Kendrick Sampson

Kendrick Sampson was born on March 8, 1988, in Houston, Texas. He developed an early interest in acting after seeing a Gap commercial at age 10 and began performing in theater productions while attending Elkins High School. Sampson pursued his acting career, appearing in television shows such as “Greek” in 2008 and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” in 2010. His career progressed 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. These early roles established his presence in the television industry, leading to more significant opportunities.

Sampson gained wider recognition with his role as Caleb Hapstall in the second season of ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder” from 2015 to 2016. He further expanded his filmography with appearances in “The Flash” (2017-2018), playing Dominic Lanse/Brainstorm, and a recurring role as Nathan Campbell in Issa Rae’s HBO series “Insecure” from 2018 to 2021, which later became a main cast role in seasons 4 and 5. In film, he starred as Ronnie in “Miss Juneteenth” (2020) and Ethan Greene in “Something from Tiffany’s” (2022). Beyond acting, Sampson is actively involved in social justice, co-founding BLD PWR in May 2019, an organization focused on new development, empowerment, and change within marginalized groups. He has used his platform to support movements such as Black Lives Matter, participated in protests, and advocated for criminal justice reform, including collaborations with JusticeLA for public service announcements regarding conditions in Los Angeles County Jails during the COVID-19 pandemic.