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 and on television series, including the starring role of FBI Agent Will Keaton in the NBC TV series The Enemy Within.
Morris Chestnut | |
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Born | Morris Lamont Chestnut (1969-01-01) January 1, 1969 (age 53) Cerritos, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1990–present |
Spouse | Pam Byse-Chestnut (m. 1995) |
Children | 2 |
Chestnut was born in Cerritos, California, the son of Morris and Shirley Chestnut.[1]
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). 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. His career continued to rise steadily with co-starring roles in standard big-budget studio films such as Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) opposite Steven Seagal and Katherine Heigl and G.I. Jane (1997) opposite Demi Moore. He was also a regular cast member on C-16, in the role of Special Agent Mal Robinson, from 1997 to 1998.[2]
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. 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. He again played a football player in The Game Plan (2007). In 2001, he starred in The Brothers, a film centering on the themes of fidelity and success among young professionals. In 2004, he appeared as a firefighter in Ladder 49.
He has worked with Steven Seagal three times: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) as Seagal's reluctant partner and lead male villain in Half Past Dead (2002) and Prince of Pistols (2008).
In 2015, Morris Chestnut played Derrick Dog Prince in the movie Heist. People magazine named Morris Chestnut as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2015.[3]
To prepare for his role as professional Football player, Lance Sullivan, in the movie The Best Man Holiday, Morris Chestnut had to get back 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. The Cut, published on April 18, 2017, contains exercise drills and recipes.[4]
Morris Chestnut has been married to Pam Byse-Chestnut since 1995. The couple have two children, son Grant and daughter Paige.[5] He was raised in the Baptist church, and he is a practicing Christian.[6]
In March 2022, Chestnut was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star that was unveiled in his presence.[7]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 |
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1990 | Freddy's Nightmares | Jason Woodman | Episode: "A Family Affair" |
1992 | In the Line of Duty: Street War | Prince Franklin | TV movie |
1992–93 | Out All Night | Jeff Carswell | Main cast |
1993 | The Ernest Green Story | Ernest Green | TV movie |
1994 | Living Single | Hamilton Brown | 2 episodes |
1997–98 | C-16: FBI | Special Agent Mal Robinson | Main cast |
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 |
2009–11 | V | Ryan Nichols | Main cast |
2011 | American Horror Story | Luke | Recurring cast (season 1) |
2013 | American Dad! | Craig (voice) | Episode: "For Black Eyes Only" |
2013–14 | Nurse Jackie | Dr. Prentiss | Main cast (season 5–6) |
2014–15 | Legends | Tony Rice | Main cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
2015–17 | Rosewood | Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. | Main cast |
2018 | Goliath | Deputy District Attorney Hakeem Rashad | Main cast (season 2) |
2019 | Being Mary Jane | Beau Mercer | Episode: "Becoming Pauletta" |
The Enemy Within | FBI Agent Will Keaton | Main cast | |
2019–21 | The Resident | Dr. Barrett Cain | Main cast (season 3–4), Recurring cast (season 5) |
2021 | Our Kind of People | Raymond Dupont | Main cast |
TBA | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Lance Sullivan | Main cast |
Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
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2000 | NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | The Best Man | Nominated |
2014 | Acapulco Black Film Festival | Acapulco Black Film Festival Award for Best Acting Ensemble | The Best Man Holiday | Won |
Acapulco Black Film Festival Award for Best Actor | Nominated | |||
NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Nurse Jackie | Won | |
2016 | NAACP Image Award | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Rosewood | Nominated |
Chestnut: I was raised in a Baptist church, so I've always been strong in my faith.
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | |
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General | |
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National libraries | |
Biographical dictionaries | |
Other |
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