination for Best Male Leading Actor at the 2013 Canadian Screen (Emmy) Awards. Later that year, Andra went on to win an award at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), for his lead role on the hit web show, RoomieLoverFriends.
Next, Andra went on to become a fan favorite on the hilarious #1 rated cable show, Black Jesus, where he played, 'Fish', Jesus' best friend. He also spent 2 seasons as 'Roger Keith Jr.', the young General Manager of the San Diego Sabers, on BET's most popular show, The Game. And in 2016, Fuller starred in and Executive Produced the TVOne television comedy, Here We Go Again.
In 2017, Andra made the transition into film, starring in 6 movies, 2 of which he also produced. Those movies include, Love By The 10th Date, Deuces, Dope Fiend, True To The Game, 9 Rides, and You Can't Fight Christmas. Of the 2 movies he produced, Dope Fiend won Best Film at the Newark International Film Festival, and True To The Game was the #1 grossing independent movie of summer 2017. Andra also voiced 2 characters on the hit audio series, Bronzeville, which was produced by Laurence Fishburne and Larenz Tate. Fuller resides in Hollywood.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Brandon Timothy Jackson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Beverly Yvonne (Bozeman) and Wayne Timothy Jackson. His parents are both pastors, and his maternal grandfather was a Pentecostal child preacher. He credits his sense of humor to both his father and his life straddling the fence between suburbia and the inner city.
Brandon held the title of "class clown" and grew his passion for comedy and acting by doing talent shows and performing at youth nights at his father's church. By age 14, Brandon's career as a stand-up comic evolved from local school shows and community projects, such as the "Motor City Youth Festival", to an appearance in Marc Cayce's film, Nikita Blues (2001).
Brandon took an internship at local Detroit radio station 93.1 FM and soon found himself as a guest host at 105.9 FM. Brandon's drive took him to Hollywood where, in 2001, he was cast as an extra in major movies such as Ali (2001), Bowling for Columbine (2002) and 8 Mile (2002). He began to get calls to open up and work with comedians, such as Chris Tucker and Wayne Brady.
After Brandon's performances at New York City's "Showtime at the Apollo" and BET's Comicview (1992), the 19-year-old actor/comedian was cast in his first major movie role as Shad Moss's (X) best friend, "Junior", in Roll Bounce (2005). He won Black Reel's 2006 Best Breakthrough Performance award for his performance.
Jackson starred opposite NBA basketball superstar Kevin Durant in Thunderstruck (2012) and'Martin Lawrence (I)' in the third incarnation of the highly profitable Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011) franchise released by Fox in 2011. He played Lawrence's son and the two went undercover to solve a murder. Jackson is perhaps best known as Alpha Chino from the high- concept runaway hit Tropic Thunder (2008).
Jackson received rave reviews for his role as the satyr Grover Underwood, the best friend and protector of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), opposite Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario. Brandon co-starred in both Hulu's original series Deadbeat(2014) and Showtimes's _Californication (2008) (V)_.
He lives in Los Angeles.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
Born in Pittsburgh, his mother had a dance company (the Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble) and his father was a drummer, so entertaining is in his blood. His first acting role was as Martin Luther King in the 4th grade. He was in the drama club in 7th grade and then attended high school at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. He has an undergraduate degree in Information Technology and Business and his graduate degree in Education and Curriculum Development. He played basketball in college and semi-pro ball for a short time after that. Mr. Rucker is the oldest of 3 children, having a younger sister and brother. He is currently single, but involved with someone special. When he's not working, he enjoys working out, playing ball, going to the theater and travelling.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
David Bryan Woodside (born July 25, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as the bass singer Melvin Franklin in The Temptations, Robin Wood in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Malcolm Franks in Single Ladies, Dr. Joseph Prestridge in Parenthood, the angel Amenadiel in Lucifer, as well as Wayne Palmer in the thriller series 24.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Anthony Montgomery was born on 2 June 1971 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), General Hospital (1963) and The Family Business (2018). He was previously married to Adrienne.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Billy Dee Williams was born William December Williams on April 6, 1937 in New York City. Billy Dee has notched up an impressive array of film and television appearances over the past 50+ years. He is easily best known to international film audiences as the roguish Lando Calrissian in the last two episodes of the original Star Wars trilogy: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). Williams can also be seen on screen in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), Nighthawks (1981), Batman (1989), Moving Target (1996) and Undercover Brother (2002). A regular performer also in many fine quality television movies and television series.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
A onetime professional football player for the Cleveland Browns, James has always had a passion for the arts and pursued his passion even while playing for the Browns for two years as a running back. He also played for the Canadian team, The Ottawa Rough Riders.
Many recall James as the security specialist, Michael Hailey, from the UPN drama "The Burning Zone." Some of James' other television credits include, "Bones," Navy: NCIS," "CSI: Miami," "All of Us," "Charmed," "Will and Grace," "Jag," "10-8," "Summerland," "Strong Medicine," and the HBO movies "Don King: Only in America," and "Criminal Intent," to name a few. His voiceover talents include a series regular role in the critically acclaimed claymation hit "The PJ's," which aired on the WB Network. James' talents aren't limited to the small screen. His notable parts in big screen include Godzilla, Out of Sight, with George Clooney and Soldier for Warner Brothers, where he played one of Kurt Russell's fellow soldiers. James has also had strong supporting roles in Substitute III and the hit movie Universal Soldier II.
Most recently, James will be seen in the much anticipated CBS one hour drama "Moonlight" as Lt. Carl Davis. Also James can be seen playing a crazed stalker on the ABC Family drama, "Lincoln Heights," and on the TNT critically acclaimed show, "The Closer" as Lt. Xavier.
