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Michael Ealy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michael Ealy | |
 Michael Ealy as Ricky Nash in Barbershop 2: Back in Business |
|
| Birth name | Michael Brown |
| Born | August 3, 1973 (age 33) Silver Spring, Maryland,  United States |
| Notable roles | Ricky Nash in Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business Tea Cake in Their Eyes Were Watching God Darwyn Al-Sayeed in Sleeper Cell |
Michael Ealy (born Michael Brown on August 3, 1973 in Silver Spring, Maryland) is an American actor.
Ealy grew up in the suburban Maryland neighborhood of Stonegate. He attended Springbrook High School and the University of Maryland, College Park. Ealy started his acting career in the late-1990s, appearing in a number of off-Broadway stage productions. Among his first film roles were Fast Company and Kissing Jessica Stein. His breakout role came in 2002's Barbershop, in which he plays reformed street thug Ricky Nash. He reprised the role in the 2004 sequel, Barbershop 2: Back in Business. Later in 2004, Ealy appeared in Never Die Alone with DMX. He also appeared in Mariah Carey's music video for her hit single "Get Your Number" from her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi.
In 2005, Ealy co-starred in the telefilm version of Their Eyes Were Watching God, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones, and starring Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry. He starred in the Showtime television series Sleeper Cell, the first season of which aired from December 4-18, 2005, and the second season, Sleeper Cell: American Terror, which aired December 10-17, 2006.
On December 14, 2006, Ealy was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in the Showtime television series, Sleeper Cell: American Terror in the category: Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Known for his charming looks and deep personality, Michael Ealy blessed the movie screen with his role in Barbershop (2002). When he left Silver Spring, Maryland, with a degree in English, he headed off to New York. From there he performed in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway hits "Joe Fearless" and "Whoa-Jack". He's appeared in Showtime's Soul Food, on NBC's Law & Order and ER and the ABC sitcom Madigan Men.
When he moved to Los Angeles, he landed a lead role in "Barbershop" after a friend informed him about it. In addition, he appeared in Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Company (2002), directed by Joel Schumacher. The natural, blue-eyed actor can be seen in HBO's Baseball Wives (2002) (TV).