Kendrick Sampson

Last updated
Kendrick Sampson
Kendrick sampson 2022 2.jpg
Sampson in 2022
Born (1988-03-08) March 8, 1988 (age 36)
Occupation(s)Actor, Activist
Years active2005–present

Kendrick Sampson (born March 8, [1] 1988) [2] is an American actor and activist, best known for his appearances on The Vampire Diaries , Gracepoint , How to Get Away with Murder , The Flash, and HBO's Insecure .

Contents

Early life

Sampson was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the son of Daphne Smith Sampson and Hoyle Sampson Sr. [1] [3] [4] He is biracial. As a child, Sampson was enrolled in music lessons. [3] [5] [6] Sampson expressed an interest in acting at 10 after he saw a Gap commercial. After finding an agent, Sampson was referred to the Kim Terry Studio in Texas. He began performing in theater productions while attending Elkins High School. [4] [3] Sampson is a devout Christian. [6]

Career

In 2008, Sampson appeared in two episodes of the ABC Family series Greek and followed that up with an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2010. [5] In July 2013, Sampson booked the recurring role of Jesse in the fifth season of The CW series The Vampire Diaries . [7] In January 2014, Sampson was cast in the role of Dean Iverson in the Fox miniseries Gracepoint . [8] In November 2014, Sampson starred in the music video for Hayley Kiyoko's song "This Side of Paradise." [9] In early 2015, Sampson shot the pilot for a potential ABC series called The Kingmakers but the series wasn't picked up. [10] In July 2015, Sampson booked the recurring role of Caleb Hapstall in the second season of ABC's prime time legal drama How to Get Away with Murder , produced by Shonda Rhimes. [11] From 2018 - 2021, Sampson had a recurring role as Nathan Campbell on Issa Rae's Insecure . Sampson has also started his own production company called Sampson Studios. [3]

Activism

In May 2019, he founded the organization BLD PWR for new development, empowerment and change within marginalized groups and American society. [12] Following the Murder of George Floyd, Sampson actively participated in and organized Black Lives Matter protests in Los Angeles. [13] During the protests, Sampson reported that police officers shot rubber bullets at him and assaulted him. [13] [14] [15] Sampson called for a one-day strike in Hollywood over the Shooting of Jacob Blake. [16]

In 2020, Sampson collaborated with JusticeLA to create a public service announcement #SuingToSaveLives about the health of people in Los Angeles County Jails amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] [18]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005 Resurrection: The J.R. Richard Story Lamar
2011This Boy's DreamAnnouncerShort film
2011ImmuneDarrenShort film; Producer and writer
2012The SidelinesFred BillingsShort film
2014SurvivalShort film; Assistant producer
2016RougarouHenriShort film
2020 Miss Juneteenth Ronnie
2022 Something from Tiffany's Ethan Greene
2025 Michael Quincy Jones Filming

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008 Greek Woodchuck2 episodes
2010 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Derrick GoldEpisode: "Field Mice"
2011 Days of Our Lives Jay JordanEpisode: December 8, 2011
2013 The Vampire Diaries JesseRecurring role; 5 episodes
2014 Gracepoint Dean IversonMiniseries
2014 2014 Young Hollywood Awards HimselfTV special
2015KingmakersPete GreerTV movie
2015VH1 Big in 2015 with Entertainment WeeklyHimselfTV special
2015–2016 How to Get Away with Murder Caleb HapstallRecurring role; 13 episodes
2016 Hollywood Today Live HimselfEpisode: 16 March 2016
2016–2017 Supernatural Max Banes2 episodes
2017Up To UsHimselfDocumentary
2017 Rosewood Nathan TurnerEpisode: "Asphyxiation & Aces"
2017 White Famous Robbie MacDonaldRecurring; 4 episodes
2017Relationship StatusNate4 episodes
2017 The Flash Dominic Lanse / Brainstorm, Clifford DeVoe / Thinker Recurring role (3 episodes)
2018–2021 Insecure Nathan CampbellRecurring maincast (seasons 3–5)
2019 Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas BenTV movie
2020Fashionably YoursRobTV movie
2023I'm a VirgoEdwin GarrisonEpisode: "It Requires Trust on My Part"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Portman</span> Israeli-born American actress (born 1981)

Natalie Portman is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabrielle Union</span> American actress (born 1972)

Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You. She rose to greater prominence the following year, after she landed her breakthrough role in the teen film Bring It On.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayla Ewell</span> American actress (born 1985)

Kayla Ewell is an American actress known for her roles on television as Caitlin Ramirez on CBS's long-running soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, as Maureen Sampson on NBC's Freaks and Geeks, and as Vicki Donovan on The CW's The Vampire Diaries.