However, James' talents don't end with acting;Putting his music degree from the University of Akron to work, he has appeared in the musical Big River, which he was nominated for a 2002 Ovation Award for best actor in a musical. He has also appeared in the musicals, Hair, Dawn of the Infinite Dreams, Sideshow, Kismet, Sheba as well as the play A Raisin in the Sun. In addition, in 2003 he directed the John Patrick Shanley play, The Italian American Reconciliation, at the Whitmore Lindly Theater in North Hollywood. Also in 2003, James made his directorial debut with the feature film Vault.
In his spare time, James enjoys guitar, piano, martial arts, singing, snowboarding and the list goes on;..There isn't much this man can't do.- Actor
- Producer
Robert Ri'chard was born on 7 January 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Coach Carter (2005), House of Wax (2005) and One on One (2001).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Carl Gilliard Actor, Producer, Director, Writer, Educator, Entertainment Consultant
Carl Rousseau Gilliard is the President/CEO of the Gilliard Media Group, LLC (GMG), based in Los Angeles, CA. GMG provides media consultation, casting, media content creation, publishing, coaching and entertainment production services. His wife, Latonya Gilliard, serves as Vice President of Operations.
Carl is also the Co-Creator of the Bill Duke Media Foundation's Youth Media Camp, a non-profit organization with a distinct emphasis on offering new media arts and financial literacy to inner-city youth, ages 15 thru 18, in South Los Angeles, California.
Carl is a graduate of Michigan State University, and a native of Detroit, Michigan, by way of Chicago, Illinois. Upon moving to California, he dove into acting and landed many television and film roles, which facilitated his masterful skills in networking and forming relationships that has catapulted him into becoming extremely well-respected in the industry.
Carl has numerous film credits, including: Inception (Warner Bros), Red Eye (DreamWorks), Coach Carter (Paramount), and many television credits, including: Shameless, Greys Anatomy, Amazon's The Last Tycoon & House, MD, just to name a few. Mr Gilliard is presently recurring on the hit action/drama, The Family Business, now streaming on BET+. and on Peacock's Bel Air. He has appeared in dozens of independent short and feature films. He is also the Creator, Writer, Executive Producer and Star of the HIT digital series, Two Degrees.
Season One of Two Degrees is currently available on Facebook and YouTube as Two Degrees The Series. www.youtube.com/twodegreestheseries
Along with starring on the large and small screens, Carl has appeared in dozens of stage plays, including Ninth Wave, South Of Where We Live, The River Niger, Waiting For The Rain, The Living Quarters, and Sweet Lucy's Love Lounge.
Carl is an accomplished NAACP Theater Award nominated Producer and Director. He produced and directed, Section 8, Power Couple Struggle, and Peace Be Still in Los Angeles. Carl also produced Steel Magnolias with the FCBC Repertory Company, the drama ministry at Faithful Central Bible Church that he founded in 2006 and led for 10 years. Steel was also nominated for multiple NAACP Theater Awards.
Carl resides in Los Angeles, with his wife and business partner, Latonya Gilliard. His children include Corinne Gilliard, a Producer and Executive at Spotify, Colin Gilliard, Musician/Director, and three Bonus children, Raven, Joshua & Jordan.- Actor
- Producer
Rayan Lawrence was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is known for BMF (2021), Magnum P.I. (2018) and FBI (2018).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Obba Babatundé is an actor, singer, dancer, director, writer and producer. Obba's breadth of work is known worldwide by audiences of all ages, and his face is one of the most recognizable in the entertainment industry. His career spans over 4 decades and he is a unique breed in today's industry as a triple-threat (and more). Obba is comfortable in the expression of various musical instruments and all forms of dance. In addition to his award-winning performances on stage and screen, he is a nationally renowned speaker and master class teacher for adult and young audiences alike.
Obba has often been referred to, and is considered a 'living legend' and is a treasured role model to actors and entertainers of all generations. Central to Obba's career is his unrelenting work ethic and his pursuit of a standard of excellence in everything he does.
Amongst Obba's many professional awards and nominations is his Daytime Emmy Award win (2016) for CBS's Bold & the Beautiful, his Emmy nominated performance in the HBO movie "Miss Evers' Boys," his Tony Award nomination for his role as "C.C. White," in the original Broadway cast of "Dreamgirls", his "Best Actor" Award win for the Musical "Sammy" from the San Diego Critic's Circle Awards, his NAACP Image Award win as "Best Actor" for his role as "Sarge" in "A Soldiers Play", the NAACP Trailblazer Award win, an NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the HBO movie "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," multiple Ovation Award nominations, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Peachtree Village International Film Festival.
Obba has appeared in more than 17 stage productions (several on Broadway), 33 films, 60+ television series and made-for-television movies. Presently, Obba can be seen in 4 prime-time series for; Netflix(Dear White People), Showtime (I'm Dying Up Here), Comedy Central (Detroiters) and CBS (Bold & Beautiful). Many people will remember him from his groundbreaking entry into the entertainment industry during his international tour and co-starring roll with Liza Minnelli in "Liza in Concert", which lead to his close relationship with professional mentor, Sammy Davis Jr. Obba's contributions and starring roll (as CC White) in the original production of Dreamgirls on Broadway is one of his most treasured accomplishments.
His distinct, unique speaking and singing voice can be heard in multiple ads, commercials, as well as narration for docu-dramas. His animation career includes the feature film The Wild Thornberrys, Air Bud Entertainment / Fandango Production's Pup Star movies, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike and Disney Infinity 3.0 [1] and Rocket Power... to name a few.
Obba's writing, directing and producing skills include the Lionsgate Home Entertainment feature film "American Bad Boy" starring Katt Williams, co-producer and director roles in "Oscar's Black Odyssey," co-producer of "Dorothy Dandridge An American Beauty," co-producer of "TV in Black The First 50 Years." He was the associate producer of the horror classic film "Voodoo Dolls" and the executive producer and director of the award-winning short films "Journey" and "Clarissa's Gift. " He co-authored, directed and produced the critically-acclaimed theatrical stage play "In The Blink of An Eye."It is easy to see why Obba is often referred to as one of the busiest actors in Hollywood.
