Morris Chestnut

Morris Lamont Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as NBA star Tracy Reynolds in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan Nichols in the TV series V (2009).

His first professional acting role was as Jadon in Freddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series in the episode "A Family Affair" (season 2, episode 19) which aired on February 18, 1990.

His first feature film role was as Ricky Baker in Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed with roles in various TV movies. Chestnut also played a role on Patti LaBelle's short-lived sitcom Out All Night. His career continued to rise steadily with co-starring roles in standard big-budget studio films like Under Siege 2 (1995) and G.I. Jane (1997). In 1998, he won the annual Madden Bowl video game competition.

In 1999, he starred in The Best Man with Taye Diggs and Nia Long in which he played a professional football player on the eve of his wedding. He reprised his role in Best Man Holiday. For both of his performances, he earned NAACP Image Award nominations. He then starred in The Brothers (2001), another film centering on the themes of fidelity and success among urban professionals. He has worked with Steven Seagal three times in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Half Past Dead and Prince of Pistols.

He starred In Two Can Play That Game (2001), Breakin' All the Rules (2004), and Ladder 49 (2004). He again played a football player in The Game Plan (2007). He produced and starred in the film Not Easily Broken (2009). He starred as Ryan Nichols in the TV series reboot of V (2009). He then appeared in the films Think Like a Man (2012), and, in 2013, the films Identity Thief, Kick-Ass 2, and The Call.

In 2013, he joined the cast of HBO's Nurse Jackie, playing war veteran Dr. Ike Prentiss. The following year, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2015, Morris Chestnut played Derrick Dog Prince in the movie Heist; and People magazine named him as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2015. He then starred in the films The Perfect Guy (2016) and When the Bough Breaks (2017).

He played the lead role of pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. in the series Rosewood, receiving another NAACP image Award nomination. He had recurring roles in the TV series Legends, The Enemy Within, and Our Kind of People. He had a starring guest role on the medical drama The Resident.

Filmography (74 Appearances)

Unsung Hollywood

TBA

Number One on the Call Sheet

2025

Watson

2025

Diarra from Detroit

2024

After Midnight

2024

Rebuilding Black Wall Street

2023

The Best Man: The Final Chapters

2022

Halloween in Hollywood

2022

Reasonable Doubt

2022

Sherri

2022

The Jennifer Hudson Show

2022

Our Kind of People

2021

Saving OurSelves: BET COVID-19 Relief Effort

2020

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019

The Enemy Within

2019

All American

2018

The Resident

2018

Girls Trip

2017

Goliath

2016

When the Bough Breaks

2016

Heist

2015

Rosewood

2015

The Perfect Guy

2015

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015

Legends

2014

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014

The Best Man Holiday

2013

Kick-Ass 2

2013

The Call

2013

Identity Thief

2013

Think Like a Man

2012

American Horror Story

2011

The Enduring Significance of 'Boyz n the Hood'

2011

Love in the Nick of Tyme

2009

V

2009

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

2009

Not Easily Broken

2009

The Wendy Williams Show

2008

The Prince of Motor City

2008

The Perfect Holiday

2007

The Game Plan

2007

The N Word

2006

Bones

2005

The Cave

2005

American Dad!

2005

Ladder 49

2004

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

2004

Breakin' All the Rules

2004

Friendly Fire: Making of an Urban Legend

2003

Confidence

2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

2003

Half Past Dead

2002

Like Mike

2002

Scenes of the Crime

2002

The Killing Yard

2001

Two Can Play That Game

2001

The Brothers

2001

The Best Man

1999

C-16: FBI

1997

G.I. Jane

1997

The Daily Show

1996

Firehouse

1996

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

1995

Higher Learning

1995

ER

1994

The Inkwell

1994

Living Single

1993

The Ernest Green Story

1993

In the Line of Duty: Street War

1992

Out All Night

1992

The Last Boy Scout

1991

Boyz n the Hood

1991 Debut

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

1988
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