Sterling K. Brown

Early life and education

Brown was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Sterling Brown His father died when he was 10 years old.

As a child, he went by the name Kelby; when he turned 16, he adopted the name Sterling, explaining in 2016:

Brown grew up in Olivette, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. He attended the private Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School.

He graduated from Stanford University in 1998 with an acting degree. He had initially majored in economics with a focus on business, planning on going into investment banking, but after finding his internship at the Federal Reserve to be a crashing bore and falling in love with acting as a freshman, he switched his major and career trajectory. He completed his Masters at New York University Tisch School of the Arts, where he graduated with an MFA.

Career

2002–2015: Early career

After college, Brown performed a series of roles in regional theater. In the theater, Brown was cast in the 2002 production of Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui starring Al Pacino, Paul Giamatti, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman and Jacqueline McKenzie at the National Actors Theater. That same year he played the sea captain Antonio in The Public Theatre's revival of the William Shakespeare play Twelfth Night at the Delacorte Theatre. He acted alongside Zach Braff, Julia Stiles, David Harbour, Natalie Gold, Oliver Platt, and Christopher Lloyd.

He has also appeared on numerous television shows, including ER, NYPD Blue, and Third Watch. He was a regular in the comedy Starved, and has also appeared in numerous films, including Brown Sugar (2002) with Taye Diggs, Stay (2005) with Ewan McGregor, and Trust the Man (2005) with David Duchovny and Julianne Moore. He had a recurring role on the television series Supernatural, as vampire hunter Gordon Walker.

In 2006, he played Macduff in The Public Theatre's production of William Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Anspacher Theater. Brown acted opposite Liev Schreiber and Jennifer Ehle. From 2007 to 2013, he played Dr. Roland Burton on the Lifetime drama series Army Wives. In 2009, he acted in the Tarell Alvin McCraney play The Brother/Sister Plays at The Public Theater. The production had two parts and was directed by Robert O'Hara featuring performances from Andre Holland and Brian Tyree Henry.

During this time, he guest starred in Eli Stone (2008), Medium (2010), The Good Wife (2011), and Masters of Sex (2014). He took the role as Detective Cal Beecher on Person of Interest from 2012 to 2013. In 2014, he starred as Hero in Suzan-Lori Parks's Odyssey-inspired play Father Comes Home From the Wars at New York's Public Theater.

2016–2022: Breakthrough and ''This is Us''

In 2016, he starred in the FX miniseries The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story as Christopher Darden, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards. From 2016 to 2022, Brown had a starring role in the television series This Is Us, for which he won his second Primetime Emmy Award. In 2018, it made him the first African-American actor to win a Golden Globe in the Best Actor in a Television Drama category, and the first to win a Screen Actors Guild Award in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series category. He also won, with the rest of the cast, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

During this time, he had high-profile supporting roles in several feature films. Brown portrayed Joseph Spell in the historical drama Marshall (2017), N'Jobu in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther, and Ronald Williams in the A24 independent film Waves (2019). In June 2018, Brown gave the commencement address at his alma mater Stanford University. He appeared as a guest star in the NYPD sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and earned critical acclaim for his role as Philip Davidson, a dentist under investigation for murdering his business partner. He was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2018 for this performance. The following year he had a recurring role in the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in 2019. He portrayed Reggie, the manager of the fictional singer Shy Baldwin (Leroy McClain). For his performance he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. In August 2019, he was announced at D23 Expo and on Twitter as the voice of Lieutenant Destin Mattias in Frozen 2.

From 2019 to 2020, he narrated the Disney+ documentary series One Day at Disney. He portrayed Leo McGarry, replacing the late John Spencer in the HBO Max special A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020). Brown took a recurring voice role as Michael Angelo in the Netflix animated comedy series Big Mouth (2020). He continued playing voice roles in Hulu's animated science fiction series Solar Opposites and Apple TV+'s animated children's series Interrupting Chicken. In 2022, he starred in and produced the mockumentary comedy Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. acting opposite Regina Hall. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival receiving positive reviews. Justin Chang of NPR wrote, "Brown and Hall give wonderfully complex performances as a disgraced Christian power couple trying to salvage what remains of their spiritual empire."

2023–present: Rise to prominence

In 2023, he acted alongside Mark Duplass in the science fiction comedy film Biosphere (2023), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. That same year he played Randle P. McMurphy with Laura Benanti as Nurse Ratched for a reading for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He gained critical acclaim for his supporting role in the satirical comedy American Fiction (2023) directed by Cord Jefferson starring Jeffrey Wright. Peter Debruge of Variety described Brown as a "scene-stealer" playing the protagonist's gay brother, a plastic surgeon. For his performance, he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 96th Academy Awards. Wright was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for American Fiction, and the nomination of Brown and Wright was the first time a Black lead actor and a Black supporting actor from the same film were both nominated for Academy Awards. In 2024, Brown joined the film Double Booked which will be directed by Adam Scott. He also took a supporting role in the Netflix science-fiction drama Atlas with Jennifer Lopez and Simu Liu.

Personal life

Brown met actress Ryan Michelle Bathe as a college freshman at Stanford. but held a large ceremony in June 2007.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theater

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Sterling K. Brown

In 2016, Brown earned his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his breakout portrayal of attorney Christopher Darden in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Brown also won a Critics' Choice TV Award, along with Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and NAACP Image Award nominations.

In 2023, Brown delivered the commencement speech for the graduating class at Washington University in St. Louis and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the university.