Obba has dedicated his life and career to sharing his time, expertise and creative talents with all people, be it professional or personal. He has an uncanny way of making everyone feel as if he is always speaking to them directly and personally. People have described Obba as being genuine, passionate, engaging and at times...very funny!
In addition to his on-going acting and artistic projects, Obba is constantly being asked to teach, emcee, host, serve as a keynote speaker and facilitate classes, events, festivals and projects around the world. He leaves an indelible mark everywhere he goes. Obba often says "your do is not your who." When asked to explain, he says "your do is how you affect change in your life. Your who if how you affect change in someone else's life."
Obba's journey into the entertainment industry became intentional in high school when he began writing poetry and then, while attending Brooklyn College. His pursuits deepened when he began to expand his poems into one-act plays. Simultaneously, he immersed himself into the New York theatre and dance worlds. Studying under many noted directors and choreographers like Geoffrey Holder, Bob Fossey, Michael Bennett, Hal Prince, Thelma Hill, Frank Hatchett, Henry LeTang, Louis Johnson and Titos Sompa just to name a few.
Obba learned early on in his career that being authentic and tapping into ones humanity were important to develop and inform his craft. He comes from the mindset that it is essential to deliver diverse types of artistic skills to his audiences and, always in the highest caliber possible. Be it the big screen, the small screen, or the stage. He discovered purpose and community at the same time.
Some little-known facts about Obba is that has a strong background rooted in the educational field. He was a co-founder with his brother Akin Babatundé and teacher of one of NYC's first arts-based schools (in Brooklyn, NY). Fluent in American Sign Language (self-taught), and also a horse whisperer, as well as a rodeo competitor. Obba is a dedicated father and proud grandfather.
It has been said, that Obba has a way of communicating that helps inspire, encourage and enlighten through his stories and phrases that he identifies as "Obba-isms."
"As proud as I am of all that I have done, I am even more excited about what I am to do." - Obba Babatundé- Actor
- Producer
Stephen C. Bishop is an American actor and retired baseball player. Bishop attended the University of California, Riverside, where he played baseball for the Highlanders from 1991-1992. After college he signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves and played in 20 games for Atlanta's affiliate in the Pioneer League in 1993. In 1994, he played for the Sioux Falls Canaries and the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League, and in 1995 he played for the High Desert Mavericks, the advanced A ball affiliate for the Baltimore Orioles.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Taye Diggs was born in Newark, New Jersey, and was raised in Rochester, New York. He is the son of Marcia (Berry), a teacher and actress, and Andre Young, a visual artist. When he was a child, his mother married Jeffries Diggs, whose surname Taye took. He received a BFA degree in musical theater from Syracuse University. Taye made his show business debut in the ensemble cast of the five-time Tony Award winning play "Carousel." Taye Diggs is the oldest of five. His two brothers are musicians, one sister is a dancer and the other is going to college to be a veterinarian.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Willard Carroll "Will" Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has enjoyed success in television, film, and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards.
In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for six seasons (1990-96) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. After the series ended, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office, eleven consecutive films gross over $150 million internationally, and eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the number one spot in the domestic box office tally.
Smith is ranked as the most bankable star worldwide by Forbes. As of 2014, 17 of the 21 films in which he has had leading roles have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million each, five taking in over $500 million each in global box office receipts. As of 2014, his films have grossed $6.6 billion at the global box office. He has received Best Actor Oscar nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Smith was born in West Philadelphia, the son of Caroline (Bright), a Philadelphia school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith, Sr., a refrigeration engineer. He grew up in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood, and was raised Baptist. He has three siblings, sister Pamela, who is four years older, and twins Harry and Ellen, who are three years younger. Smith attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia. His parents separated when he was 13, but did not actually divorce until around 2000.
Smith attended Overbrook High School. Though widely reported, it is untrue that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he never applied to college because he "wanted to rap." Smith says he was admitted to a "pre-engineering [summer] program" at MIT for high school students, but he did not attend. According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."
Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as producer, as well as Ready Rock C (Clarence Holmes) as the human beat box. The trio was known for performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime". They gained critical acclaim and won the first Grammy awarded in the Rap category (1988).
Smith spent money freely around 1988 and 1989 and underpaid his income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income. Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him.
The show was successful and began his acting career. Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world", studying box office successes' common characteristics.
Smith's first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) in which he starred opposite Martin Lawrence.
In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest grossing film in history at the time and establishing Smith as a prime box office draw. He later struck gold again in the summer of 1997 alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the summer hit Men in Black playing Agent J. In 1998, Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State.
He turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith has said that he harbors no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith himself would have achieved, although in interviews subsequent to the release of Wild Wild West he stated that he "made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better."
In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three premieres in a 24-hour time span.
He has planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.
On December 10, 2007, Smith was honored at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world-renowned theater in front of many fans. Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews, its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique". A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood." On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith was selected as one of America's top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.
In 2008 Smith was reported to be developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he would be starring as Taharqa. It was in 2008 that Smith starred in the superhero movie Hancock.
Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012 with Smith again reprising his role as Agent J. This was his first major starring role in four years.
On August 19, 2011, it was announced that Smith had returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to work on his fifth studio album. Edwards has worked with artists such as T.I., Chris Brown, and Game. Smith's most recent studio album, Lost and Found, was released in 2005.
Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in two productions: the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness, and the science fiction film After Earth, which was released on May 31, 2013.
Smith starred opposite Margot Robbie in the romance drama Focus. He played Nicky Spurgeon, a veteran con artist who takes a young, attractive woman under his wing. Focus was released on February 27, 2015. Smith was set to star in the Sci-Fic thriller Brilliance, an adaptation of Marcus Sakey's novel of the same name scripted by Jurassic Park writer David Koepp. But he left the project.