<i>A to Z</i> (TV series) American romantic comedy television series

A to Z is an American romantic comedy television series created by Ben Queen. He served as an executive producer with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack for Warner Bros. Television. The series debuted on October 2, 2014, on NBC. Viewership fell by nearly 50% by the fifth episode, which aired October 30, and NBC canceled the series the next day, though choosing to air the final eight episodes, which had already been produced. The series finale aired on January 22, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Tonkin</span> Australian actress (born 1989)

Phoebe Jane Elizabeth Tonkin (born 12 July 1989) is an Australian actress. She is known for portraying Cleo Sertori in H2O: Just Add Water, Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began, Faye Chamberlain in The Secret Circle, Hayley Marshall in The CW series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off series The Originals, and Frances Bell in Boy Swallows Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayley Kiyoko</span> American singer and actress

Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and author. As a child model and actress, she appeared in a variety of films, including the Scooby-Doo! film series (2009–2010), Lemonade Mouth (2011), Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012), Jem and the Holograms (2015), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), and XOXO (2016). Alongside her film roles, she also had a recurring role in the TV series The Fosters (2014) and a lead role on CSI: Cyber (2015–2016) and Five Points (2018–2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelsey Asbille</span> American actress (born 1991)

Kelsey Asbille Chow is an American actress. She has played Mikayla in the Disney XD sitcom Pair of Kings, and Monica Long in the Paramount Network western drama series Yellowstone. From 2005 to 2009, she had a recurring role as Gigi Silveri on the drama One Tree Hill. She portrayed Tracy Stewart in MTV's Teen Wolf from 2015 to 2016.

<i>The Originals</i> (TV series) 2013 American supernatural drama television series

The Originals is an American fantasy supernatural drama television series that began airing on The CW on October 3, 2013. It is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries and the first television series expansion of the franchise based on its parent series. The series follows vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson as he and his family become embroiled in the supernatural politics of the French Quarter of New Orleans.

<i>The Vampire Diaries</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a fifth season by the CW on February 11, 2013. The fifth season premiered on October 3, 2013, followed by the series premiere of the spin-off series The Originals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Portman filmography</span>

Natalie Portman is an Israeli-American actress and filmmaker. She made her film debut in Luc Besson's action thriller Léon: The Professional, which starred her as the young protégée of a hitman. She followed this by appearing in Michael Mann's crime thriller Heat (1995), Ted Demme's romantic comedy Beautiful Girls (1996), and Tim Burton's science fiction comedy Mars Attacks! (1996). Three years later, her supporting role as the precocious, responsible daughter of a narcissistic mother played by Susan Sarandon in the drama Anywhere but Here earned Portman her first Golden Globe Award nomination. In the same year, she played Padmé Amidala in the first of the Star Wars prequel trilogyStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which brought her international recognition. She reprised the role in its sequels Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).

<i>The Vampire Diaries</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The Vampire Diaries, an American supernatural drama, was renewed for a sixth season by The CW on February 13, 2014, and it premiered on October 2, 2014. A majority of the episode titles for this season are named after songs released in 1994 & 1903. The Vampire Diaries was renewed for a seventh season on January 11, 2015, by The CW.

<i>Gracepoint</i> American crime drama television series

Gracepoint is an American crime drama television series created by Chris Chibnall. It is a remake of Chibnall's UK drama series Broadchurch, and stars that series' lead, David Tennant, along with Anna Gunn, as two detectives investigating the murder of a boy in a small, tightly knit coastal town.

<i>Bad Judge</i> American legal comedy television series

Bad Judge is an American legal sitcom television series co-created by Chad Kultgen and Anne Heche. Kultgen and Heche also serve as executive producers, along with Will Ferrell, Kate Walsh, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Betsy Thomas, and Jill Sobel Messick for Universal Television.

<i>How to Get Away with Murder</i> 2014 American legal thriller television series

How to Get Away with Murder is an American legal drama thriller television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. The series aired on ABC as part of a night of programming, all under Rhimes' Shondaland production company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Wood (actor)</span> American actor

Christopher Charles Wood is an American actor. He is known for his role as Kai Parker in the sixth season of the CW's television series The Vampire Diaries in 2014, after previously appearing on The CW's The Carrie Diaries in the role of writer Adam Weaver in 2013. He also starred in the 2016 CW television series Containment in the starring role of Atlanta police officer Jake Riley. From 2016 to 2018, he played Mon-El on the CW superhero series Supergirl. In 2021, Wood voiced He-Man in Masters of the Universe: Revelation. In 2022, he played Russell Hammond in the Broadway musical Almost Famous.

