Rob Brown (actor)

Early life

Brown was born in Harlem, New York, on March 11, 1984, the middle of three children. Brown's mother works as a substance abuse counselor. He was raised in Brooklyn. Brown attended Poly Prep Country Day School and Prep for Prep, where he played on the school's football team as a wide receiver. He graduated from Amherst College, where he balanced his education and acting career. Prior to being cast in Finding Forrester, Brown's only acting experience was a school play during childhood.

Career

When he turned 16, Brown auditioned for Finding Forrester, expecting to be cast as an extra. However, the film's director Gus Van Sant claimed Brown was the actor he was seeking to portray high school basketball player Jamal Wallace, and cast him in the role. Brown made his acting debut in the 2000 film, opposite Sean Connery. Brown received positive reviews in his first acting role. One critic believed Brown shone more than his veteran co-star. A film reviewer stated Brown held his own "remarkably well" alongside Connery, with a third opining the two actors had an "appealing chemistry."

In 2005, he played the role of basketball player Kenyon Stone in the drama film Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson. Reviewer A. O. Scott opined Brown had a "strong" showing in the movie. The following year, he appeared as a high school student Jason "Rock" Rockwell in the dance film Take the Lead, starring Antonio Banderas and Alfre Woodard. Brown portrayed football player Ernie Davis in The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008).

Brown landed his first television role as jazz musician Delmond Lambreaux on drama series Treme in 2010. He continued portraying the character until the show ended in 2013. Brown was cast in the NBC drama Blindspot (2015−20) as FBI Special Agent Edgar Reade. He appeared as Bobby in Don Jon (2013) and played the role of Bryce in Criminal Activities (2015). In 2022, Brown recurred as Maurice Ward in miniseries We Own This City.

Personal life

Racial profiling lawsuit

In 2013, CNN reported that actor Rob Brown had reached a “settlement in principle” in his racial profiling lawsuits against Macy’s and the City of New York, according to court documents and a statement from the retailer.

The lawsuits stemmed from an incident earlier that year in which Brown was arrested after allegedly purchasing a watch for his mother with a “fake” credit card at Macy’s in New York City. He was later released without charges when it was confirmed that the American Express card was his. Macy’s staff had reportedly become suspicious—possibly because of the cost of the watch, his age, or his ethnicity—but failed to verify the card’s validity or match it with his driver’s license."

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

References

1. Cowan, Alisha. (November 2008). "5 Questions For... Rob Brown". [[Johnson Publishing Company]].
2. (March 2, 2020). "Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 8–14".
3. Karger, Dave. (January 5, 2001). "Star Pupil".
4. Evans, Kelley D.. (October 27, 2016). "Actor Rob Brown's versatility is all over NBC's 'Blindspot'". Andscape.
5. Bierman, Fred. (September 8, 2001). "HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL; Poly Prep, a Local Power, Draws National Attention".
6. Germain, David. (December 27, 2000). "Director Van Sant hunts for more good will with 'Finding Forrester'". [[The Daily Gazette]].
7. Norment, Lynn. (April 2001). "New Stars On The Fast Track". [[Johnson Publishing Company]].
8. Greer, Jordan. (October 31, 2020). "Sean Connery's performance in 'Finding Forrester' showed us what made the late actor so special". Sporting News.
9. O'Sullivan, Michael. (April 27, 2001). "New On Video". [[Gainesville Sun]].
10. Dinicola, Dan. (December 25, 2000). "'Forrester' should find large audience, but lacks credibility". [[The Daily Gazette]].
11. Lybarger, Dan. (December 28, 2000). "Enchanted 'Forrester'". [[Lawrence Journal-World]].
12. Ebert, Roger. (January 20, 2005). "Jackson is powerful in true story of 'Carter'". [[Record-Journal]].
13. Scott, A. O.. (January 14, 2005). "Teaching Life Lessons on the Basketball Court".
14. Sheffield, Skip. (April 7, 2006). "Antonio Banderas rides bicycle and teaches ballroom in 'Take the Lead'". [[Boca Raton News]].
15. (October 7, 2008). "Rob Brown tackles the role of football star Ernie Davis".
16. (April 7, 2017). "HBO's Treme and Post-Katrina Catharsis: The Mediated Rebirth of New Orleans". [[Lexington Books]].
17. Hale, Mike. (November 29, 2013). "Moving Beyond the Sad and the Angry to Write a Valediction for New Orleans".
18. Lee, Ben. (February 23, 2015). "Treme star Rob Brown cast in NBC drama pilot Blindspot". Digital Spy.
19. (June 24, 2021). "Scarlett Johansson: The Life and Films". [[McFarland & Company]].
20. Scheck, Frank. (November 19, 2015). "'Criminal Activities': Film Review".
21. Hipes, Patrick. (June 25, 2021). "'We Own This City': Darrell Britt-Gibson, Rob Brown, McKinley Belcher III & Larry Mitchell Join HBO Limited Series".
22. Lull, Julia. (July 19, 2014). "'Treme' actor settles racial profiling lawsuit against Macy's". [[CNN]].
23. (September 10, 2014). "''Gotham'' TV podcast exclusive".