Aaron Joseph Meeks (born April 26, 1986) is an American actor. He was born in

Watts, California Watts, California, was a city of the sixth class that existed in Los Angeles County, California, between 1907 and 1926, when it was consolidated with the City of Los Angeles and became one of the neighborhoods in the southern part of that city. ...

, and is best known for his role as Ahmad Chadway on the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

television series ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'' (2000−04). During his acting career, Meeks was awarded two

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

and received three

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

nominations.

Career

Meeks stated acting in childhood as a member of the

Cornerstone Theater Company Cornerstone Theater Company is a theater company based in the United States that specializes in community-based collaboration. According to the mission statement published on the company's website, "Cornerstone Theater Company is a multi-ethnic, ...

troupe. His brother, Andrew, was also a child actor. Aaron made his screen debut in 1999 on medical drama '' Diagnosis: Murder'', playing an abused young boy. In 2000, Meeks appeared as Herman D. Washington in the

movie ''

A Storm in Summer ''A Storm in Summer'' is a 2000 American made-for-television drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Peter Falk, Andrew McCarthy, Nastassja Kinski, and Ruby Dee. It is the last film to be directed by Wise. Rod Serling's original scrip ...

'', starring opposite

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series ''Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

. Their characters form an unlikely friendship. One reviewer found Meeks' performance "impressive." He earned a

nomination in 2001 for his work in this film. Meeks portrayed a young

Cassius Clay Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

in '' Ali: An American Hero'' (2000) and acted in the

Gregory Hines Gregory Oliver Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. As an actor, he is best known for '' Wolfen'' (1981), '' The Cotton C ...

television film '' Bojangles'' (2001). Meeks portrayed the role of Ahmad Chadway, a teenager who attends prep school, on drama series ''

''. He also narrated the series as Ahmad. Meeks played the role from 2000 to 2004. For playing Ahmad, he won two consecutive

for Outstanding Youth Actor in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, he received an NAACP Image Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Additionally, Meeks was given two Young Artist Award nominations in 2003 and 2004 for his performance on ''Soul Food''. Following his work on ''Soul Food'', he appeared in television film '' Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story'' (2004) and had a guest role on crime drama ''

Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in ...

'' (2007). Meeks has not acted since 2007.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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AOL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meeks, Aaron 1986 births Male actors from California American male film actors American male television actors African-American male actors Living people 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people