Gregory James Qaiyum (born February 7, 1976), better known by his initials GQ, is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actor, writer and rapper. The son of an American mother of

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and

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descent and a

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i father, GQ was raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he attended Loyola Academy (high school), and later studied at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

's (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. Before graduating from the Experimental Theatre Wing of NYU, he put some friends together to create his senior project, merging hip hop and theater, combining two of his passions,

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and acting. The result is

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production ''

The Bomb-itty of Errors ''The Bomb-itty of Errors'' is a hip hop theatre retelling of Shakespeare's ''The Comedy of Errors''. Written and performed by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, GQ, and Erik Weiner, the show has been performed in New York City (Off-Broadway), ...

'', in which GQ is actor, rapper, co-writer and original producer. The show won the jury prize for Best Show at the 2001 Aspen Comedy Festival. GQ's first professional acting job was at the Manhattan Theatre Club in the hit London play, '' East is East''. His film credits include '' What's the Worst That Could Happen?'', '' On the Line'', '' Drumline'', and ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

''. After his experience in theater, GQ turned his attention to television: a musical sketch/comedy series for MTV called '' Scratch & Burn''. He and the other members of the ''Bomb-itty'' crew, including his younger brother, JAQ (who also wrote and produced all of the music for the show), created, wrote and starred in the series. GQ's next project was his directorial debut for a film for

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 ...

called ''Just Another Story'', which he wrote and starred in as well. GQ also guest-starred on Fox's '' Boston Public'', writing his own rhymes for a role as a delinquent student in a Shakespeare class who brought the material to life for the other bored students by rapping it. In 2012, the Q Brothers debuted their newest Shakespeare adaptation, ''Othello: The Remix'', a 90-minute hip-hop version of ''Othello'' that was part of the

Globe to Globe Festival The Globe to Globe Festival ran at Shakespeare's Globe from 23 April to 9 June 2012 as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, itself part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad The 2012 Cultural Olympiad was a programme of cultural events across the Unite ...

and World Shakespeare Festival. GQ lives in Los Angeles. Alongside his brother JAQ, the two have created Q Brothers Productions and are working together on an album, ''The Feel Good Album Of The Year'', a mix of jazz, rock, R&B and electronica.

Selected filmography

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gq 1976 births Male actors from Chicago American male film actors American male television actors American people of German descent American people of English descent American people of Pakistani descent American rappers Living people Tisch School of the Arts alumni 21st-century American rappers