Julian Horton (born December 12, 1991) is an American actor and former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player. He is best known for his role as Roy Bellarie in Tyler Perry's Netflix series '' Beauty in Black'' (2024). Horton transitioned from a career in sports to acting, earning recognition for his performances in film and television.

Early life and education

Julian Horton was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and raised in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. He attended

Greater Atlanta Christian School Greater Atlanta Christian School is a private Christian school located in Norcross, Georgia, United States. Notable alumni * Micah Abernathy, NFL free safety for the Atlanta Falcons * Sherill Baker, former WNBA player, assistant coach for G ...

Norcross, Georgia Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, about 15 miles northeast of Atlanta city limits. According to the 2010 census, the population was 9,116, while in 2020, the population increased to 17,209. Norcross is part of the Atlanta metropol ...

and later played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

as a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

for the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

Life and career

After his senior season, Horton pursued a professional football career, signing with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in May 2010 before being waived in August after playing in one preseason game. Horton transitioned to acting in 2018, making his film debut in Amazon Prime's ''The House Invictus''. His early work included guest appearances on shows such as

Legacies Legacy or Legacies may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * " Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline * '' DC Universe: Legacies'', a comic book series from DC Comics * ''Legacy'', a 1999 quarterly series from Antarctic Press * ''Legacy' ...

on the CW and Bruh on BET. In 2021, Horton made his theater debut with ''

National Champions National champions are corporations which are technically private businesses but due to governmental policy are ceded a dominant position in a national economy. In this system, these large organizations are expected not only to seek profit but als ...

,'' starring alongside JK Simmons and Stephan James. In 2022, Horton appeared alongside

Neal McDonough Neal McDonough (born February 13, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Lynn Compton, Lynn "Buck" Compton in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers'' (2001), Deputy District Attorney ...

and J Alphonse Nicholson in ''Black Spartans''. In 2024, Horton gained significant recognition for his portrayal of Roy Bellarie in Tyler Perry's first

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series '' Beauty in Black''. Horton is also the first cousin of actor

Donald Faison Donald Adeosun Faison (; born June 22, 1974) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC/ NBC comedy-drama '' Scrubs'' (2001–2010), and a supporting role as Murray in both the film '' Cluel ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{IMDb name, nm2651783 Living people 1991 births American football wide receivers Players of American football from Philadelphia Actors from Philadelphia Arkansas Razorbacks football players Tennessee Titans players Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)