Smith played Dr. Bennet Omalu of the Brain Injury Research Institute in the sports-drama Concussion, who became the first person to discover chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a football player's brain. CTE is a degenerative disease caused by severe trauma to the head that can be discovered only after death. Smith's involvement is mostly due to his last-minute exit from the Sci-Fi thriller-drama Brilliance. Concussion was directed by Peter Landesman and-bead filmed in Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It received $14.4 million in film tax credits from Pennsylvania. Principal photography started on October 27, 2014. Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw played his wife. Omalu served as a consultant.
As of November 2015, Smith is set to star in the independent drama Collateral Beauty, which will be directed by David Frankel. Smith will play a New York advertising executive who succumbs to an deep depression after a personal tragedy.
Nobel Peace Prize Concert December 11, 2009, in Oslo, Norway: Smith with wife Jada and children Jaden and Willow Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had one son, Trey Smith, born on November 11, 1992, and divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". He also acted in two episodes of the sitcom All of Us, and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on the David Blaine: Real or Magic TV special.
Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett in 1997. Together they have two children: Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth, and Willow Camille Reign Smith (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Smith and his brother Harry own Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after Trey. Smith and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.
Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an African-American comedian, producer, writer, director and actor. He is known for his roles in the Bad Boys trilogy, Martin, Def Comedy Jam, Big Momma's House, Open Season, House Party, Boomerang, Wild Hogs, What's Happening Now!!, Nothing to Lose, Life and Blue Streak. He has three daughters.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Nelsan Ellis was an award-winning American film and television actor and playwright, perhaps best known as Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood (2008).
Nelsan was born on November 30, 1977, in Harvey, Illinois, the son of Jackie Ellis and Tommie Lee Thompson. Following his parents' divorce, Ellis and his mother moved to Alabama. He moved back to Illinois as a teenager, and graduated from Thornridge High School in Dolton, Illinois, in 1997. Ellis attended Juilliard and, while there, wrote a semi-autobiographical play titled Ugly that was performed at the school and later won the Lincoln Center's Martin E. Segal Award. Ellis won a 2008 Satellite Award from the International Press Academy for best supporting actor in a television series for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in HBO's True Blood. Ellis won the "Brink of Fame: Actor" award at the 2009 NewNowNext Awards.
Tragically, Ellis died at the age of 39 on July 8, 2017, in Los Angeles, California, after complications from heart failure. His family released a statement on July 10, saying that Nelsan had been trying to quit alcohol in the days before his death, and suggesting that he suffered from alcohol withdrawal syndrome, leading to his heart failure.- Actor
- Producer
Darell Johnson is known for True to the Game (2017), Dutch (2021) and Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is (2006).- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
The entertainment industry isn't new to young Malcolm David Kelley, a show business veteran from the age of five. He is known for his role as young "Walt" on the TV series "Lost" and "Finn" on TeenNick's "Gigantic" in 2010-11.
His motion picture credits include roles in Antwone Fisher (2002) and You Got Served (2004). On television he guest-starred in the series Judging Amy (1999), Malcolm in the Middle (2000), For Your Love (1998), Girlfriends (2000) and Eve (2003). He was also featured in numerous commercials, including Cap'n Crunch, Kool Aid, Disney and Kohl's department store. Recently, he was seen in a Snoop Dog video and completed a voice over for the Nickelodeon cartoon Fatherhood.
In 2010, Malcolm teamed with his former "Gigantic" co-star Tony Oller to create great music together and subsequently formed the pop/rap music duo MKTO. In March 2012 they proudly signed with Columbia Records and have completed their first album. Their debut song "Thank You" and music video was released worldwide on January 4, 2013. They will begin their U.S. tour in early 2013.
Malcolm spent the first eleven months of his life in foster care before being adopted by the Kelleys. His sister, Sydney, was adopted by the family two months later. He enjoys playing soccer and basketball, despite his small stature. He keeps up with his favorite basketball team, the Lakers, and politics, even getting involved as class Treasurer at his middle school. His leadership earned him the role of Student Ambassador with People to People Student Ambassadors, with whom he traveled to the United Kingdom to represent the United States.- Actor
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Born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 19, 1982, Columbus Keith Short, Jr., started entertaining at the age of three, by putting on shows for his folks' enjoyment. Whether impersonating relatives, dancing or just making people laugh, everyone sensed something special about the boy. Fortunately, his family later relocated to Los Angeles where, by his early teens. His mother, Janette, runs a talent agency there.
Columbus landed work in such television commercial campaigns as "Mountain Dew", "Denny's Restaurant", "Nike" and "Pizza Hut", to name a few. As a senior in high school, he was offered an opportunity to graduate two months early in order to see the world with the traveling production of the Broadway show, "Stomp!" And, after a couple of years on the road with that famed dance troop, he would parlay his professional success into a stint as the choreographer of Britney Spears' "In the Zone" tour. Though a very versatile Renaissance Man who is also a writer, musician and director, Columbus came off the road to pursue his primary passion, namely, acting. His motion picture credits include You Got Served (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Save the Last Dance 2 (2006). In addition, he has guest-starred on TV shows like ER (1994), Judging Amy (1999) and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006). But, his big break arrived earlier this year, when he played the lead role of "DJ" in Stomp the Yard (2007), which was #1 at the box office two weeks in a row and grossed over $73.4 million. Now one of the most-sought emerging talents in Hollywood, Columbus can next be seen in a lead role, alongside Lauren London and Mekhi Phifer, in a holiday film called This Christmas (2007). Furthermore, he recently wrapped a starring role in the Warner Brothers thriller, Whiteout (2009), opposite Kate Beckinsale. When not working, Columbus loves football, basketball and snowboarding.- Jamaar Dimitri Simon is an actor. A descendant of Belizean and Haitian immigrants, he was born and raised in West Los Angeles, CA. It was there where he attended Hamilton Academy of Music and Performing Arts and discovered his passion for drama. True to the Game (2017), would mark his debut as a professional actor.
