Michael Evans Behling

Last updated

Michael Evans Behling
Born (1996-03-05) March 5, 1996 (age 28)
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
Education
OccupationActor
Years active2017–present
Known for All American
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
SpouseMadison Stanton (2021-2022)
Parents
  • Mike Behling
  • Carol Behling

Michael Evans Behling (born March 5, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jordan Baker on All American . [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Behling was born in Columbus, Ohio and adopted by Mike and Carol Behling, but grew up in Columbus, Indiana. [1] [5] [6] [7] [8] He is biracial and was adopted by a white family. [1] [9] [10] [11] In a March 2020 YouTube video, he stated that his father is of Nigerian descent and his mother is of German descent and that his last name is German. [12] He has three siblings, Matt, Adam, and Andrea. [7] Behling's family owned ten acres of land, several dogs and cats and a chicken coop. [1] [9] Sports were a big part of his life growing up, and Behling played baseball, soccer, and volleyball. [13] [14]

He first thought about being an actor when he was a freshman in high school and was inspired by Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight . [15] [6] [9] [16] Behling attended Columbus North High School, where he played football for two years and ran track. [1] [17] [15] He was on the honor roll and graduated in 2015. [7] Behling continued to run track in college, competing in the 400-meter hurdles. [15] He stopped competing in track after breaking his foot twice, which required two surgeries. [15] [11] He attended Indiana State University for two years as a pre-med student before dropping out to pursue modeling and acting. [1] [7] [13] [18] [11] [9] Prior to beginning his acting career, he worked as an assistant director at the Donner Aquatic Center in Columbus, Indiana. [7]

Career

While in college, Behling began modeling, and eventually his team convinced him to audition for acting roles. [16] He did several advertising campaigns with Adidas and White Castle. [11] Behling began his career in television in 2017 with a role as "Handsome Dude" on Empire . [1] [7] [19] In March 2018, he was cast as Jordan Baker on All American, [20] and filming for the pilot began two weeks later. [7] [21] Behling moved to Los Angeles in January 2018 when filming began, and after his finances ran low he began sleeping on a friend's floor. [1] [7] He has said that he identifies with his character because they are both biracial and looking for the place where they fit in. [22] His role as Jordan Baker is his breakout role. [19] He is currently represented by HRI Talent and Management 101. [21]

Behling has a clothing line, DesignedAt5AM, which he started with three friends from high school (Nicholas Stevens, Drew Thompson, and Floyd Athaide). [9] [16] [23] The clothing line was inspired by his desire to start his day early to accomplish his goals and by his high school friends' early morning swim practices. [15]

Personal life

Behling lives in Los Angeles. [6] [7] He actively advocates for animal rights and mental health awareness. [8] He and costar Daniel Ezra are friends and frequently hang out after filming. [16]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
2021 A Cinderella Story: Starstruck Jackson Stone [24] Direct-to-video
2022The MannyMorgan WashingtonTubi Original [25]
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
2017 Empire Handsome DudeEpisode: "The Lady Doth Protest"
2018–present All American Jordan BakerMain cast
2019 Grey's Anatomy BradyEpisode: "Good Shepherd"
2022 All American: Homecoming Jordan BakerSpecial guest, 4 episodes

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References

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  25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RwZ21_y1mc