Derek Phillips

Derek Phillips was born in Miami, Florida, on April 18, 1976. He pursued his passion for acting by earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Baylor University. Following his graduation, Phillips relocated to New York to commence his professional acting career. His early work included extensive experience in regional theater, where he performed in numerous plays across the United States. Notable stage appearances include “The Winter’s Tale” at Baltimore Center Stage, “Of Mice and Men” at Dallas Theater Center, “The Glass Menagerie” at Virginia Stage Company, and “King o’ The Moon” at Capital Repertory Theatre. He further honed his skills with recurring roles in television soap operas such as “The Guiding Light,” “As the World Turns,” and “All My Children.”

Phillips achieved a significant career milestone with his role as Billy Riggins in the critically acclaimed NBC television series “Friday Night Lights,” a role he maintained from 2006 to 2011 across 60 episodes. This part provided him with substantial exposure and critical recognition. Concurrently, he became an associate producer, assistant director, and resident actor for the Second Thought Theatre, an award-winning ensemble-based company. His work with this company includes performances in the regional premiere of Eric Bogosian’s “Humpty Dumpty,” Douglas Post’s “Earth and Sky,” and the world premiere of Steven Walters’ “Pluck the Day.” After “Friday Night Lights,” Phillips diversified his acting portfolio, particularly excelling in voice and motion capture work for video games.

His contributions to the gaming industry include roles in titles like “Dishonored” (2012), “The Last of Us” (2013), “Life Is Strange” (2015), “Battlefield Hardline” (2015), “Fallout 4” (2015), and “Rise of the Tomb Raider” (2015). A notable achievement in this area was his voice and motion capture performance as Jerry Anderson in “The Last of Us Part II” (2020), a role that garnered significant attention. Phillips also voices Heron in the Netflix animated series “Blood of Zeus” (2020–2025). He continued his voice acting work in games like “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War” (2020), “Call of Duty: Vanguard” (2021), and “Mortal Kombat 1” (2023) as Reiko. In addition to his acting commitments, Phillips co-hosts the “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” podcast, a rewatch podcast for “Friday Night Lights,” alongside Stacey Oristano, where they discuss the show and engage with fans.