Billy Brown (born October 30, 1970) is an American actor best known for his lead roles as Richard 'Death Row' Reynolds on the FX sports drama series '' Lights Out'' (2011), Archer Petit on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

drama series '' Hostages'' (2013–14), and Detective Nate Lahey on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

legal drama series ''

How to Get Away with Murder ''How to Get Away with Murder'' is an American legal drama thriller television series that premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk and pro ...

'' (2014–20). He is also known for his supporting roles as Detective Mike Anderson on the sixth and seventh seasons of the Showtime crime thriller series ''

Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...

'' (2011–12), and August Marks on the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of the FX action crime drama series ''

Sons of Anarchy ''Sons of Anarchy'' is an American Action film, action crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter for FX (TV channel), FX. Originally aired from September 3, 2008, to December 9, 2014, ''Sons of Anarchy'' follows the lives of a close-k ...

'' (2012–14).

Early life

Brown was born and raised in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

Career

He is known for his role as detective Mike Anderson on Showtime's ''

'' from 2011 to 2012. Previously he starred as boxer Richard "Death Row" Reynolds in the short-lived FX series ''Lights Out''. In 2012, he landed the recurring role of August Marks in the fifth and sixth season of ''

''. He also provided the second voice of

Cliffjumper Cliffjumper is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers franchise. His name is usually associated with an Autobot whose toys are often red repaints or remold of Bumblebee (Transformers), Bumblebee toys. Transformers: Gene ...

in the animated series '' Transformers: Prime''. In 2013, he portrayed Agent Troy Riley in the first season of ''

The Following ''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. The The Following (season 1), first s ...

''. Brown starred opposite

Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...

in the CBS drama series ''Hostages'' from 2013-14. In 2014, he was cast opposite

Viola Davis Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...

in ABC drama ''

'', produced by

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. Inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Rhimes became known ...

. In 2018, Brown was cast in his first film leading role in the

Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American film production company owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. ''Screen Gems'' has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the de ...

' thriller ''Proud Mary'' opposite

Taraji P. Henson Taraji Penda Henson ( ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, alongside nominations for an Academy Award, six Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2016 and 2024, ''Time'' named Henson one of ...

. Brown also voices recruiting commercials for the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Billy American male television actors American male voice actors Living people Male actors from Inglewood, California 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 1971 births African-American male actors African-American LGBTQ people Male bodybuilders American bisexual male actors