Known as the face of the Old Spice commercials, Isaiah Mustafa rose to fame as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” Now, he’s a prominent actor across television and film, nabbing main roles in the blockbuster hit, It Chapter Two, as well as the Freeform series, Shadowhunters, based off The Mortal Instruments books.
Before Mustafa worked onscreen, he was on his way to a successful football career. During his time as a wide receiver at Arizona State University, his team was undefeated and even made it all the way to the Rose Bowl. He spent the next four years on NFL practice squads for teams such as the Tennessee Oilers, Barcelona Dragons, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and the Seattle Seahawks.
Yet Mustafa’s main interest was acting, and in 2010, he signed a contract with NBC and appeared as Officer Wilkins in the movie, Horrible Bosses. That same year, he landed his first commercial with Old Spice, which became so popular, it inspired a series of ad campaigns starring Mustafa. His Old Spice debut has nearly 60 million views on YouTube, to date. With a seductive role like this, it’s no wonder People Magazine named him one of the “Most Beautiful People” of 2010.
After establishing himself as an actor, Mustafa landed the part of Luke Garroway on Shadowhunters, starring in over 50 episodes. Additionally, he appeared in the Tyler Perry film, Madea’s Big Happy Family, which Perry offered Mustafa on-air during an episode of Oprah. Additionally, he played the grown-up version of Mike in Stephen King’s It Chapter Two. With over forty acting credits to date, he’s guest-starred in countless hit shows like Ugly Betty, Days of Our Lives, and Chuck, to name a few. He’s even done voiceover work for the videogame, Gears of War 3.