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An only child, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born and raised in London, England. His father, Winston, is from Sierra Leone and worked at Ford Dagenham; his mother, Eve, is from Ghana and had a clerical duty. Idris attended school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting, before he dropped out. He gained a place in the National Youth Music Theatre - thanks to a £1,500 Prince's Trust grant. To support himself between acting roles, he worked in jobs such as tyre-fitting, cold call advertising sales, and working night shifts at Ford Dagenham. He worked in nightclubs under the nickname DJ Big Driis at age 19, but began auditioning for television roles in his early-twenties.
His first acting roles were on the soap opera Family Affairs (1997), the television serial Ultraviolet (1998), and the medical drama Dangerfield (1995). His best known roles are as drug baron Russell "Stringer" Bell on the HBO series The Wire (2002), as DCI John Luther on the BBC One series Luther (2010), and as Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He later starred in the films Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Prom Night (2008), RocknRolla (2008), The Unborn (2009) and Obsessed (2009). He also appeared in the films American Gangster (2007), Takers (2010), Thor (2011), Prometheus (2012), Pacific Rim (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Beasts of No Nation (2015) and Star Trek Beyond (2016). He voiced Chief Bogo in Zootopia (2016), Shere Khan in The Jungle Book (2016), and Fluke in Finding Dory (2016).
Idris Elba was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2016 New Years Honours for his services to drama.- Actor
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Louis Gossett Jr. was one of the most respected and beloved actors on stage, screen and television and was also an accomplished writer, producer and director. Off-screen, he was a social activist, educator, and author dedicated to enriching the lives of others. He was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his unforgettable performance as drill Sergeant Emil Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman".
Among his other awards were an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for his portrayal of Fiddler in the groundbreaking ABC series "Roots", a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for "The Josephine Baker Story" and a Golden Globe for "An Officer and a Gentleman". He was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, one Academy Award, five Images Awards, two Daytime Emmy Awards and in 1992 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He received numerous other honors throughout his illustrious career.
His film debut was in the 1961 classic movie "A Raisin in the Sun" with Sidney Poitier. Other film credits include "The Deep," "Blue Chips," "Daddy's Little Girls," Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?," "Firewalker," "Jaws-3D," "Enemy Mine" and "Iron Eagle" 1-4, among many others. Television credits include "Extant," "Madam Secretary," "Boardwalk Empire," "Family Guy", and "ER", among dozens of others.
Gossett authored the bestselling autobiography "An Actor and a Gentleman", recounting the challenges and triumphs of his 50+ year career. Gossett was recognized as much for his humanitarian efforts as for his accomplishments as an actor. In 2006, he founded The Eracism Foundation which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating racism. The foundation provides young adults with tools to live a racially diverse and culturally inclusive life. Programs focus on fostering cultural diversity, historical enrichment, education and anti-violence initiatives.
Gossett was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and made his stage debut when he was 17 years old in "Take a Giant Step", which was selected as one of the 10 best Broadway shows of 1953 by the New York Times. He had two sons and resided in Malibu until his death in Santa Monica, California, in 2024, aged 87.- Actor
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Gary Anthony Sturgis is a New Orleans born actor/writer/director best-known for his portrayal of the villain in two of Tyler Perry's biggest hit films, "Diary of A Mad Black Woman" (as Jamison Jackson) and "Daddy's Little Girls" (as Joseph Woods). He also co-starred opposite Terrence Howard in "Pride", as the charming yet sinister pimp/drug dealer Franklin Washington. Recently, he has stepped out the role of bad guy to co-star in the comedy "Chicago Pulaski Jones" with Kel Mitchell and Cedric the Entertainer.
Also a professional voice artist, Sturgis has voiced network promos for UPN, CBS, PBS and ABC, cartoons and video games (Static Shock, Batman, Scooby Doo and The Cyber Chase, Fairly Odd Parents, Spiderman) and is heard on countless commercials for radio and television. His raspy bass-baritone voice that the women find hard to resist has even been heard on national movie trailers and promotions for; "Bones", "Two Can Play That Game", "The Others", "The Brothers" and "The Wood" to name a select few. In addition, he is also the voice for the History Channel's "K-9 Cops". For another surprise, Gary also produces and writes rap music and has a successful recording under the moniker Illuminati called Fahrenheit, which is still available on iTunes.
As a writer/producer, Gary is producing some of his own feature-length screenplays (he has written more than ten), and has packaged his works into three and four picture deals and commenced to shopping them around town for financing and distribution. We have only scratched the surface of this multi-faceted creative soul.
Since Sturgis had been writing for years, the next natural progression was to direct. After directing "Lend A Hand", a 90-second short film for the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), Gary realized that directing was yet another feather he could stick in his talented cap. He also exercises his writing chops daily as a regular staff writer on the number-one urban comedy in the history of cable television, "House of Payne" and the latest Tyler Perry series, "Meet The Browns", on which he also plays a recurring character.
Gary will be directing two of his own films, a comedy, "The Inheritance" and an action drama, "Le Bon Temps Rouler", in the near future as the first two films from his production company, GEMFilmworks. The multi-hyphenated talent is already respected as an actor and plans to make an even bigger mark in the entertainment business while he perpetually broadens his horizons.- Actor
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L. Warren Young is known for To Her, with Love (2022), The Wonder Years (2021) and Greenleaf (2016).- Leland L. Jones is an American actor. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 28th. He is known for his roles in Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Meet the Browns (TV) (2009-2010), Domestic Disturbance (2001) and Shaft (2019). Leland is also an author of a mystery series, featuring Professor Carter Dunstin.
