Boris Kodjoe

Born Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe in Vienna, Austria, on March 8, 1973, Kodjoe’s early life was marked by diverse cultural influences, with a German psychologist mother of Jewish descent and a Ghanaian physician father. Fluent in German, English, and French, with some Spanish, he grew up in Gundelfingen, Germany, after his parents divorced when he was six. Kodjoe attended Virginia Commonwealth University on a tennis scholarship, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1996. A back injury concluded his tennis career, leading him to pursue modeling. He quickly gained recognition in the fashion industry, appearing in campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis, and GAP, and was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in 2002.

Kodjoe transitioned from a successful modeling career into acting, making his film debut in the 2000 film “Love & Basketball.” His breakthrough television role came as sports-courier agent Damon Carter in the Showtime drama series “Soul Food,” which aired from 2000 to 2004, earning him three NAACP Image Award nominations. He continued to build his filmography with roles in “Brown Sugar” (2002), “The Gospel” (2005), and as General Dix Hauser in “Starship Troopers 3: Marauder” (2008). Significant turns include “Surrogates” (2009) alongside Bruce Willis, and his recurring role as Luther West in the “Resident Evil” film series, appearing in “Resident Evil: Afterlife” (2010) and “Resident Evil: Retribution” (2012).

His television career saw continued progression with lead roles in the J.J. Abrams-produced NBC series “Undercovers” (2010) and a recurring role as Philip Stacy “Phil” Miller on Fox’s “The Last Man on Earth” (2015–2016). From 2016 to 2018, Kodjoe was an ensemble cast member in the CBS medical drama “Code Black” as surgeon Dr. Will Campbell for 33 episodes. He joined the “Grey’s Anatomy” spin-off series “Station 19” in 2018, initially in a recurring capacity, before being promoted to a series regular as Battalion Chief Robert Sullivan, a role he maintained for 95 episodes until 2024. In addition to acting, Kodjoe has also taken on producing and directing roles, including co-executive producer for the upcoming “Untitled Novak Djokovic Series” (2025) and directing episodes of “Station 19” (2024) and “Safe Space” (2022). With his wife, Nicole Ari Parker, he co-founded the Kodjoe Family Foundation (originally Sophie’s Voice Foundation) in 2008.