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Michael Ealy

From his breakout roles in Barbershop and Barbershop 2, Michael Ealy is quickly rising through the ranks as one of Hollywood's leading young actors.

He stars in Seven Pounds, opposite Will Smith, and will also be seen in the upcoming docu-miniseries The People Speak, based on Howard Zinn's acclaimed book. Ealy recently starred in the Showtime miniseries Sleeper Cell, in which he portrayed an undercover Muslim FBI agent. He earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.

In 2005, Ealy was handpicked by Oprah Winfrey to star opposite Halle Berry in the ABC and Harpo Films telepic Their Eyes Were Watching God. The special received rave reviews and was viewed by more than 26 million people. Ealy earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special for his performance.

Ealy kicked off his career on stage with roles in off-Broadway hits Joe Fearless and Whoa Jack, for which he earned an Adelco Award nomination. He followed with guest starring roles in NBC's Law & Order and Showtime's hit series Soul Food, eventually earning his first feature film role in the critically acclaimed film Kissing Jessica Stein. He also starred in Bad Company alongside Chris Rock for producer Jerry Bruckheimer. His role in Barbershop earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture, as well as a People's Choice Award nomination for Favorite Comedy Motion Picture.

His credits also include the films Never Die Alone, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and a stint on the Emmy Award-winning series ER for NBC.

Ealy was named one of People magazine's On the Verge actors in its 2002 Sexiest Man Alive issue. He was also named one of E! Entertainment Television's Sizzlin' 16 of 2004 and appeared on the cover of Essence magazine's Hollywood Screen Gems for their April 2004 issue.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2008.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Michael Ealy Facts

Birth NameMichael Brown
OccupationActor
BirthdayAugust 3, 1973 (50)
SignLeo
BirthplaceSilver Spring, Maryland, USA

Selected Filmography

Sleeper Cell (2006) tv-mini as Darwyn Al-Sayeed (breakthrough)
November (2005)
Barbershop 2 (2004)
Never Die Alone (2004)
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
Barbershop (2002) as Ricky Nash
More ...