Morris Chestnut facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Morris Chestnut
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Chestnut at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010
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Born |
Morris Lamont Chestnut
January 1, 1969 Cerritos, California, U.S.
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Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1990–present |
Spouse(s) |
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 and on television series, including the starring role of FBI Agent Will Keaton in the NBC TV series The Enemy Within.
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Early life
Chestnut was born in Cerritos, California on January 1, 1969, the son of Morris and Shirley Chestnut. His mother was a teacher, while his father worked as a medical salesman. He studied finance and drama at California State University, Northridge. Chestnut worked as a bank teller prior to being an actor.
Career
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) 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.
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).
Chestnut starred in The Brothers (2001), a film centering on the themes of fidelity and success among young Black professionals. That same year, he portrayed Keith Fenton, the love interest of Vivica A. Fox, in Two Can Play That Game and appeared as basketball player Tracey Reynolds in 2002 film Like Mike. In 2004, he played a firefighter named Tommy Drake in Ladder 49.
He has worked with Steven Seagal three times: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) as his reluctant partner and lead male villain in Half Past Dead (2002) and Prince of Pistols (2008).
Chestnut joined the cast of Nurse Jackie in 2013, playing war veteran Dr. Ike Prentiss. The following year, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2015, Chestnut played Derrick Dog Prince in the movie Heist.
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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. Chestnut earned himself an NAACP image Award nomination for acting in the sequel.
Chestnut played the lead role of pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. in Rosewood, receiving another NAACP image Award nomination. He also appeared as Raymond Dupont in the short-lived drama Our Kind of People.
Personal life
Chestnut has been married to Pam Byse-Chestnut since 1995. The couple has two children, son Grant and daughter Paige. Chestnut was raised in the Baptist church, and he is a practicing Christian.
In March 2022, Chestnut was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star that was unveiled in his presence.
Filmography
Film
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 | ||
... 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 |
Television
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 |
1992–1993 | Out All Night | Jeff Carswell | Main cast |
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 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 |
2009–2011 | V | Ryan Nichols | Main cast |
2011 | American Horror Story | Luke | Recurring cast (season 1) |
2013 | American Dad! | Craig (voice) | Episode: "For Black Eyes Only" |
2014–2015 | Legends | Tony Rice | Main cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
2015–2017 | 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 | |
2019–2021 | The Resident | Dr. Barrett Cain | Main cast (seasons 3–4), Recurring cast (season 5) |
2021 | Our Kind of People | Raymond Dupont | Main cast |
2022 | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Lance Sullivan | Main cast |
2023 | The Daily Show | Himself (Guest) | Episode: January 17 |
Theatrical performances
- Love In The Nick of Tyme (2007)
- What My Husband Doesn't Know (2011)
- The Nutcracker (2013)
Awards and nominations
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 |
See also
In Spanish: Morris Chestnut para niños