Morris Chestnut

Morris Chestnut
Morris Chestnut at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010.
Born	Morris L. Chestnut (1969-02-01) February 1, 1969 Cerritos, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse	Pam Byse (1995 - present) (2 children)

Morris L. Chestnut (born February 1, 1969) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as Tracy Reynolds, NBA star in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan in the 2009 TV series V.

Early life

Chestnut was born in Cerritos, California where he graduated from Richard Gahr High School in 1986. He subsequently studied finance and drama at California State University, Northridge.

Career

Chestnut's first professional acting role was as "Jadon" in Freddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series in the episode "A Family Affair" (season 2, episode 19) 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 like Under Siege 2 (1995) and G.I. Jane (1997).

In 1998, he won the annual Madden Bowl videogame competition.

In 1999 Chestnut starred in The Best Man with Taye Diggs and Nia Long in which he played 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.

He has worked with Steven Seagal three times. In Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Chestnut is Seagal's reluctant partner. In both Half Past Dead and Prince of Pistols he co-stars as the main villain.

Personal life

Chestnut is married to Pam Byse (1995), they have a son and a daughter. In an interview for essence.com, he stated he prefers to keep his private life private. Chestnut is a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and the USC Trojans.

Morris Chestnut is also an avid poker player and has sponsorship arrangement with online poker room Full Tilt Poker.

Filmography

• Boyz n the Hood (1991)
• The Last Boy Scout (1991)
• Out All Night (1992) (TV)
• In the Line of Duty: Street War (1992)
• The Ernest Green Story (1993) (TV)
• The Inkwell (1994)
• Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
• Higher Learning (1995)
• G.I. Jane (1997)
• Firehouse (1997) (TV)
• C-16: FBI (1997–1998) (TV)
• The Best Man (1999)
• The Brothers (2001)
• Two Can Play That Game (2001)
• Scenes Of The Crime (2001)
• The Killing Yard (2001) (TV)
• Like Mike (2002)
• Half Past Dead (2002)
• Confidence (2003)
• Breakin' All the Rules (2004)
• Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
• Ladder 49 (2004)
• The Cave (2005)
• The Game Plan (2007)
• The Perfect Holiday (2007)
• The Prince of Motor City (2008)
• Not Easily Broken (2009)
• Castle (2009)
• V (2009–2011) (TV series)
• American Horror Story (2011) (TV series)
• Think Like a Man (2012)

Theatrical performances

• Love In The Nick of Tyme
• What Your Husband Doesn't Know (2011)

References

Love In The Nick Of Tyme

External links

• Morris Chestnut at the Internet Movie Database
• Morris Chestnut at Yahoo! Movies
• Morris Chestnut And Wife