Sterling Brown

Sterling K. Brown (born April 5, 1976 in St. Louis Missouri) attended Stanford University from which he graduated in 1998 with an acting degree and then later went to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he obtained his MFA.

Brown is best known for his portrayal of lawyer Christopher Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He is also known for his role as Roland Burton on the drama series Army Wives and currently stars as Randall Pearson on the critically acclaimed drama, This is Us.

In movies, Brown appeared as N’Jobu in Marvel’s Black Panther (2018), played the father in Waves (2019).

STERLING K. BROWN

Biography, Paradise S2

Academy Award nominee and three-time Emmy Award winning actor and producer Sterling K. Brown currently stars in and executive produces the Hulu drama series PARADISE, created by Dan Fogelman. Brown portrays secret service agent Xavier Collins in the gripping thriller, where nothing is as it seems. For his role, he has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and a Gotham TV Award. This past summer, Brown starred in and produced Hulu’s limited series WASHINGTON BLACK, which was adapted from Esi Edugyan’s acclaimed novel.

Brown recently wrapped production on three films; Aleshea Harris’s film adaptation of her award-winning off-Broadway play IS GOD IS, alongside Kara Young, Mallori Johnson and Janelle Monae, MRC’s independent film THE GALLERIST with Natalie Portman, as well as Amazon MGM’s live-action film VOLTRON, opposite Henry Cavill.

In 2024, Brown starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the Netflix futuristic action film ATLAS. He also starred in season 2 of the Amazon animated series INVINCIBLE, where he portrayed the villainess Angstrom Levy. For his role, he received an Emmy nomination for outstanding character voice-over performance. In 2023, Brown starred opposite Jeffrey Wright in Amazon/MGM’s AMERICAN FICTION. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film won the People’s Choice Award and Brown received the Denver Film Festival’s Excellence in Acting Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award, SAG Award, Independent Spirit Award, NAACP Image Award and Critics’ Choice Award. Brown also starred in IFC’s BIOSPHERE, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2022, Brown starred in Focus Features’ HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL, which he also produced, and which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He received an NAACP Image Award nomination for his role.

For six seasons, Brown starred in NBC’s critically acclaimed drama series THIS IS US. As Randall Pearson, Brown received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as five consecutive nominations in the category. He also received a Golden Globe Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series,’ becoming the first African American actor to win his category in the award show’s 75-year history. Additionally, Brown made history by becoming the first African American actor to receive the SAG Award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama. He also received two SAG awards alongside his cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, as well as the African American Film Critics Association ‘Best Actor’ award for two consecutive years. In 2018, Brown was included in TIME magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

In 2021, Brown executive produced and co-hosted the OWN television special HONORING OUR KINGS: OWN HONORS BLACK FATHERHOOD, alongside Oprah Winfrey. He also narrated CNN’s six-part docuseries LINCOLN: DIVIDED WE STAND, which took an honest and raw look at the remarkable story of Abraham Lincoln and what his story means for us today. He received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for his work. Brown also contributed his voice to the Netflix project AMEND: THE FIGHT FOR AMERICA, which focused on the evolving, often lethal, fight for equal rights in America through the lens of the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

In 2020, Brown portrayed the role of John Spencer in THE WEST WING’s Emmy nominated election-themed reunion, A WEST WING SPECIAL TO BENEFIT WHEN WE ALL VOTE. In 2019, Brown starred in the powerful A24 family drama WAVES and in Disney’s blockbuster hit FROZEN 2. He also starred as “Reggie” in the third season of the Emmy-winning Amazon series THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, for which he earned a 2020 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

In 2018, Sterling K. Brown created Indian Meadows Productions. The company’s chief mandate is to champion diversity through the development and production of entertaining, educational and inclusive projects across multiple forms of media, including film, broadcast, cable and streaming. In TV, Indian Meadows is executive producing the limited series adaptation of author Esi Edugyan’s award-winning novel WASHINGTON BLACK for 20th Television. In film, Indian Meadows is producing the action film SHADOW FORCE with Kerry Washington’s company Simpson Street for Lionsgate, along with the action film COYOTE BLUE and an untitled action-comedy with Randall Park for Amazon Studios. In the podcasting space, Indian Meadows produced the NAACP Image Award winning podcast WE DON’T ALWAYS AGREE.

Also in 2018, Brown co-starred in Marvel’s Academy Award winning film BLACK PANTHER. The blockbuster broke worldwide box office records in its release, with Brown earning a SAG Award alongside the ensemble cast. Brown also led the cast of Fox’s sci-fi thriller THE PREDATOR and starred in the action film HOTEL ARTEMIS, alongside Jodie Foster and Brian Tyree Henry. In 2017, Brown co-starred in the drama MARSHALL, receiving an NAACP Image Award nomination for his performance. In 2016, Brown co-starred alongside Tina Fey in Paramount’s WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT. His additional film credits include THE RHYTHM SECTION, ANGRY BIRDS 2, OUR IDIOT BROTHER, THE SUSPECT, RIGHTEOUS KILL, TRUST THE MAN and SPACEMAN.

For his 2018 television work, Brown received Emmy nominations for his role on THIS IS US and his guest-starring comedy role on BROOKLYN NINE-NINE. In addition to his Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG accolades for his performance on THIS IS US, Brown has won an NAACP Image Award and Critics Choice Award, and has been nominated for a BET Award, TCA Award and a Teen Choice Award. In 2016, Brown portrayed prosecutor Christopher Darden in FX’s highly-rated award-winning television event series THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY. He won an Emmy Award and Critics’ Choice Award for the role and was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG Award and NAACP Image Award.

For seven years, Brown portrayed Dr. Roland Burton in the critically acclaimed Lifetime series ARMY WIVES.  His additional television credits include hosting SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (2018), INSECURE, SUPERNATURAL, PERSON OF INTEREST, MASTERS OF SEX, THE MENTALIST, CASTLE and CRIMINAL MINDS.

In the animated space, Brown stars in the preschool series based upon the 2011 Caldecott Honor-winning book series written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, which released in 2022. Brown also starred for three seasons in the Netflix series KIPO AND THE AGE OF WONDERBEASTS. In this voice role, Brown portrayed Lio, a loving father who passed on his enthusiasm for all things science and music to his daughter Kipo. He also guest starred in season four of the beloved Netflix series BIG MOUTH and season two of the Hulu series SOLAR OPPOSITES.

A lover of theater, Brown has performed in a variety of staged shows, including NY and LA productions of FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WARS (PARTS 1, 2 & 3), for which he won an NAACP Theatre Award and was nominated for an Ovation Award. His additional stage credits include MACBETH, THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS and THE RESISTABLE RISE OF ARTURO UI opposite Al Pacino.

Following his role as “Cliff” in AMERICAN FICTION, Brown was awarded the Ally for Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign for being an outstanding straight ally to the LGBTQ+ community. Brown has used his voice both on and off screen to advocate for equality throughout his entire career. Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Stanford University, before receiving his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.