Morris Chestnut | |
---|---|
Born | Morris Lamont Chestnut January 1, 1969 Cerritos, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1990–present |
Spouse | Pam Byse-Chestnut (m. 1995) |
Children | 2 |
Morris Lamont Chestnut (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood . He has appeared in feature films such as The Last Boy Scout , Higher Learning , G.I. Jane , The Brothers , Like Mike , Ladder 49 , The Game Plan , The Call , Half Past Dead and Kick-Ass 2 . He has also played Lance Sullivan in The Best Man , reprising the role in sequel The Best Man Holiday , and follow-up series The Best Man: The Final Chapters .
His television work has included regular roles as Ryan Nichols in ABC's V , Ike Prentiss in Showtime's Nurse Jackie , the lead role of Beaumont Darius Rosewood, Jr. in Fox's Rosewood , Hakeem Rashad in Prime Video's Goliath , Will Keaton in NBC's The Enemy Within , and Barrett Cain in Fox's The Resident . He will play the title role in the upcoming CBS medical drama Watson . [1]
Chestnut was born on January 1, 1969, in Cerritos, California, [2] the son of Morris and Shirley Chestnut. [3] His mother was a teacher, while his father worked as a medical salesman. [4] He studied finance and drama at California State University, Northridge. [5] [4] Chestnut worked as a bank teller prior to being an actor. [6]
Chestnut's first professional acting role was as Jason in Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series , season 2, episode 19 ("A Family Affair"), which aired on February 18, 1990. His first feature film role was as Ricky Baker in Boyz n the Hood (1991). [7] He followed that up with roles in various TV movies. Chestnut also played a role on Patti LaBelle's short-lived sitcom Out All Night. [8] His career continued to rise steadily with co-starring roles in standard big-budget studio films such as Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) with Steven Seagal and Katherine Heigl, and G.I. Jane (1997) with Demi Moore. He was also a regular cast member on C-16, in the role of Special Agent Mal Robinson, from 1997 to 1998. [9]
In 1998, he won the annual Madden Bowl video game competition. In 1999, Chestnut starred in The Best Man with Taye Diggs and Nia Long, as a professional football player on the eve of his wedding. [10] The Best Man earned positive reviews from the press and did well at the box office. For his performance, Chestnut earned an NAACP Image Award nomination. [11] He again played a football player in The Game Plan (2007).
Chestnut starred in The Brothers (2001), a film centering on the themes of fidelity and success among young Black professionals. [12] That same year, he portrayed Keith Fenton, the love interest of Vivica A. Fox, in Two Can Play That Game [13] and appeared as basketball player Tracey Reynolds in 2002 film Like Mike . [14] In 2004, he played a firefighter named Tommy Drake in Ladder 49 . [15]
He has worked with Steven Seagal three times: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) as his reluctant partner [16] and lead male villain in Half Past Dead (2002) [17] and Prince of Pistols (2008).
Chestnut joined the cast of Nurse Jackie in 2013, playing war veteran Dr. Ike Prentiss. [18] The following year, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. [19] In 2015, Chestnut played Derrick Dog Prince in the movie Heist.
