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McKinley Belcher III

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McKinley Belcher III
Born
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Education
OccupationActor
Years active2010–present
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Spouse
Blake Fox
​
(m. 2023)​

McKinley Belcher III is an American actor, known for his starring role as Samuel Diggs in the PBS television series Mercy Street,[1] Anthony Carter in the Fox genre drama The Passage, and as Agent Trevor Evans in Netflix crime thriller Ozark.[2]

Early life and education

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McKinley Belcher was born in Atlanta, Georgia at Grady Memorial Hospital, the first son of McKinley Belcher Jr. and Pamela McGhee Belcher.[3]

The family later moved to Powder Springs, where he attended elementary and middle school. Belcher graduated from Campbell High School in Smyrna, Georgia, in 2002, where he was in the International Baccalaureate program and ran track and cross country.[4]

He went to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and graduated in 2006 with a B.A. in Communication Studies and Political Science.[4] At Belmont he competed on the Speech and Debate Team, winning awards as a debater and individual speaker.[5] He subsequently went to USC School of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, where he won the Ava Greenwald Memorial Award and graduated in 2010 with an MFA in Acting.[6]

Career

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Theatre

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Belcher appeared Off-Broadway in Romeo and Juliet at Classic Stage Company in 2013. In 2016 he won a Drama Desk Award for his performance as amateur boxer Fish in the ensemble of Marco Ramirez's The Royale at Lincoln Center, directed by Rachel Chavkin. He also appeared as Sam in Darko Tresnjak's 2015 world premiere production of Rear Window at Hartford Stage, alongside Kevin Bacon.[7]

Belcher played the dual roles of Teddy and Nicholas in the world premiere of Ken Urban's A Guide for the Homesick at the Huntington Theatre Company in 2017, winning both an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actor and an IRNE Award for Best Actor. In 2019 Belcher played Rashad in MCC's off-Broadway production of The Light, for which he was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play.[8]

In 2020, Belcher made his Broadway debut as Private Louis Henson (a role originated by Samuel L. Jackson off-Broadway) in the Broadway premiere of A Soldier's Play at the Roundabout Theatre Company.[9] He made history as Happy Loman in the 2022-2023 Broadway production of Death of a Salesman, featuring the first African-American Loman family on Broadway alongside Wendell Pierce, Sharon D. Clarke, Khris Davis and André De Shields.[10]

Film and television

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Belcher made his film debut in John Sayles' 2013 independent film Go for Sisters, playing Lisa Gay Hamilton's son Rodney.[11]

In 2015 he appeared in David Simon's HBO mini-series Show Me a Hero as LaTanya Richardson Jackson's son Dwayne Meeks, directed by Paul Haggis. Belcher had his first experience as a series regular as Samuel Diggs in two seasons of PBS's Ridley Scott-produced Civil War drama Mercy Street. His character, Samuel, is a free man who works as a laborer, but harbors secret knowledge and ability in medicine.[12][13]

In 2018 he was cast as Anthony Carter in Fox's drama The Passage, based on Justin Cronin's novel by the same name.[14]

Belcher worked with David Simon again, in HBO's 2022 limited series We Own This City, playing real-life BPD veteran and Gun Trace Task Force officer Momodu Gondo. In 2022, Belcher also joined the cast of Netflix's live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga One Piece as Arlong.[citation needed]

In 2024 he played a leading role as police officer Michael Ledroit in the Netflix drama miniseries Eric.[15]

Personal life

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Belcher married artist Blake Fox on January 17, 2023, in Hoboken, NJ in a wedding that was officiated by Belcher's Death of a Salesman co-star André De Shields.[16][17]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Go for Sisters Rodney
2018 Mapplethorpe Milton Moore
Trial By Fire Ponchai
2019 The Art of Racing in the Rain Mark Finn
Marriage Story Lighting Designer
2022 Eraser: Reborn Paul Whitlock

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2010 Law & Order: Los Angeles Timmy Lutz Episode: "Hondo Field"
2011 Rizzoli & Isles Pvt. Lawrence Episode: "We Don't Need Another Hero"
2012 Louie Gravedigger #1 Episode: "Barney/Never"
2014 Elementary Reeling Detective Episode: "Enough Nemesis to Go Around"
2014–2017 Power Marcus 4 episodes
2015 Madam Secretary Officer Wilson Episode: "Chains of Command"
Chicago PD Aubrey Carrington Episode: "What Do You Do"
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Bryce Episode: "Kimmy Goes Outside!"
Show Me a Hero Dwayne Meeks 5 episodes
2016–2017 Mercy Street Samuel Diggs 12 episodes
2017–2022 Ozark Agent Trevor Evans 16 episodes
2019 The Passage Anthony Carter 10 episodes
2020 The Good Lord Bird Broadnax 6 episodes
2021 FBI Ben Harris Episode: "Clean Slate"
2022 We Own This City Det Momodu "G Money" Gondo 6 episodes
2023 One Piece Arlong 4 episodes
2024 Eric Michael Ledroit Miniseries
2025 Zero Day Carl Otieno In production

References

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  1. ^ Marshall, Miles. "'Mercy Street' Stars Patina Miller and McKinley Belcher III On The Show". Essence.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Alumnus Featured in 'Garden & Gun' Magazine". Belmont University News & Media. November 23, 2016. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Rodney Ho (January 13, 2016). "Atlanta native McKinley Belcher III stars in new PBS Civil War drama 'Mercy Street' debuting January 17 | Radio and TV Talk". Radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Rodney Ho (January 23, 2017). "Atlanta native McKinley Belcher III ('Mercy Street') visits Campbell High School | Radio and TV Talk". Radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. ^ "The Next Stage with McKinley Belcher III – Garden & Gun". Garden & Gun. December 27, 2016. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  6. ^ "On the road of success · School of Dramatic Arts · USC". dramaticarts.usc.edu. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  7. ^ "Meet McKinley Belcher - Rear Window Stagenotes". Hartford Stage. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Soloski, Alexis (February 11, 2019). "Review: 'The Light,' an Unexpected Mix of #MeToo and Rom-Com". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  9. ^ Rooney, David (January 21, 2020). "'A Soldier's Play': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Evans, Greg (June 27, 2022). "'Ozark' Actor McKinley Belcher III Joins Broadway's 'Death Of A Salesman' Revival". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Debruge, Peter (March 13, 2013). "SXSW Review: 'Go for Sisters'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  12. ^ "Samuel Diggs | Cast & Characters of Mercy Street". Samuel Diggs | Cast & Characters of Mercy Street. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "Q&A With Mercy Street's McKinley Belcher III". KCTS 9 - Public Television. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  14. ^ Roots, Kimberly (October 19, 2018). "The Passage Adds Jennifer Ferrin and James Le Gros, Casts Sister Lacey". TVLine. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Otterson, Joe (February 3, 2023). "Benedict Cumberbatch-Led Netflix Limited Series 'Eric' Rounds Out Main Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  16. ^ "Death of a Salesman's McKinley Belcher III to Marry Boyfriend Blake Fox; Andre de Shields Will Officiate". Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  17. ^ "Andre de Shields on Instagram: "Congratulates McKinley Belcher III and Blake Fox. What a joy to officiate your nuptials. Photo by @liachangphotography"". Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
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