Michael Evans Behling (born March 5, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jordan Baker on '' All American''.

Early life

Behling was born in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

and adopted by Mike and Carol Behling, but grew up in

Columbus, Indiana Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The relatively small city has provided a unique place for noted Modern architecture and public art, commissio ...

. He is biracial and was adopted by a white family. In a March 2020

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

video, he stated that his father is of

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

descent and his mother is of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

descent and that his last name is German. He has three siblings, Matt, Adam, and Andrea. Behling's family owned ten acres of land, several dogs and cats and a chicken coop. Sports were a big part of his life growing up, and Behling played baseball, soccer, and volleyball. He first thought about being an actor when he was a freshman in high school and was inspired by

Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger (4 April 1979 – 22 January 2008) was an Australian actor and music video director. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to ...

's performance in ''

The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005) and the second insta ...

''. Behling attended

Columbus North High School Columbus North High School (CNHS) is one of the public high schools located in Columbus, Indiana. It is part of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC). Columbus North High School was previously known as Columbus High School. It ...

, where he played football for two years and ran track. He was on the honor roll and graduated in 2015. Behling continued to run track in college, competing in the 400-meter hurdles. He stopped competing in track after breaking his foot twice, which required two surgeries. He attended

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

for two years as a pre-med student before dropping out to pursue modeling and acting. Prior to beginning his acting career, he worked as an assistant director at the Donner Aquatic Center in Columbus, Indiana.

Career

While in college, Behling began modeling, and eventually his team convinced him to audition for acting roles. He did several advertising campaigns with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

and White Castle. Behling began his career in television in 2017 with a role as "Handsome Dude" on ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

''. In March 2018, he was cast as Jordan Baker on ''All American'', and filming for the pilot began two weeks later. Behling moved to Los Angeles in January 2018 when filming began, and after his finances ran low he began sleeping on a friend's floor. He has said that he identifies with his character because they are both biracial and looking for the place where they fit in. His role as Jordan Baker is his breakout role. He is currently represented by HRI Talent and Management 101. Behling has a clothing line, DesignedAt5AM, which he started with three friends from high school (Nicholas Stevens, Drew Thompson, and Floyd Athaide). The clothing line was inspired by his desire to start his day early to accomplish his goals and by his high school friends' early morning swim practices. He also has appeared on The Wayne Ayers Podcast.

Personal life

Behling lives in Los Angeles. He actively advocates for animal rights and mental health awareness. He and costar

Daniel Ezra 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. Both his paternal and maternal grandparents were from Jamaica. Growin ...

are friends and frequently hang out after filming.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Behling, Michael Evans 1996 births Living people People from Columbus, Indiana American fashion businesspeople 21st-century American male actors American male television actors Male actors from Indiana American people of German descent American people of Nigerian descent Indiana State University alumni Male models from Indiana