Mekhi Phifer (; born December 29, 1974) is an American actor. He portrayed Dr.

Greg Pratt Gregory Pratt, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama series '' ER'', portrayed by Mekhi Phifer. He first appears as a recurring character towards the end of the eight season, becoming the main character from the start of the nin ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's long-running medical drama '' ER'' until 2008 and had a co-starring role opposite actor/rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

in the 2002 feature film '' 8 Mile''. He was a recurring cast member on 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 ...

crime show ''

Lie to Me ''Lie to Me'' (stylized as ''Lie to me*'') is an American crime drama television series. It originally ran on the Fox network from January 21, 2009, to January 31, 2011. In the show, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and his colleagues in The Lightma ...

'' in the role of Ben Reynolds before season 3, and also starred as CIA officer

Rex Matheson Agent Rex Matheson, portrayed by Mekhi Phifer, is a fictional character in the BBC television programme ''Torchwood'', a spin-off from the long-running series ''Doctor Who''. Phifer was one of three American actors to join ''Torchwood'' in its f ...

in '' Torchwood: Miracle Day''.

Early life

Phifer was born in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, New York City. He grew up in a single-parent household with his mother, Rhoda Phifer, a high-school teacher.

Career

In 1994, 18-year-old Phifer attended an open-casting call for director

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's '' Clockers'', beating over a thousand others to get the lead role as a narcotics dealer embroiled in a murder cover-up. He followed that role with another in the comedy spoof feature ''

High School High ''High School High'' is a 1996 American comedy film about an inner city high school in the Los Angeles, California area, starring Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Mekhi Phifer, Louise Fletcher, Malinda Williams, and Brian Hooks. It is a spoof of movies c ...

'' (which also starred his former wife

Malinda Williams Melinda is a feminine given name. Etymology The modern name ''Melinda'' is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa (μέλισσα) meaning ...

) and continued by co-starring in the horror film ''

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1998 slasher film directed by Danny Cannon and written by Trey Callaway. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson reprise their roles, with Brandy, Mekhi Phifer and Matthew Settle jo ...

'', starring

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series ''Kids I ...

and

Freddie Prinze Jr. Frederick James Prinze Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American actor, television & film producer and screenwriter. He has starred in films such as ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' (1997) and its sequel ''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer' ...

He also starred in the film '' Paid in Full'' in 2002. He portrayed Dr.

Gregory Pratt Gregory Pratt, M.D. is a fictional character from the medical drama series '' ER'', portrayed by Mekhi Phifer. He first appears as a recurring character towards the end of the eight season, becoming the main character from the start of the nint ...

on the NBC medical drama '' ER'', which he introduced in April 2002. Phifer left the show in September 2008, in the first episode of Season 15. His character died during the conclusion of the season 14 finale cliffhanger involving an ambulance explosion that was rigged to kill an injured FBI informant (

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

). During his six years in the show, he was nominated twice for an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

. Phifer's television credits include the movies ''

The Tuskegee Airmen ''The Tuskegee Airmen'' is a 1995 in television, 1995 HBO television movie based on the exploits of an actual groundbreaking unit, the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps, that fought in World War II. The film ...

'' (1995), HBO's '' Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground'' (1997), and ''

Brian's Song (2001 film) ''Brian's Song'' is the 2001 remake of the 1971 television film ''Brian's Song'', telling the story of Brian Piccolo (Sean Maher), a white running back who meets, clashes with and befriends fellow Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers ( Mekhi ...

'' as former Chicago Bear

Gale Sayers Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943September 23, 2020) was an American professional football player who was both a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). In a relatively brief but highly productive NFL career, Saye ...

. He received additional notice for his performance opposite singer

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

(from

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

) on MTV's alternative take on the ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' legend with the movie '' Carmen: A Hip Hopera'' (2001). Phifer had a recurring guest role in the fifth and sixth seasons of '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', portraying "Junior Bunk", the troubled nephew of Baltimore drug lord Luther Mahoney, and also guest-starred in ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American Police procedural, police drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and ...

''. He earned an

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

Image Award nomination for the TV movie, ''

A Lesson Before Dying ''A Lesson Before Dying'' is Ernest J. Gaines' eighth novel, published in 1993. It was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The novel is based on the true story of Willie Francis, a young Black Americ ...

'', opposite

Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned ...

. In 2009, Phifer began a guest-starring arc on the

drama ''

''. Among Phifer's other big-screen credits are ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'', ''The Biography of

Spud Webb Anthony Jerome "Spud" Webb (born July 13, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Webb, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), is known for winning a Slam Dunk Contest despite being one of the shortest players ...

'', '' Hell's Kitchen, NYC'', ''Tears of a Clown'', '' O'' (as the titular character Odin a.k.a. O), and the thriller '' Uninvited Guest'' (as Silk). He appeared in ''

Impostor An impostor (also spelled imposter) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise. Their objective is usually to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but also often for purposes ...

'' as well as '' Paid in Full'', an urban classic, that has given him notorious recognition as he portrayed Mitch and director

Curtis Hanson Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His directing work included the psychological thriller ''The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (film), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' ...

's '' 8 Mile'', opposite

. He is mentioned in the

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

- and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning song "

Lose Yourself "Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...

