David Paul Ramsey (born November 17, 1971) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his roles in

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Arrowverse series ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

'', ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'', '' Supergirl'', and ''

Batwoman Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane. History * The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...

'' as John Diggle / Spartan, portraying Diggle and Bass Reeves in '' Legends of Tomorrow'', recurring as an alternate universe version of Diggle in ''

Superman & Lois ''Superman & Lois'' is an American superhero drama television series developed for The CW by Todd Helbing and Greg Berlanti, based on the DC Comics characters Superman and Lois Lane, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Tyler Hoechlin and E ...

'', recurring as Anton Briggs 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 ...

TV series ''

Dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British Diary of a Bad Man#Main, web series ''Diar ...

'', and starring in the film ''

Mother and Child ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestat ...

'' (2009) as Joseph.

Early life

Ramsey was born November 17, 1971, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. He graduated from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Career

From 1997 to 1998, he starred in the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which prod ...

sitcom '' Good News'', as pastor David Randolph. In 2000, he starred as

Muhammad Ali 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 the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

television film '' Ali: An American Hero''. That year, he appeared in '' Pay It Forward'' and started a recurring role in ''

For Your Love "For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots in ...

''. In 2001, he starred as Vince Lee in the South African comedy film "Mr Bones". He has also starred in recurring roles in '' All of Us'', One on One, '' The West Wing'', ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'', ''

Ghost Whisperer ''Ghost Whisperer'' is an American supernatural television series, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005, to May 21, 2010. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon ( Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate with ...

'', ''

Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

'', and ''

Hollywood Residential ''Hollywood Residential'' is an American comedy television series created by and starring Adam Paul. It was originally broadcast on the Starz network in the United States in 2008. Paul plays Tony King, an aspiring actor who had come up with an ...

''. From 2008 to 2009, he appeared in 17 episodes of ''

'' as Anton Briggs, a pot-smoking

confidential informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...

who has an affair with

Debra Morgan Debra Charlotte Morgan (spelled Deborah in the novels) is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his ''Dexter'' book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Li ...

in Season 3 and at the start of Season 4. In 2010, he appeared in an episode of '' Grey's Anatomy'' and in the short-lived NBC courtroom drama series ''

Outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

''. From 2012 to 2020, he appeared in the main cast of CW's superhero show ''

'', as John Diggle, a military veteran who is Oliver's partner, confidant, bodyguard, and later gained an alter ego, Spartan, since the fourth season. The season seven episode "Past Sins" was Ramsey's directorial debut. As part of the greater Arrowverse, Ramsey has reprised his role as Diggle on ''

'', '' Legends of Tomorrow'', '' Supergirl'' and ''

'', as well as portraying an alternate version of the character on the non-Arrowverse ''

''. Ramsey also starred in the TV series '' Blue Bloods'' as Mayor Carter Poole.

Personal life

Ramsey is an accomplished Jeet Kune Do practitioner. He has also studied

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

, taekwondo and Wing Chun, and trained in

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

under Benny Urquidez.

Filmography

Film

Television

Director

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, David 1971 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male boxers American Jeet Kune Do practitioners American male kickboxers American male taekwondo practitioners American Wing Chun practitioners American television directors American male film actors American male television actors African-American male actors Living people Male actors from Detroit Wayne State University alumni