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Daniel Ezra

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Daniel Ezra
Ezra in 2018
Born (1991-12-15) 15 December 1991 (age 32)
Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active2014–present

Daniel Ezra (born 15 December 1991)[1] is a British actor and director. He is best known for his role as Spencer James on the television series All American (2018–present).[2][3][4]

Early life

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Ezra was born in Birmingham, England.[5][6][7] Both his paternal and maternal grandparents were from Jamaica.[6] Growing up, he was a fan of Harry Potter, Philip Pullman books, and The Lord of the Rings.[8] He grew up playing basketball, but stopped sports when he began acting.[8] Ezra attended Great Barr School, now known as Fortis Academy in Great Barr, Birmingham. He went on to train at East 15 Acting School.[9]

Career

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Ezra was not interested in acting until he turned 16 when a teacher at school convinced him to take a role in a school production. On stage, Ezra appeared as Sebastian in Twelfth Night and was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award.[10][11][12] After making his screen debut in the 2014 television film Murdered by My Boyfriend, Ezra began appearing in BBC dramas, including Undercover and The Missing.[11][7] In 2018, Ezra had a recurring role in the British fantasy drama A Discovery of Witches.[8]

In March 2018, Ezra was cast in a leading role in the American sports drama series All American, which marked his U.S. acting debut and required him to use an American accent.[12][13][14][6] Once he learned that he had received the role, he spent as much time as he could in South Central Los Angeles and carried a football with him everywhere so that he could practice his accent and learn about the local culture.[6][5][15] His favorite rapper, Nipsey Hussle, was from Crenshaw, where the show takes place, so Ezra also studied every song and interview of Hussle as a way of practicing his American accent.[5][16] He did not have an accent coach.[16] In addition, Spencer Paysinger, the real-life football player on whom Ezra's character is based, drove Ezra and his costar Taye Diggs around his local neighborhood so that they could understand the neighborhood dynamics.[17] To prepare for the show, Ezra also watched the NFL Network constantly to learn about the rules of American football.[15] Ezra first realised the show was successful when he attempted to walk in Times Square and was recognised by fans who approached him.[18][19]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Murdered by My Boyfriend Joseph Television film
The Village Ghana Jones Episode: "2.1"
Precipice Hours Tim
Blood Cells Thom
2015 Vera Cameron Thorne Episode: "Shadows in the Sky"
No Offence Ajamu Episode: "1.6"
2016 Prey Alan Gill 2 episodes
Undercover Dan Johnson 6 episodes
The Missing Daniel Reed 5 episodes
2017 Prime Suspect 1973 DC Ashton 6 episodes
National Theatre Live: Twelfth Night Sebastian
2018–2022 A Discovery of Witches Nathaniel Wilson 10 episodes
2018–present All American Spencer James Main cast
2022 All American: Homecoming Episode: "We Need a Resolution"
The Smeds and the Smoos Bill Television film
2025 The Running Man TBA Filming

References

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  1. ^ "Happy Birthday, Daniel Ezra!". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Daniel Ezra on Individualised Lifestyle in Beverly Hills". News 18. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. ^ Stockly, Ed (17 February 2020). "What's on TV Monday, Feb. 17: 'All American' on The CW". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. ^ Roeper, Richard (28 March 2020). "Best sports TV shows". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Easter, Makeda (10 October 2018). "Ex-NFL player's life gets the Hollywood treatment in CW teen football drama 'All American'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d "Daniel Ezra Practiced His American Accent On & Off Set". E! News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b "British Actor Daniel Ezra Leads the CW'S New Football Series 'All American'". The British Blacklist. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Radish, Christina (30 January 2019). "Daniel Ezra on 'All American' Finding Its Voice & His Role in 'A Discovery of Witches'". Collider. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  9. ^ "2014 graduates of East 15 Acting School | University of Essex". www.east15.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  10. ^ Hewis, Ben (16 April 2018). "Sope Dirisu and Tamara Lawrance among nominees for Ian Charleson Award". What's On Stage. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b Peters, Fletcher (20 March 2020). "'All American' Cast Guide: Who's Who In The Hit Football Drama". Decider. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  12. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (21 March 2018). "Daniel Ezra Lands the Lead In Spencer Paysinger CW Pilot From Greg Berlanti". Deadline. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  13. ^ Miller, Bruce (20 October 2018). "All-Brit Daniel Ezra becomes 'All American' football star". Sioux City Journal.
  14. ^ Bentley, Rick (30 October 2018). "Small Screen: All American star Daniel Ezra actually British". Times Colonist.
  15. ^ a b Baumgartner, Scott (10 October 2018). "'All American' Star Daniel Ezra Talks Preparing For the Role and Relating To the Inspiring Story (Exclusive)". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  16. ^ a b "'All American' Star Daniel Ezra Addresses the CW Show's Future". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  17. ^ Gonzalez, Alden (17 October 2018). "An NFL player had an idea. Now it's a TV show with Taye Diggs". ESPN. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Taye Diggs & Daniel Ezra Didn't Realize "All American" Is So Popular. It was announced he would leave after All American after season 6". E! News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  19. ^ Piester, Lauren (7 October 2019). "How the All American Fandom Has Grown Since Season 1". E! News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
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