Mo McRae is an American director, producer and actor, best known for his recurring role as Tyler in the FX 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 ...

'' as well as Leon Hayes in the 2006 film ''

Gridiron Gang ''Gridiron Gang'' is a 2006 American biographical sports drama film directed by Phil Joanou, and starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Xzibit, Kevin Dunn, Leon Rippy and L. Scott Caldwell. It is loosely based on the true story of the Kilpatri ...

''. He starred in Fox's '' Pitch''. In 2022, McRae directed his first film, '' A Lot of Nothing''. Raised in South Los Angeles, McRae turned to acting for solace. After enrolling in a drama class at

Washington Preparatory High School George Washington Preparatory High School is a public four-year high school of Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located in the Westmont census-designated place and has a Los Angeles pos ...

, McRae opted to forgo his spot on the basketball team when he landed the lead in the school play.

Career

After high school, McRae pursued his new-found dream as an artist in the entertainment industry. After being signed by an agent, he quickly began to book national television spots for major corporations such as

Visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

and

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

, among many others. These spots opened the doors to some early

primetime Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...

guest appearances on shows such as ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'', ''

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany, it can also derive from th ...

'' and ''

Boston Public ''Boston Public'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high sc ...

''. Other television work soon followed with appearances on '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', '' ER'' and ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

''. In 2006, McRae was introduced to a much wider audience. He played one of the lead roles in the hit film ''

'' opposite

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...

, inhabiting the role of the troubled quarterback "Leon Hayes". The Neal H. Moritz–produced film grossed more than $40 million worldwide. As McRae became more successful as an actor, he began to build an interest behind the camera. He produced and starred in ''The Fall'' which competed at the

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

Film Festival in 2008. Additionally, he wrote a screenplay ''No Return'' with acclaimed movie and television writer

Harry Winer Harry Winer (born May 4, 1947, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) is an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. In addition, he is an Associate Arts Professor in the Undergraduate Film and Television Department at New York Uni ...

. The film is currently set-up at Smash Media. He had a recurring major guest role in the FX drama ''

''. In Season 2 of

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's '' Big Little Lies'' he played second grade teacher Michael Perkins. In 2010, McRae appeared in Carmen Madden's film ''

Everyday Black Man ''Everyday Black Man'' is a 2010 film directed by Carmen Madden. It stars Henry Brown, C. Kelly Wright, Omari Hardwick and Tessa Thompson. It is a story about deception and a man's struggle to save his daughter. Background This was the debut f ...

''. Also that year, McRae recurred 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 ...

drama ''

Detroit 1-8-7 ''Detroit 1-8-7'' is an American police procedural drama series about the Detroit Police Department's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It featured an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDani ...

'' as Pooch and also filmed a lead role in the indie film ''

The Deadliest Lesson ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' opposite

Penelope Ann Miller Penelope Ann Miller (born Penelope Andrea Miller; January 13, 1964), sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress. She began her career on Broadway in the original run of '' Biloxi Blues'' (1985–1986), later appearing in the ...

and

Yancey Arias Yancey Arias (born June 27, 1971) is an American actor. He played Miguel Cadena in the NBC series '' Kingpin'' and Gabriel Williams in the FX series '' Thief''. Life and career Born and raised in New York City to a Puerto Rican mother, Miriam, ...

. McRae is the supervising producer of the 2022

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 ...

police procedural television series ''

East New York East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north; ...

''. In total, McRae has appeared in over 30 film and television projects over the past decade. He currently resides in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Personal life

Mo McRae married

Lex Scott Davis Alexis Scott Davis (born February 26, 1991) is an American actress. She is known for playing Nya in ''The First Purge'' and Toni Braxton in the 2016 Lifetime television film ''Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart''. In 2017, she had a starring role in ...

on July 21, 2019, after less than a year of being engaged. They had an "unplugged" wedding to ensure that all of their guests were "present in the moment" as they shared personalized vows. The couple met on the set of ''

The First Purge ''The First Purge'' is a 2018 American dystopian action horror film directed by Gerard McMurray and starring Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, and Steve Harris. Written and co-executive produced by James DeMonaco, it is the first fil ...

''. They have two children, born in 2020 and 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

* Baker, Ralph (June 2012
"Who is Mo McRae?"
a
Rags N Riches Magazine
* Madison, Linda (7 Nov 2010
"Exclusive! Mo McRae Returns to Detroit 1-8-7"
a
Hollywood Official
* at

External links

*
Mo McRae
at ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''
"Actors Lex Scott Davis and Mo McRae Are Married"
at People.com {{DEFAULTSORT:McRae, Mo 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from Los Angeles 21st-century African-American male actors 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors Year of birth missing (living people)