Kendrick Sampson

Kendrick Sampson established his presence in television with early roles including appearances in ‘Greek’ in 2008 and ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ in 2010. His career trajectory continued upward with a recurring role as Jesse in the fifth season of The CW series ‘The Vampire Diaries’ in 2013, followed by Dean Iverson in the Fox miniseries ‘Gracepoint’ in 2014. In 2014, Sampson also starred in Hayley Kiyoko’s music video for ‘This Side of Paradise’, further diversifying his early work in the entertainment industry. Sampson gained wider recognition with his significant recurring role as Caleb Hapstall in the second season of ABC’s hit series ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ from 2015 to 2016.

That same year, he notably appeared in Adele’s ‘I Drink Wine’ music video. Beyond his acting career, Sampson is a dedicated activist, co-founding BLD PWR in May 2019, an organization focused on new development, empowerment, and change within marginalized groups. He has leveraged his platform to advocate for social justice, support movements such as Black Lives Matter, and participate in protests, notably collaborating with JusticeLA for public service announcements regarding conditions in Los Angeles County Jails during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Most recently, Sampson appeared as Edwin Garrison in the Amazon Prime Video series ‘I’m a Virgo’ in 2023.

Looking ahead, he is in post-production for two highly anticipated film projects: ‘Killing Castro’, where he will portray Malcolm X for a scheduled 2025 release, and ‘Michael’, where he takes on the role of Quincy Jones, set for release in 2026. These upcoming roles further highlight his range and continued prominence in both television and film.