Rob Brown (actor)

For other people with the same name, see Rob Brown.
Rob Brown
Brown in 2015
Born
Robert Brown

(1984-03-11) March 11, 1984 (age 40)
Harlem, New York, U.S.
Alma materAmherst College (BA)
OccupationActor
Years active2000–present
Children1

Robert Brown (born March 11, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films Finding Forrester (2000), Coach Carter (2005), Take the Lead (2006), and The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008), and for starring in the HBO series Treme (2010–13) and NBC series Blindspot (2015-2020).

Early life

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Brown was born in Harlem, New York, on March 11, 1984,[1][2] the middle of three children.[3] Brown's mother works as a substance abuse counselor.[3] He was raised in Brooklyn. Brown attended Poly Prep Country Day School and Prep for Prep,[4] where he played on the school's football team as a wide receiver.[3][5] He graduated from Amherst College, where he balanced his education and acting career.[4] Prior to being cast in Finding Forrester, Brown's only acting experience was a school play during childhood.[3]

Career

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When he turned 16, Brown auditioned for Finding Forrester, expecting to be cast as an extra.[6] However, the film's director Gus Van Sant claimed Brown was the actor he was seeking to portray high school basketball player Jamal Wallace, and cast him in the role.[7] Brown made his acting debut in the 2000 film, opposite Sean Connery.[8] Brown received positive reviews in his first acting role. One critic believed Brown shone more than his veteran co-star.[9] A film reviewer stated Brown held his own "remarkably well" alongside Connery,[10] with a third opining the two actors had an "appealing chemistry."[11]

In 2005, he played the role of basketball player Kenyon Stone in the drama film Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson.[12] Reviewer A. O. Scott opined Brown had a "strong" showing in the movie.[13] The following year, he appeared as a high school student Jason "Rock" Rockwell in the dance film Take the Lead, starring Antonio Banderas and Alfre Woodard.[14] Brown portrayed football player Ernie Davis in The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008).[15]

Brown landed his first television role as jazz musician Delmond Lambreaux on drama series Treme in 2010.[16] He continued portraying the character until the show ended in 2013.[17] Brown was cast in the NBC drama Blindspot (2015−20) as FBI Special Agent Edgar Reade.[18] He appeared as Bobby in Don Jon (2013)[19] and played the role of Bryce in Criminal Activities (2015).[20] In 2022, Brown recurred as Maurice Ward in miniseries We Own This City.[21]

Personal life

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Racial profiling lawsuit

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In 2013, Brown was arrested for allegedly purchasing a watch for his mother with a "fake" credit card at Macy's in New York City.[22] He was later released with no charges against him, due to the fact that the American Express credit card was actually his. Evidently, Macy's staff had become suspicious (possibly due to the cost of the watch, his age and/or his ethnicity) but had not taken basic steps to check the validity of the credit card with American Express or cross-check against his driving license. Subsequently, CNN reported that the actor had "reached a 'settlement in principle' in his racial profiling lawsuits against Macy's and New York, according to court documents and a statement from the retailer."[23]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2000 Finding Forrester Jamal Wallace
2005 The Orphan King Tye
Coach Carter Kenyon Stone
2006 Take the Lead Jason "Rock" Rockwell
2007 Live! Byron
2008 Stop-Loss Isaac "Eyeball" Butler
The Express: The Ernie Davis Story Ernie Davis
2012 The Dark Knight Rises Detective Crispus Allen [24]
2013 Don Jon Bobby
2015 Criminal Activities Bryce

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2010–2013 Treme Delmond Lambreaux Main role
2015–2020 Blindspot Special Agent Edgar Reade Main role (seasons 1–4); Recurring role (season 5)
2016–2017 Shooter Donny Fenn Recurring role
2022 We Own This City Maurice Ward Recurring role

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 NBA 2K21 Coach Emmanuel (voice)

References

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  1. ^ Cowan, Alisha (November 2008). "5 Questions For... Rob Brown". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 38.
  2. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 8–14". The San Diego Union-Tribune. March 2, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Karger, Dave (January 5, 2001). "Star Pupil". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Evans, Kelley D. (October 27, 2016). "Actor Rob Brown's versatility is all over NBC's 'Blindspot'". www.andscape.com. Andscape. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  5. ^ Bierman, Fred (September 8, 2001). "HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL; Poly Prep, a Local Power, Draws National Attention". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Germain, David (December 27, 2000). "Director Van Sant hunts for more good will with 'Finding Forrester'". The Daily Gazette. p. C6.
  7. ^ Norment, Lynn (April 2001). "New Stars On The Fast Track". Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. pp. 32−33.
  8. ^ Greer, Jordan (October 31, 2020). "Sean Connery's performance in 'Finding Forrester' showed us what made the late actor so special". www.sportingnews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  9. ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (April 27, 2001). "New On Video". Gainesville Sun. p. 17.
  10. ^ Dinicola, Dan (December 25, 2000). "'Forrester' should find large audience, but lacks credibility". The Daily Gazette. p. C5.
  11. ^ Lybarger, Dan (December 28, 2000). "Enchanted 'Forrester'". Lawrence Journal-World.
  12. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 20, 2005). "Jackson is powerful in true story of 'Carter'". Record-Journal. pp. A3, A10.
  13. ^ Scott, A. O. (January 14, 2005). "Teaching Life Lessons on the Basketball Court". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Sheffield, Skip (April 7, 2006). "Antonio Banderas rides bicycle and teaches ballroom in 'Take the Lead'". Boca Raton News. p. 18E.
  15. ^ "Rob Brown tackles the role of football star Ernie Davis". East Bay Times. October 7, 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  16. ^ Dessinges, Catherine; Gendrin, Dominique; Roberts, Shearon (April 7, 2017). HBO's Treme and Post-Katrina Catharsis: The Mediated Rebirth of New Orleans. Lexington Books. p. 227. ISBN 9781498545617.
  17. ^ Hale, Mike (November 29, 2013). "Moving Beyond the Sad and the Angry to Write a Valediction for New Orleans". The New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  18. ^ Lee, Ben (February 23, 2015). "Treme star Rob Brown cast in NBC drama pilot Blindspot". www.digitalspy.com. Digital Spy. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  19. ^ Holston, Kim R.; Hope, Warren (June 24, 2021). Scarlett Johansson: The Life and Films. McFarland & Company. p. 210. ISBN 9781476642505.
  20. ^ Scheck, Frank (November 19, 2015). "'Criminal Activities': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  21. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 25, 2021). "'We Own This City': Darrell Britt-Gibson, Rob Brown, McKinley Belcher III & Larry Mitchell Join HBO Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  22. ^ Burke, Kerry (October 26, 2013). "Rob Brown, star of 'Treme,' says he was arrested at Macy's after buying mom watch". Daily News. New York. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  23. ^ Lull, Julia (July 19, 2014). "'Treme' actor settles racial profiling lawsuit against Macy's". CNN. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  24. ^ "Gotham TV podcast exclusive". September 10, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
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