" by Eminem. In June 2011, Phifer starred alongside

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in '' Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrow ...

and

Eve Myles Eve Myles (born 26 July 1978) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series '' Belonging'' (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series ''Torchwoo ...

as CIA agent

in '' Torchwood: Miracle Day'', the fourth series of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

/ Starz Entertainment TV show ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

''. In December of that year, he also starred on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Lydia Diamond Lydia R. Diamond (born April 14, 1969 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American playwright and professor. Among her most popular plays are ''The Bluest Eye'' (2007), an adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel; ''Stick Fly'' (2008); ''Harriet Jacobs'' (2011 ...

's ''

Stick Fly ''Stick Fly'' is a 2006 play written by Lydia Diamond. It opened on Broadway on December 8, 2011 and closed on February 26, 2012. Synopsis The show takes place at the LeVay Home, in Edgartown, as it is a point of contention where the family resi ...

''. Phifer starred as Agent Collins in the fourth season of '' White Collar''. He made a guest appearance on the sitcom series ''

Husbands A husband is a male in a marital relationship, who may also be referred to as a spouse. The rights and obligations of a husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between societies and cultures, ...

'' in its second season. In Fall 2016, he joined the TV show ''

Frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...

'' as a series regular.

Personal life

Phifer has a son with his former wife, actress

. His second son was born to Oni Souratha in Los Angeles in 2007. On March 30, 2013, Phifer married his longtime girlfriend Reshelet Barnes in Beverly Hills, California.

Other activities

Phifer was the 2004 winner of the Celebrity Poker Showdown Championship, defeating

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

during the fourth season. Phifer plays on the

World Poker Tour The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the fi ...

in the Hollywood Home games for the Love Our Children USA charity. Phifer is chairman of the board of trustees of The Vine Group USA. a non-profit organization established in 2000 to provide educational resources to universities in Africa. He has signed up with

Full Tilt Poker Full Tilt Poker is an Irish online poker card room and online casino that opened in June 2004. Formerly privately owned by Tiltware, LLC and later by the Rational Entertainment Group, the site was acquired by The Stars Group (then known as Amaya ...

. He has his own well on the poker forum 2+2. Phifer is an owner of a number of

Athlete's Foot Athlete's foot, known medically as ''tinea pedis'', is a common skin infection of the feet caused by a fungus. Signs and symptoms often include itching, scaling, cracking and redness. In rare cases the skin may blister. Athlete's foot fungus m ...

athletic shoe-store franchises in California. In January 2011, Phifer launched Third Reel Films.Thirdreel
The stated mission of the company is to provide an environment for filmmakers to showcase their work to entertainment representatives, acquisition executives, and other key-industry professionals.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

*1994: "

Flava in Ya Ear "Flava in Ya Ear" is the debut single by American rapper Craig Mack, from his album ''Project Funk da World''. The original club mix single was released on 12" vinyl in July 1994 on the Bad Boy Entertainment record label, packaged with a series of ...

" by

Craig Mack Craig Jamieson Mack (May 10, 1971 – March 12, 2018) was an American rapper and record producer, and was famous during his tenure under Bad Boy Records. Early life and career Craig Jamieson Mack was born in The Bronx, New York, and raised on ...

*1996: "Wu Wear" by

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

*1996: "So Many Ways" by

The Braxtons The Braxtons are an American musical quintet consisting of singer Toni Braxton and her younger sisters, Traci Braxton, Towanda Braxton, Trina Braxton, and Tamar Braxton. Despite being commercially unsuccessful, the group's first single, " Goo ...

*1996: "

Nobody Nobody may refer to: * Nobody, an indefinite pronoun Nobody may also refer to: Fictional characters *Nobody (Kingdom Hearts), Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series *Nobody, a character in the ...

" by

Keith Sweat Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", "I'll Give A ...

featuring

Athena Cage Athena Denise Cage (born May 6, 1970) is an American singer, producer and songwriter from Kentucky. Early life and education Athena Cage was born and raised in Russellville, Kentucky, United States. She was educated at Western Kentucky Universit ...

*1996: "

Don't Let Go (Love) "Don't Let Go (Love)" is a song by American R&B group En Vogue. It was written by Ivan Matias, Andrea Martin, and Marqueze Etheridge, and produced by Organized Noize for the ''Set It Off'' soundtrack (1996), also appearing on the group's third a ...

" by

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...

*1998: " The Boy Is Mine" by

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...

and

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

*1999: "BOOM" by

Royce da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, and ...

*2002: "

" by

*2003: "

Many Men (Wish Death) "Many Men (Wish Death)" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent, from his debut studio album ''Get Rich or Die Tryin (2003). The song samples "Out of the Picture" by Tavares and was produced by Darrell "Digga" Branch, Eminem and Luis Resto. ...

" by

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

*2003: " Without Me" by

*2004: "

Just Lose It "Just Lose It" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fifth studio album, ''Encore'' (2004). It was released on September 28, 2004, as the lead single from ''Encore'', and was later included on his greatest hits compilation album, '' Cur ...

" by

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phifer, Mekhi 1974 births Living people Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male television actors People from Harlem African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people