Daniel Ezra (born 15 December 1991) is a British actor best known for his role as Spencer James on '' All American''. He is

Early life

Ezra was born in

Birmingham, England Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. Both his paternal and maternal grandparents were from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. Growing up, he was a fan of ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'',

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials'' and ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''The ...

books, and ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

''. He grew up playing basketball, but stopped sports when he began acting. Daniel attended Great Barr School, now known as Fortis Academy in Great Barr, Birmingham

Career

Ezra wasn't interested in acting until he turned 18. On stage, Ezra appeared as Sebastian in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' and was nominated for an

Ian Charleson Award The Ian Charleson Awards are theatrical awards that reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under age 30. The awards are named in memory of the renowned British actor Ian Charleson, and are run by the '' Sunday Times'' n ...

. After making his screen debut in the 2014 television film ''

Murdered by My Boyfriend ''Murdered by My Boyfriend'' is a fact-based drama first aired on BBC Three in 2014. It stars Georgina Campbell as Ashley Jones, a young victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her controlling boyfriend, Reece, portrayed by Royce Pierreson. It ...

'', Ezra began appearing in BBC dramas, including ''

Undercover To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an indi ...

'' and '' The Missing''. In 2018, Ezra had a recurring role in the British fantasy drama ''

A Discovery of Witches ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding ...

''. In March 2018, Ezra was cast in a leading role in the American sports drama series '' All American'', which marked his U.S. acting debut and required him to use an American accent. Once he learned that he had received the role, he spent as much time as he could in South Central Los Angeles and carried a football with him everywhere so that he could practise his accent and learn about the local culture. His favorite rapper,

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

, was from

Crenshaw Crenshaw may refer to: Places in the United States *Crenshaw, Los Angeles **Crenshaw High School *Crenshaw County, Alabama *Crenshaw, Mississippi *Crenshaw, Pennsylvania Transportation *Crenshaw Boulevard *Crenshaw station (C Line, Los Angeles Met ...

, where the show takes place, so Ezra also studied every song and interview of Nipsey Hussle as a way of practising his American accent. He did not have an accent coach. In addition, Spencer Paysinger, the real-life football player on whom Ezra's character is based, drove Ezra and his costar

Taye Diggs Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs (born January 2, 1971) is an American stage and film actor. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals ''Rent'' and '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', the TV series ''Private Practice'' (2007-2013), ''Murder in the ...

around his local neighborhood so that they could understand the neighborhood dynamics. To prepare for the show, Ezra also watched the NFL network constantly to learn about the rules of American football. Ezra first realized the show was successful when he attempted to walk in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

and was recognized by many fans.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ezra, Daniel 1991 births Living people 21st-century English male actors Black British male actors English male television actors English people of Jamaican descent Male actors from Birmingham, West Midlands