Dorian Gregory (born January 26, 1971) is an American actor and television host who played Darryl Morris on the television show ''

Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcas ...

'' (1998–2005) and was the fourth and final permanent host of ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

'', replacing

Shemar Moore Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970) is an American actor. His notable roles include Malcolm Winters on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1994–2005), Derek Morgan on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2016), and the lead role of Sergeant II Dani ...

Background

Gregory was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

until age nine, when he and his family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He began his acting career with guest roles on such series as ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...

'', ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...

'', and '' Sister, Sister'', among others. His first major role was in the main cast of ''

Baywatch Nights ''Baywatch Nights'' is an American police and science-fiction drama series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the television series, '' ...

'' from 1996 to 1997.

Career

In 1998, he played the police officer Darryl Morris in the television series ''

'', which he played until end of season 7, in 2005, when the character was cut due to budget reasons. In 2002, he replaced cosmetic surgeon Jan Adams as one of the hosts of the male-oriented daytime talk show, '' The Other Half'', which was canceled the following year. Gregory has hosted several events, such as the

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

Anniversary and Achievement Awards with

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...

and Shirley Moore, the Black Stuntwomen Beach Competition, and the Elite Lee Jeans Model Look with

Roshumba Williams Roshumba Williams (born August 1, 1968) is an American supermodel who first became known for her appearance in the ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition'' in the early 1990s. She also works as an actress and reality TV show judge. As a teenage ...

and

Angelica Bridges Angelica Bridges (born November 20, 1970) is an American actress, model, and singer. She was given a pictorial spread in ''Playboy'' magazine's November 2001 issue and featured as the issue's cover model. In 2017, she competed on the first seaso ...

. He has also hosted a radio show on black writers, supports minority filmmakers, and appeared at high school dedications to support better educational opportunities. He is a founding member of Epiphany Theater Group, established by writer/producer/director

Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. Frequently ...

. In 2010, Gregory made an impromptu appearance on ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

'' in the "Jaywalking segment".

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's '' The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 20 ...

was apparently unaware of who Gregory was until Gregory informed him.

Personal life

Gregory is actively involved in the Jeopardy Program, sponsored by the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...

for youth at risk, as well as serves as the National Spokesman for the

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation JDRF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that funds type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, provides a broad array of community and activist services to the T1D population and actively advocates for regulation favorable to medical research and approval o ...

. He was diagnosed with Juvenile ( Type 1) diabetes when he was a child, and now talks to young adults and children on the subject as a motivational speaker. Gregory is working to raise funds to help find a cure for

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and offering information to support people living with the disease. He is also involved with

AIDS Project Los Angeles APLA Health is a non-profit organization that is focused on building health equity and promoting wellbeing for the LGBT and people living with HIV." APLA Health is one of the largest non-profit HIV service organizations in the United States. Its ...

and

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a non-profit organization in the United States, Canada and Brazil that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired drivin ...

(MADD). Gregory has a music group with his sister, Mercedes Bey, called "MD Says", which stands for "Mercedes and Dorian Says". Their group has music running in Europe as well as domestic pick ups He is also cutting more songs for a long-awaited album release. He began his writing career as a poet (and penned "Ashley Moore" and "Deep Deep Purple"). His passion for writing progressed naturally into music, and has evolved to writing plays and movie scripts, including the play ''Room Mates for Life''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, Dorian 1971 births Living people American male television actors American television personalities African-American male actors American motivational speakers American humanitarians Male actors from Cleveland People with type 1 diabetes Male actors from Washington, D.C. Activists from Ohio 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people Soul Train