Jay Ellis

Wendell Ramone “Jay” Ellis Jr. was born on December 27, 1981, in Sumter, South Carolina. The majority of his childhood was spent relocating due to his father’s military service in the Air Force, while his mother worked as a finance executive. Ellis attended 12 different schools over 13 years before earning a Suma Cum Laude degree from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. During his time at Concordia, he excelled academically, served as student body president, and was a prominent member of the basketball team. Following his academic career, Ellis completed an internship with the Portland Trail Blazers and dedicated time to AmeriCorps, providing support and resources to underserved students in Portland.

Ellis transitioned to acting, initially pursuing modeling with Portland-based sportswear companies including Nike, Adidas, and Columbia Sportswear. In 2005, he moved to Los Angeles to fully commit to his acting career, securing early roles in television series such as ‘Invasion’ and ‘Related.’ His career gained momentum with appearances in popular shows like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ (2011), ‘NCIS’ (2011), and ‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2012). A significant turning point came in 2013 when he landed his first major role as Bryce “Blueprint” Westbrook in the BET series ‘The Game,’ appearing in 45 episodes until 2015.

His role as Martin “Lawrence” Walker on the HBO comedy series ‘Insecure’ (2016–2021) brought him widespread recognition and earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2018. Ellis further expanded his filmography with notable roles in ‘Escape Room’ (2019) and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022) as Lieutenant Reuben “Payback” Fitch. Beyond acting, Ellis is also a producer, with executive producer credits on projects like ‘Black Box’ (2020) and ‘All the Single Ladies’ (2022–2023). In 2020, he began hosting ‘The Untold Story: Policing’ podcast, which investigates police union contracts and misconduct.