References

References

1. "Sterling K. Brown: Television Actor, Film Actor (1976–)". [[Biography.com]] ([[FYI (TV network).
2. "Sterling K. Brown: The World's 100 Most Influential People".
3. and Aralean ({{nee. TVGuide.com]]''. Archived from [http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/sterling-k-brown/bio/193898/ the original] on August 8, 2017.
4. Stone, Natalie (September 21, 2016). "[http://people.com/tv/sterling-k-brown-reveals-why-he-changed-his-name-as-a-teenager/ Sterling K. Brown Reveals Why He Changed His Name As a Teenager] {{Webarchive. link. (October 15, 2018". ''[[People (magazine)). People]]''. [[Time Inc.]] Retrieved on October 8, 2016.
5. Pennington, Gail (February 2, 2016). "[http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/st-louisan-relives-simpson-trial-in-people-v-o-j/article_422f0f08-3c68-514c-99c9-f9f37f45e437.html St. Louisan relives Simpson trial in 'People v. O.J.'] {{Webarchive. link. (October 2, 2018", ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]''. [[Lee Enterprises]]. Retrieved on October 25, 2016.)
6. Pennington, Gail. (August 18, 2005). "At Country Day, Brown exited stage right into acting". [[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]].
7. Shin, Laura. (September 2011). "Now Playing". Stanford Magazine.
8. Dominguez, Robert. (June 20, 2001). "'Colony' Cruel and Unusual". [[New York Daily News]].
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15. ''[[JAG (TV series). JAG]]'', ''[[Boston Legal]]'', ''[[Alias (TV series). Alias]]'', ''[[Without a Trace]]'', ''[[Supernatural (American TV series). Supernatural]]'',"Best Bets". ''American Press'' (Lake Charles, Louisiana). October 6, 2006. p. 63.
16. "'Starved' finds comedy in eating disorders". ''The York Dispatch'' (York, Pennsylvania). August 3, 2005.
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23. (November 18, 2009). "Lives in the Bayou Tap All the Realism of Dreams".
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28. "[http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,21026212_21030833,00.html People v. O.J. Simpson Star Sterling K. Brown Chokes Up While Dedicating Emmy to His Late Father] {{Webarchive. link. (September 22, 2016. ''[[People (magazine)). People]]''. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
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34. "[https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2018/06/17/sterling-k-brown-stanford-university-commencement-address-2018/708578002/ 'This is Us' star Sterling K. Brown delivers Stanford University commencement] {{Webarchive. link. (January 28, 2019". ''USA Today''. June 17, 2018.)
35. Dumaraog, Ana. (June 6, 2021). "Brooklyn 99: The True Story Behind Sterling K. Brown's Cameo".
36. Disney's Frozen 2. (August 24, 2019). "Just Announced: @SterlingKBrown (Lieutenant Matthias) and @EvanRachelWood (Queen Iduna) have joined the cast of #Frozen2, coming to theaters November 22. #D23Expo".
37. Sterling K Brown. (August 27, 2019). "Lieutenant Destin Mattias reporting for duty! Excited to finally share with you that I'll be joining the coolest crew for #Frozen2.".
38. Lee, Jennifer. (August 29, 2019). "Many have been asking me about spelling and title. Meet Lieutenant Destin Mattias.".
39. (October 5, 2020). "Sterling K. Brown To Play Leo On HBO Max's 'West Wing' Reunion Special".
40. "Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul".
41. (September 9, 2022). "'Honk for Jesus' is an uneven but entertaining saga about scandal and redemption".
42. (July 3, 2023). "Biosphere is a buddy comedy about the last two dudes on Earth".
43. (September 2, 2022). "'Biosphere': Mel Eslyn's Directorial Debut Starring Sterling K. Brown & Mark Duplass Gets Surprise Special Presentation At TIFF".
44. (May 17, 2023). "Sterling K. Brown and Laura Benanti to Star in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' Reading, With Eye Toward Broadway Run (EXCLUSIVE)".
45. (September 9, 2023). "'American Fiction' Review: Jeffrey Wright Takes on Narrow Ideas of Black Representation in Sharp Industry Satire".
46. "Oscars 2024: Complete winners list for the 96th Academy Awards".
47. (January 23, 2024). "AwardsWatch - 2024 Oscar Nominations Stats, Trivia and More".
48. Cooper, Brenna. (April 26, 2024). "Sterling K Brown lands next movie role in Adam Scott thriller".
49. (August 24, 2022). "From Marvel Superhero To Jennifer Lopez's Adversary, Simu Liu Lands First Villain Role In Netflix's 'Atlas'; Sterling K. Brown Also Joins Cast".
50. (December 7, 2021). "Watch The Kelly Clarkson Show - Official Website Highlight: Sterling K. Brown Secretly Eloped With Ryan Michelle Bathe".
51. Barney, Chuck. (March 9, 2017). "'This Is Us': Former Bay Area resident Sterling K. Brown feels 'blessed beyond words'". [[The Mercury News]].
52. "Sterling K. Brown (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors.
53. (July 22, 2023). "Invincible: Robert Kirkman Confirms Sterling K. Brown's Role in Season 2 (Exclusive)".
54. (May 15, 2024). "Sterling K. Brown's Hulu Series Paradise City Being Filmed in Los Angeles".
55. Thorne, Will. (September 11, 2019). "Sterling K. Brown-Produced 'Washington Black' Series in Development at Hulu (Exclusive)".
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60. (October 29, 2014). "Ulysses as an American Slave".
61. (May 23, 2019). "The Lonely Island's 'Oakland Nights' Video Features Sterling K. Brown As Sia".
62. McGinn, Susan Killenberg. (April 17, 2023). "Five to receive honorary degrees at Washington University's 162nd Commencement - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis".
63. American, Sylvester Brown Jr {{!}} The St Louis. (May 15, 2023). "Sterling K. Brown delivers 2023 Washington University Commencement Speech".