STERLING K. BROWN

Two-time Emmy Award winning actor Sterling K. Brown currently stars in NBC’s Emmy and Golden Globe nominated drama series THIS IS US. For his role as Randall Pearson, Brown has received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as four consecutive nominations in the category. He also received a Golden Globe Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series,’ becoming the first African American actor to win his category in the award show’s 75-year history. Additionally, Brown made history by becoming the first African American actor to receive the SAG Award for Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama.

He has also received two SAG awards alongside his cast for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, as well as the African American Film Critics Association ‘Best Actor’ award for two consecutive years. In 2018, Brown was included in TIME magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

Sterling knew acting was his calling when he was a freshman in high school and performed in the musical Godspell. After three nights of standing ovations, Sterling – who had previously devoted all his time to athletics – fell in love with performing, although he didn’t think it was practical to pursue acting professionally. However, after two years of studying economics at Stanford University, he switched his major to drama.

While attending grad school at NYU, Sterling met his wife, actress Ryan Michelle Bathe, when the two performed together in the play, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

He moved to Los Angeles for pilot season, and after a few years he booked a spot on the TV show Army Wives. From there, he appeared in more shows, including brief stints on ER, Without a Trace and Third Watch. He had a recurring role on the comedy Starved and the fantasy-horror show, Supernatural, as vampire hunter Gordon Walker.

He appeared in a few movies early in his career, including Stay (2005) starring Ewan McGregor and Trust the Man (2005) with Julianne Moore.

In 2016, Sterling starred in the FX miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story as prosecutor Christopher Darden. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance.

His biggest break to date was his starring role in the TV drama series, This is Us, in which he plays Randall Pearson, whose estranged biological father suddenly returns to his life years after abandoning him as a baby. Sterling prepared for the role by considering his own parental loss: “I really got in tune with who my dad was for me, and how special the bond was that we shared with one another. Then, I got myself in tune with the absence of that and what that does to a person.” 

His powerful performance has broken new ground in Hollywood accolades, as he was the first African-American actor to win a Screen Actors Guild Award in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series category. He also won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with the rest of his This is Us cast.

Also in 2018, Brown co-starred in Marvel’s Academy Award winning film BLACK PANTHER. The blockbuster broke worldwide box office records in its release, with Brown earning a SAG Award alongside the ensemble cast. Brown also led the cast of Fox’s sci-fi thriller THE PREDATOR and starred in the action film HOTEL ARTEMIS, alongside Jodie Foster and Brian Tyree Henry. In 2017, Brown co-starred in the drama MARSHALL, receiving an NAACP Image Award nomination for his performance. In 2016, Brown co-starred alongside Tina Fey in Paramount’s WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT. Additional film credits include THE RHYTHM SECTION, ANGRY BIRDS 2, OUR IDIOT BROTHER, THE SUSPECT, RIGHTEOUS KILL, TRUST THE MAN and SPACEMAN.

Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Stanford University, before receiving his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.