Darryl Stephens is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and author. He is best known for playing Noah Nicholson on the television

dramedy Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

Noah's Arc ''Noah's Arc'' is an American cable television comedy-drama series that aired for two seasons on the Logo network from October 19, 2005 to October 4, 2006. The show centered on the lives of four Black gay friends who share personal and professio ...

''.

Film career

Back in L.A., Stephens appeared on the sexy late-night serial ''

MTV's Undressed ''Undressed'' is an American anthology series that aired on MTV from July 26, 1999, to September 5, 2002. The series was created and executive produced by British director Roland Joffé. Synopsis The series follows the relationships (both roma ...

'', the short-lived series '' That's Life'', and VH1's ''Red Eye''. During the same period, he was also appearing in various commercials for products such as Dockers and performing in small theater venues and scene study classes. He also played a "future funked" Greta in a Hollywood revival of the well-known play '' Bent''. Stephens had supporting roles in the films ''Seamless'' (with

Shannon Elizabeth Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress, conservationist, animal activist, model and poker player. A popular sex symbol and teen idol of the 1990s and 2000s, Elizabeth is best known for her roles in the films '' A ...

), ''Not Quite Right'', and '' Circuit''. However, his breakout role came in 2004, when independent filmmaker

Patrik-Ian Polk Patrik-Ian Polk (born July 29, 1973 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Polk, who is gay, is noted for his films and theatre work that explore the experiences and stories of African-American LGBT pe ...

cast him as the lead character for the new series ''

''. The original intention was for the show to be released direct-to-DVD after it had received rave reviews at various film festivals. However, in the fall of 2005,

LOGO A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

picked up ''

'', which debuted on October 19. In August 2006 the second season of ''Noah's Arc'' was televised. By the end of 2006, Stephens had completed roles in the comedy ''

Another Gay Movie ''Another Gay Movie'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by Todd Stephens. It follows four gay friends, Andy, Jarod, Nico and Griff, who vow upon graduating high school that they will all lose their " anal virginity" before their fri ...

'' and the drama '' Boy Culture'', the latter alongside newcomer

Derek Magyar Derek Magyar is an American actor. He is best known as the director and producer of the film ''Flying Lessons'', as the lead character "X" in the film '' Boy Culture'', and as Commander Kelby during the fourth season of ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' ...

. In October 2008, a feature film version was release. '' Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom'' picks up where the show's second season left off and tells the story of the marriage between Stephens' character and

Jensen Atwood Jensen Atwood (born August 25, 1976) is an American actor from South Central, Los Angeles. Atwood is best known for roles in television productions such as '' Oprah Winfrey Presents: Their Eyes Were Watching God'', ''Noah's Arc'', and SISTERS t ...

's. In 2010, he guest starred in an episode of ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

'', playing a transgender woman. His next film, released in 2011, was ''

Bolden! ''Bolden'' is a 2019 American drama film based on the life of cornetist Buddy Bolden (1877–1931). One of the seminal figures in jazz history, Bolden left no surviving recordings, having been committed in 1907 at age 30 to the Louisiana State I ...

'', a bio film about jazz great

Buddy Bolden Charles Joseph "Buddy" Bolden (September 6, 1877 – November 4, 1931) was an African American cornetist who was regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of ragtime music, or "jass", which later c ...

starring

Anthony Mackie Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his per ...

as ''Bolden''. Stephens' role is of cornet player Frank Lewis. Stephens played the recurring role Gideon on

B Positive ''B Positive'' is an American television sitcom created by Marco Pennette, who is also the show's executive producer along with Chuck Lorre for Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The multicamera series premiered on CBS on Nov ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

Other

Stephens released a self-published novel in 2011, entitled ''Shortcomings'', which weaves together short stories he had written previously.

Personal life

Although Stephens is reluctant to discuss his personal life, he is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and his roles address issues of classism and sexuality. In 2020, he became a father.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Ovation Awards The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

: Nominated for Featured Actor in a Play for the role of Victoria in the Bootleg Theatre production of "The Interlopers"

Notes

http://www.thebody.com/content/80676/making-black-gay-lives-matter-a-conversation-with-.html http://www.thebody.com/content/80679/untying-tongues-a-conversation-with-darryl-stephen.html

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Darryl 1974 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors American male television actors American gay actors LGBT African Americans Living people Male actors from Pasadena, California LGBT people from California 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people 21st-century LGBT people