People magazine named Chestnut as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2015. [20]
To prepare to reprise his role as professional football player Lance Sullivan in the movie The Best Man Holiday , Chestnut had to get into shape. His fitness training experience with celebrity fitness trainer Obi Obadike inspired him to become Obadike's co-author on the health and fitness book, The Cut. Published on April 18, 2017, the book contains exercise drills and recipes. [21] Chestnut earned himself an NAACP image Award nomination for acting in the sequel. [22]
Chestnut played the lead role of pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. in Rosewood , [23] receiving another NAACP image Award nomination. [24] He also appeared as Raymond Dupont in the short-lived drama Our Kind of People . [25] Chestnut hosts the OWN docuseries Rebuilding Black Wall Street , produced by Sunwise Media. [26]
In 2024, Chestnut is set to star in the CBS series Watson , playing the role of Dr. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes stories. [27]
Chestnut has been married to Pam Byse-Chestnut since 1995. The couple has two children, son Grant and daughter Paige. [28] Chestnut was raised in the Baptist church, and he is a practicing Christian. [29]
In March 2022, Chestnut was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star that was unveiled in his presence. [30]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Boyz n the Hood | Ricky Baker | |
The Last Boy Scout | Locker Room Kid | ||
1994 | The Inkwell | Harold Lee | |
1995 | Higher Learning | Track Anchor | |
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory | Bobby Zachs | ||
1997 | G.I. Jane | McCool | |
Firehouse | Andre | ||
1999 | The Best Man | Lance Sullivan | |
2001 | The Brothers | Jackson Smith | |
Two Can Play That Game | Keith Fenton | ||
Scenes of the Crime | Ray | ||
2002 | Like Mike | Tracy Reynolds | |
Half Past Dead | Donny Johnson / 49ner One | ||
2003 | Confidence | Travis | |
2004 | Breakin' All the Rules | Evan Fields | |
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid | Gordon Mitchell | ||
Ladder 49 | Tommy Drake | ||
2005 | The Cave | 'Top' Buchanan | |
2007 | The Game Plan | Travis Sanders | |
The Perfect Holiday | Benjamin | ||
2009 | Not Easily Broken | Dave Johnson | |
Love in the Nick of Tyme | Marcelles Wynters | Video | |
2012 | Think Like a Man | James Merrill | |
2013 | Identity Thief | Detective Reilly | |
The Call | Officer Phillips | ||
Kick-Ass 2 | Detective Marcus Williams | ||
The Best Man Holiday | Lance Sullivan | ||
2015 | The Perfect Guy | Dave | |
Heist | Derrick 'Dog' Prince | ||
2016 | When the Bough Breaks | John Taylor | |
2017 | Girls Trip | Himself |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Freddy's Nightmares | Jason Woodman | Episode: "A Family Affair" |
1992 | In the Line of Duty: Street War | Prince Franklin | TV movie |
1992–1993 | Out All Night | Jeff Carswell | Main role |
1993 | The Ernest Green Story | Ernest Green | TV movie |
1994 | Living Single | Hamilton Brown | 2 episodes |
1997–1998 | C-16: FBI | Special Agent Mal Robinson | Main role |
2000 | ER | ICU Nurse Frank 'Rambo' Bacon | 2 episodes |
2001 | The Killing Yard | Shango | TV movie |
2005 | Bones | Agent Oakes | Episode: "The Man in the Wall" |
Dante | Dante | TV movie | |
2008 | The Prince of Motor City | Leo Moore | TV movie |
2009–2011 | V | Ryan Nichols | Main role |
2011 | American Horror Story | Luke | Recurring role (season 1) |
2013 | American Dad! | Craig (voice) | Episode: "For Black Eyes Only" |
2013–2014 | Nurse Jackie | Dr. Ike Prentiss | Main role (seasons 5-6) |
2014–2015 | Legends | Tony Rice | Main role (season 1), guest (season 2) |
2015–2017 | Rosewood | Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. | Main role |
2018 | Goliath | Deputy District Attorney Hakeem Rashad | Main role (season 2) |
2019 | Being Mary Jane | Beau Mercer | Episode: "Becoming Pauletta" |
The Enemy Within | FBI Agent Will Keaton | Main role | |
2019–2021 | The Resident | Dr. Barrett Cain | Main role (seasons 3–4), Recurring role (season 5) |
2021 | Our Kind of People | Raymond Dupont | Main role |
2022 | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Lance Sullivan | Main role |
2023 | The Daily Show | Himself (Guest) | Episode: January 17 |
Rebuilding Black Wall Street | Himself (Host) | ||
2024 | Diarra from Detroit | Swa | Main role |
2025 | Watson | Dr. John Watson | Main role, also executive producer (upcoming) |
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Chestnut: I was raised in a Baptist church, so I've always been strong in my faith.