Michael Ealy

Michael Brown (born August 3, 1973), professionally known as Michael Ealy, was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended Springbrook High School and the University of Maryland, College Park. Ealy began his acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several off-Broadway stage productions. Among his early film roles were *Bad Company* and *Kissing Jessica Stein*. His breakout role came in 2002's *Barbershop*, where he played reformed street thug Ricky Nash, a character he reprised in the 2004 sequel, *Barbershop 2: Back in Business*. In 2003, he appeared as Slap Jack in the second installment of the *Fast and the Furious* film series, *2 Fast 2 Furious*. Later in 2004, Ealy appeared in *Never Die Alone* with DMX. In 2005, he 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. The same year, he starred in the independent film *Jellysmoke*, directed by Mark Banning. He starred in the Showtime television series *Sleeper Cell* and *Sleeper Cell: American Terror*. On December 14, 2006, Ealy was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in *Sleeper Cell: American Terror* in the category Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. In December 2008, he was featured in the movie *Seven Pounds* alongside Will Smith as Ben Thomas. He also starred as CIA Field Officer Marshall Vogel in the ABC television series *FlashForward*. In 2010, Ealy starred in the action-thriller *Takers* and in the drama *For Colored Girls*. Also in 2010, Ealy signed on to play attorney Derrick Bond in the TV series *The Good Wife*.