Sharif Atkins (born January 29, 1975) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as
Dr. Michael Gallant on ''
ER'' and for his role as FBI Agent Clinton Jones on ''
White Collar White collar may refer to:
* White-collar worker, a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales-coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor ...
''.
Early life
Atkins was born in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
, and grew up in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...
. He earned his bachelor's degree in theatre/speech from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Chart ...
in 1997. While at Northwestern in 1996, Atkins was initiated as a member of the
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...
fraternity (Theta Chapter).
In 1998, he studied at the Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory (formerly PDAC), before getting his start in film and television.
Career
He gained fame for his role as
Dr. Michael Gallant, a character that debuted in the eighth season (2001) of the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
medical drama ''
ER''. He left ''ER'' after the 2003-2004 season. In 2004, he went on to star in the short-lived police drama ''
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...
'' as former
Chicago Police Department
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind ...
Detective John Declan, who transferred to an elite crime unit of the
Honolulu Police Department
The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, headquartered in the Alapa'i Police Headquarters in Honolulu CDP.
Officially recognized as a part of the government of t ...
. Atkins continued to make guest appearances in both the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons of ''ER'', with his character returning on leave from duty in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
as a
U.S. Army physician. His character was killed in Iraq at the end of the 2005-06 season. Atkins also portrayed the recurring character Gary Navarro in the acclaimed series ''
The 4400
''The 4400'' (pronounced "the forty-four hundred") is a science fiction television series produced by CBS Paramount Network Television in association with BSkyB, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network in the United States and Sky ...
''. Navarro is a telepath. In 2005 Sharif played in the tv sitcom ''
Eve''. He played Shelly's boyfriend Grant.
Atkins played Special Agent
Clinton Jones in USA Network's ''
White Collar White collar may refer to:
* White-collar worker, a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales-coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor ...
'' from 2009 to 2014.
He has appeared as Assistant United States Attorney Rivers in the CBS drama ''
The Good Wife
''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in ...
''. In 2009 he appeared in season 4, episode 25 of ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...
'' - "To Hell..." as Sgt. William Hightower. Atkins has also guest-starred in season 8 of ''
CSI: Miami''.
In 2014 he appeared as a
Nova Corps
The Nova Corps is a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman, the Corps first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #205 (April 1979). They have since appe ...
pilot in
''Guardians of the Galaxy''.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Sharif
1975 births
Living people
African-American male actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Chicago
Northwestern University School of Communication alumni
Male actors from Pittsburgh
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School alumni
21st-century American male actors
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people