<i>Parenthood</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The sixth and final season of the American television series Parenthood premiered on September 25, 2014, and concluded on January 29, 2015. The season order consists of 13 episodes. As part of the budget cuts made by NBC so that the series would have a sixth season, none of the main cast members appears in every episode. The season five budget was reportedly $3.5 million per episode, but the season six budget was only $3 million per episode.

<i>How to Get Away with Murder</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the ABC American television drama series How to Get Away with Murder premiered on September 25, 2014, and concluded on February 26, 2015, with a total of 15 episodes. At the Television Critics Association Press Tour in July 2014, it was announced that How to Get Away with Murder would have only 15 or 16 episodes per season; the smaller episode count than most network series stems from a deal with series star Viola Davis. On May 7, 2015, the show was renewed by ABC for a second season.

<i>Legacies</i> (TV series) 2018 American supernatural drama television series

Legacies is an American fantasy drama television series, created by Julie Plec, that aired from October 25, 2018, to June 16, 2022, on The CW. A spinoff of The Originals, it is part of The Vampire Diaries Universe, and features characters from both that series and its predecessor, The Vampire Diaries. Danielle Rose Russell stars as the 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson, continuing the role she originated in the fifth and final season of The Originals. Matt Davis also features prominently in the series, reprising his role as Alaric Saltzman from The Vampire Diaries. In May 2022, it was announced that the fourth season would be its final season.

The Vampire Diaries Universe is an American media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series airing on The CW. The series were developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, and based on characters who appeared in the original novel series, The Vampire Diaries, by L. J. Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JusticeLA</span> Coalition to stop expansion of the L.A. County Jail system

JusticeLA is a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to stopping the expansion and growth of the Los Angeles County Jail system and replacing that system with an infrastructure of community-based care and treatment. L.A. County has the largest jail system in the world.

References

  1. 1 2 "Kendrick Sampson". ISSUE Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2019. Birth Date: 3/8 Birth Place: H-town
  2. Kwateng–Clark, Danielle (June 11, 2019). "Actor Kendrick Sampson Talks About His New Activism-Focused Organization". Teen Vogue . Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020. Born and raised in Houston by a black father and white mother ... the 31-year-old...
  3. 1 2 3 4 Chang, Kee (January 20, 2014). "Q&A with Kendrick Sampson". Anthem.
  4. 1 2 "Testimonials from Parents". The Kim Terry Studio. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Menza, Kaitlin (December 5, 2013). "OK! Next Big Deal: Kendrick Sampson of Vampire Diaries Chats About Bonding With the Cast". OK! Magazine. American Media, Inc. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Yoo, Sarah (September 2015). "Kendrick Sampson". Celebrity. Composure Magazine (6): 75–82. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  7. Abrams, Natalie (July 12, 2013). "Exclusive: The Vampire Diaries Taps Greek Alum, HIMYM Actress for Season 5". TV Guide . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (15 January 2014). "Fox Adds Kendrick Sampson To 'Gracepoint'". deadline.com. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  9. Kiyoko, Hayley (November 12, 2014). "Hayley Kiyoko - This Side of Paradise". YouTube.
  10. Abrams, Sean (November 5, 2015). "Outfitted: Kendrick Sampson". Maxim . Biglari Holdings . Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  11. Petski, Denise (July 22, 2015). "Kendrick Sampson Joins 'How To Get Away With Murder'". Deadline. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  12. HuffPost (July 16, 2019), "Kendrick Sampson Is Empowering Celebs To Become Activists With New Initiative"
  13. 1 2 Galuppo, Mia (2020-07-10). "Actor-Organizer Kendrick Sampson Is Putting "Pressure in the Streets" for Change". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  14. Kennedy, Gerrick (2020-12-22). "Protesting for Social Justice Helped Kendrick Sampson Manage Anxiety". Men's Health. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  15. Bruney, As told to Gabrielle (2020-06-04). "The First Time They Hit Me Was From Behind. We Were Peaceful, But They Wanted To Send a Message". Esquire. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  16. Chuba, Kirsten (2020-08-28). "Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Calls for One-Day Hollywood Strike Over Jacob Blake". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  17. Moniuszko, Sara M. "Natalie Portman, Gabrielle Union and Joaquin Phoenix join all-star PSA for jail reform amid COVID-19". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  18. Perez, Lexy (2020-09-24). "Natalie Portman, Gabrielle Union, Joaquin Phoenix Lead #SuingToSaveLives PSA for COVID-19 Response Coalition (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-16.