Known for his role as Bobby Byrd in the 2014 movie Get On Up, he also famously played Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood. For his role in the latter production, he received Ewwy, Satellite, Scream, and NAACP Image awards.
After briefly serving in the United States Marines, he began his acting training at New York City's famous Juilliard School.
He appeared in a small role in the 2011 film The Help.
A native of Harvey, Illinois, he was raised primarily in Bessemer, Alabama, by his grandmother. In his mid teens, he returned to Illinois and lived with his aunt while finishing high school. At age 39 he died of heart failure due to a longstanding battle with drug and alcohol abuse.
He and fellow True Blood cast member Rutina Wesley both attended the Juilliard School.