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Craig Robinson is an African-American actor, singer, musician and comedian who is known for portraying Darryl Philbin from The Office, LeVar Brown from The Cleveland Show, Doug Judy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cookie from Shrek Forever After, himself from This Is The End, and Nick Webber-Agnew from Hot Tub Time Machine. He also worked in several films that starred Seth Rogen including Sausage Party and Pineapple Express.- Actor
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Ben Guillory (born Bennet Guillory on November 7, 1949, in Baton Rouge, Louisana) is a revered veteran African-American actor, theatre producer, and director of both the stage and screen. Raised in San Francisco, California, Guillory co-founded the Robey Theatre Company in honor of pioneering actor, public speaker, and opera singer 'Paul Robeson' with actor Danny Glover (of Lethal Weapon (1987) fame in Los Angeles in 1974, and serves as its artistic director. He received an Ovation Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play in 2008, for his performance as Wining Boy in "The Piano Lesson" produced at The Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles.
A highly sought-after supporting actor on the large and small screen, he has appeared in such films as the Oscar-Winning film The Color Purple (1985), and the biographical TV film The Tuskegee Airmen (1995). His television credits include guest spots on television shows such as Dynasty (1981), The Jeffersons (1975), JAG (1995), and numerous other programs. Guillory is slated to appear in the film The Harimaya Bridge (2009), which is post-production as of May 2009.- Actor
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LaVan Davis was born on 21 September 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor, known for House of Payne (2006), Black Dynamite (2009) and Puff, Puff, Pass (2006).- Actor
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Born in Sierra Leone West Africa. Duain started in theatre with the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta (YEA). Currently living in Los Angeles, CA. He is known for Drumline A New Beat (2014) Stomp The Yard (2007), Wool Cap (2004), Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Life.Less ( 2011). Theatre credits include: Fela on Broadway(2012), Superior Donuts, Ruined (Geffen Playhouse), Times, Black, PIll Hill, Sweat, Made In The Shade(Amsterdam), Soweto (South Africa).- Actor
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E. Roger Mitchell is a Miami, Florida native. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Claflin College, the class of 1993. Roger then completed the Alliance Theatre Professional Internship c/o 96' and immediately earned his Master of Fine Arts in Acting from CUNY Brooklyn College, the class of 1999. Roger enjoys deep sea fishing in his spare time.- Actor
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John Beasley was born on 26 June 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. He was an actor, known for The Purge: Anarchy (2014), The Sum of All Fears (2002) and The General's Daughter (1999). He was married to Judy Beasley. He died on 30 May 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.- Actor
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J. Alphonse Nicholson is an American born actor and percussionist. Notable credits include TV/FILM: Series Regular on "P-Valley" (STARZ),"Just Mercy" (Warner Brothers) "Madam CJ Walker" (Netflix), "Blue Bloods (CBS), "Mr. Robot Season 2" (USA), "Shots Fired" (FOX), "Marvel's Luke Cage" (Netflix), "Tales" (BET) "The Blacklist" (NBC), "Chicago PD" (NBC). Other credits: BROADWAY: Roundabouts "A Soldiers Play" ,OFF-BROADWAY: Signature Theatre's PARADISE BLUE (Blue), 2nd Stage "Days of Rage" and "FREIGHT" (NFT). Love to my boy my girl and my wife Nafeesha.- Actor
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- Amahl Lipkins is known for Unsung (2008).
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Jay retired from the U.S. Army in October 2007 with 21 years of distinguished service culminating with the award of the Legion of Merit. His service as a broadcast journalist brought him numerous Department of Defense awards for excellence including Military Photographer of the Year for Motion Media. He has also won an Emmy award for co-producing and co-hosting the 2009 Congressional Medal of Honor Society annual convention live broadcast from Soldier Field.
In addition to a number of TV and film credits, he has also been successful on stage as Jim Bono In "Fences" at Charleston's South of Broadway Theater which garnered him an Outstanding Supporting Actor Award from the League of Charleston Theaters. Jay lives near Atlanta, GA, having moved from Charleston, SC, where he once served as the on-site military adviser to the #1 Lifetime TV drama: Army Wives.
Jay holds a Masters in Public Administration from American Military University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Psychology, is a life member of the Noncommissioned Officers Association, and an Operation Desert Storm vet. Jay DeVon Johnson is the proud father of two daughters.- Actor
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Although born in Chicago, Illinois, Jeff Coopwood grew up in Miami, Florida. While obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Miami, he sang for four seasons with the Miami Opera. Upon graduation, he toured across the country in the Broadway National tour of "Timbuktu!" starring Eartha Kitt and also starred in several stage productions throughout the United States and Canada. He went on to teach, coach and lecture in speech and debate at various high schools and colleges across the country, including Harvard, Northwestern, Georgetown, Marquette, and Emory Universities, as well as the Universities of Pennsylvania and Miami. Upon his return to Chicago, he was the Emmy-nominated host of the '$100,000 Fortune Hunt' and also hosted 'Know Your Heritage', both nationally syndicated television game shows. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he become known for his proficiency with accents, dialects and vocal imitations and received an Emmy nomination for his voice-over work. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and earned a Master of Arts in Humanities from the California State University, Dominguez Hills. His career has included television, film, commercials, voice-overs, video games, theatre, opera and broadcasting.- Actor
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Darrell Britt-Gibson was born on 4 August 1985 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) and Keanu (2016).- Actor
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Terence Rosemore was born in Great Falls, Montana and raised in New Orleans where he got his start as an Actor in Ted Gilliam's Dashiki Theatre Company. He is an award winning Filmmaker and Actor whose career has touched five decades. Rosemore has appeared in dozens of feature films including Triple 9, The Nice Guys, The Apostle, Candyman 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vols. 2 & 3. His Television work includes appearances on Atlanta, True Detectives, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, Treme, Queen Sugar, Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special and Netflix's Outer Banks as Captain Terrance. DC/Warner Brothers has announced that Rosemore will be playing the role of Lex Luthor henchman Otis in James Gunn's Superman.
His behind the camera credits includes Dr. Phil, The Fast and the Furious:Tokyo Drift, NFL Films, The Doctors, Pride, The Skeleton Key and Monster's Ball. From 1999 to 2001 Rosemore served as Cash Money Records Casting Director, casting the feature film Baller Blockin, as well as music videos for the Big Tymers, the Hot Boys, Lil Wayne and Juvenile.
Rosemore recently directed and produced the feature film Different Worlds, a joint U.S. and Nigerian production in 2020. Content created by his company Out of Nowhere Productions has been featured on Fox Television, ABC, NBC/Universal's DotComedy.com, and Columbia/Sony's Crackle.com.
He hosts and produces the podcasts Actor to Actor and The Scenic Route. Rosemore says his goal is to "Significantly increase minority and female participation in all aspects of the Arts and Entertainment industries."- O'Shea Jackson Jr. is an American actor and musician. O'Shea is the son of rapper Ice Cube and he portrayed his father in the 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton (2015), which was his feature film debut.
His older brother Darrell is also a rapper under the name Doughboy, which is the nickname of the character his father portrayed, Darin "Doughboy" Baker, in his first film Boyz n the Hood (1991). - Actor
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Rob Morgan was born on 24 February 1973 in New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor, known for Mudbound (2017), Don't Look Up (2021) and Bull (2019).- Actor
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Jamie Foxx is an American actor, singer and comedian. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, for his work in the biographical film Ray (2004). The same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the action film Collateral (2004). Other prominent acting roles include the title role in the film Django Unchained (2012), the supervillain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and William Stacks in the modern version of Annie (2014).
Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas, to Louise Annette Talley and Darrell Bishop, who worked as a stockbroker and had later changed his name to Shahid Abdula. His mother was an adopted child. When her marriage to his father failed, his maternal grandparents, Mark and Estelle Talley, stepped in and, at age seven months, adopted Jamie too. He has said that he had a very rigid upbringing that placed him in the Boy Scouts and the church choir. During high school, he played quarterback for his high school team and was good enough that he got press in Dallas newspapers. He studied music in college. He released a music album, "Peep This" (1994), and sings the theme song for his movie, Any Given Sunday (1999). However, in 1989, his life changed when a girlfriend challenged him to get up onstage at the Comedy Club. In fact, he says he took his androgynous stage name because he learned that women got preference for mike time on open stage nights. That led to his being cast on Roc (1991) and In Living Color (1990).
Foxx had his own WB television show from 1996 to 2001, the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show (1996), in which he played Jamie King Jr. Foxx is also a Grammy Award-winning musician, producing four albums which have charted highly on the US Billboard 200: "Unpredictable" (2005), which topped the chart, "Intuition" (2008), "Best Night of My Life" (2010), and "Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses" (2015). In 2012, Foxx starred in the title role of the Quentin Tarantino written and directed Django Unchained (2012). Foxx starred alongside his Ray co-star Kerry Washington, as well as Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. In 2013, Foxx was cast as President James Sawyer in White House Down (2013) alongside Channing Tatum. The following year, Foxx appeared as the villain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and co-starred with Quvenzhané Wallis in Annie (2014), Sony's Will Smith and Jay-Z produced update of the comic strip-turned-musical.
He has two children, including Corinne Foxx, (born 1994), who resides with her mother.- Actor
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Michael B. Jordan, the middle of three children, was born in Santa Ana, California and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He is the son of Donna (Davis), a high school counselor, and Michael A. Jordan. His middle name, Bakari, means "noble promise" in Swahili. (He is not related to, or named after, basketball legend Michael Jordan.)
Jordan has starred in three of the most critically acclaimed television dramas of the past decade. First, Jordan played the hard-shelled but softhearted Wallace in HBO's dramatic hit series The Wire (2002). He then went on to star as quarterback Vince Howard on Friday Night Lights (2006) (NBC), before playing a recovering alcoholic, Alex, on NBC's Parenthood (2010).
Jordan successfully took on his first major leading film role when he starred as Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station (2013). The film is an account of Oscar's controversial slaying by police officers on a San Francisco train platform. The cast includes Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz, and was produced by Forest Whitaker (Significant Films). It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it received the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film. It also screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category. The has garnered many awards including Best First Feature at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards, Outstanding Independent Motion Picture at the 2014 NAACP Image Awards and the 2014 Stanley Kramer Award from the Producer's Guild of America. The 2013 New York Film Critics Circle honored it with Best First Film and the picture was also chosen as one of the Top Ten Films at the 2013 National Board of Review Awards, where Jordan took home the award for Breakthrough Actor. Jordan also won the 2013 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Actor.
In 2015, Jordan starred in Josh Trank's Fantastic Four (2015), playing the role of 'Johnny Storm' aka 'The Human Torch', opposite Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, and Kate Mara for 20th Century Fox. The film was released on August 7th 2015. Jordan previously starred in 20th Century Fox's box office hit Chronicle (2012) (which was also directed by Trank), a supernatural thriller that follows three Portland teens (MBJ, Dane Dehaan, and Alex Russell) as they develop incredible powers after exposure to a mysterious substance; That Awkward Moment (2015) opposite Zac Efron and Miles Teller for Focus Films; and the George Lucas produced film Red Tails (2012), the story of the first African American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during WWII aka The Tuskegee Airmen.
Jordan reunited with Ryan Coogler for Creed (2015), starring alongside Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson. The film was released on Thanksgiving 2015 by MGM and Warner Brothers. A devoted fan of comic books growing up, Jordan starred as the villain, Eric Killmonger, in the 2018 box office smash Black Panther (2018). In 2018, he is also starring as Guy Montag in the HBO adaptation of Ray Bradbury's science fiction classic Fahrenheit 451 (2018).
He resides in Los Angeles, where he supports the charity Lupus LA.- Marcus A. Griffin Jr. is known for Lovecraft Country (2020), Making the Drumline: In Pursuit of Snare (2017) and We Got Her.
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Brian White was born on 21 April 1975 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Ambitions (2019), Stomp the Yard (2007) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Paula Da Silva since 28 August 2010. They have one child.- Actor
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Whitfield has starred in dozens of prime-time shows and feature films, but one of his proudest professional moments so far is his leading role in the Emmy-winning mini-series, "The Temptations." Nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of Otis Williams, Whitfield says people still applaud his performance, years later.
Despite his impressive body of work, Whitfield could have easily ended up on a dramatically different path, if it weren't for critical decisions he made as a teenager. A native of the Bronx, New York, Whitfield admits, "I came up through the journey of selling drugs. I made my first million dollars at age 14. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's an unfortunate part of my past." A high school teacher introduced Whitfield to acting, which became an outlet for him to channel his energy and passion. He realized that acting was his true calling after performing a monologue about losing his best friend to the drug wars, at a group home for boys.
In addition to raising his children, Whitfield also finds time to teach an acting class, in an effort to help aspiring thespians develop their craft. He's in pre-production on an autobiography of his professional and personal journey, which he intends to direct.- Actor
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Gooding is best known for appearing in hit television shows such as Deadwood, Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G., Family Time, Barbershop, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, Playmakers, Smart Guy, and Wild & Crazy Kids. On the big screen, he received critical acclaim for his role as Sweetpea in the Paramount feature film Baby Boy directed by the late John Singleton. In addition to his successful acting career, Omar has also excelled as a producer, writer, and hip-hop artist releasing his first solo album under the moniker Big O, and touring the country in the smash musical Redemption of a Dogg which chronicled the life of hip hop icon Snoop Dogg.- Actor
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- Christopher Jefferson, a Dallas Native, was born on May 26, 1995. Coming from an artistic family, he's always valued the arts. He found his interest in theatre/film during high school and went on to UT/SHSU on a theatre scholarship in Texas. Eventually he moved to California where he trained with Aaron Speiser. Within the year, Chris appeared on "Blackish" (ABC), "Angie Tribeca" (TBS), "SWAT" (CBS), Nickelodeon's " Game Shakers", and AMC's "Fifth Ward" as the lead.
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Jason Mimms is known for Hot Girl Winter (2023), Cherish the Day (2020) and Montross: Blood Rules (2022).- Actor
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Kelly Perine was born and raised in Pennsylvania. After middle school, Perine attended Lake Forest Academy, near Chicago, and acted in the film Lucas and other plays. Perine went on to study at UC Irvine and Pomona. Perine has appeared in numerous commercials, television shows, films, and in stand-up clubs.- Anthony Quinn Williams was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Lisa and Anthony Williams, Sr. During his high school years, Anthony began playing football and soon received a full athletic scholarship from Fresno State University where he had tremendous success as a Defensive Tackle and Defensive End. He was a major contributor on the 2013 Mountain West champion Bulldogs. At the end of his college career, he suffered a foot injury which cost him a place in the NFL. In May of 2015, Williams moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
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Jean Elie, a prominent Haitian-American actor, gained widespread recognition for his standout portrayal of Ahmal in HBO's acclaimed comedy series, "Insecure." Beyond his success on the hit show, Elie has showcased his creative prowess by creating and starring in his "SendHelp" series, which is available for streaming on AMC's WatchAllblk platform. With a dynamic range, Elie has also captivated audiences with his performance as Stanley in Issa Rae's latest series, "RapShit." Through his diverse roles and creative ventures, Jean Elie continues to make a significant impact in the entertainment world by starting his production studio, Bassett House Pictures, providing a platform and community for up-and-coming filmmakers to showcase their work and receive resources on how to green light themselves.- Stunts
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Yoshio Iizuka is known for Disaster Movie (2008), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).- Actor
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Calvin Tenner is known for The Office (2005), Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. (2018) and Bodied (2017).- Cleveland Berto is known for Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus (2022) and FBI (2018).
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Charlamagne Tha God is best known for being co-host of the nationally syndicated hip-hop iHeartRadio program The Breakfast Club. He is also a social media influencer; an executive producer with his own production company, CThaGod World; and co-host of the popular podcast Brilliant Idiots. Born and raised in Moncks Corner in South Carolina, Charlamagne quickly rose to become one of today's most unique and compelling media personalities. His point of view and provocative celebrity interviews help drive the daily national conversation about issues related to hip-hop, race, society, and politics. He is the author of the New York Times Best Seller Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It and Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me.- Actor
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Raised in South Gate, California, just 20 miles southeast of Hollywood, Walter Perez was always eager to express himself artistically. In his earlier years, he often directed and played the lead character in several homemade movies where he mimicked his movie idols such as Charlie Chaplin. His working-class parents were unable to afford him the resources he needed to gain access to the industry. It wasn't until he heard about Colors United, a performing arts group aimed at inner-city high school students that he really got the chance to show others his talents. For three years he honed his acting, singing and dancing skills with the group.
Since high school, Walter has juggled auditions and a full-time schedule at Cal State Fullerton. During college, he has booked several commercials and various guest star spots on prime time television shows.
Most recently, Walter's guest appearances include "CSI: Miami", "The Closer" and "Free Radio" as well as a five episode arc on "Friday Night Lights". His feature film credits include HBO's "Walkout" and winner of the John Cassavetes award "August Evening". He just completed the title role in "Emilio" and worked on "Run For Your Life" alongside Dermot Mulroney and Diane Kruger.