Proof that good looks alone aren't everything, this strikingly gorgeous actor spent a number of years toiling in an off-Broadway theater before snagging his breakthrough role as an ex-con trying to go straight in the 2002 comedy
Barbershop. Although he subsequently appeared in a string of movies, including the
Barbershop sequel, action flicks
2 Fast 2 Furious and
Never Die Alone, and
Seven Pounds, TV is where Ealy proved he was much more than a pretty face. He seduced audiences---not to mention his leading lady, Halle Berry---as a sexy but troubled drifter in the 2005 TV-movie
Their Eyes Were Watching God, and then struck fear in viewers' hearts as a Muslim FBI agent who infiltrates a terrorist group in the miniseries
Sleeper Cell. Showtime bought the program back in 2006, and Ealy earned a Golden Globe nod for his riveting performance. In 2009, he was cast as a CIA agent in ABC's sci-fi thriller
FlashFoward, which garnered generally favorable reviews and a devoted fan base but was canceled after one season. Ealy announced a return to Showtime in 2010 when he signed on to play a love interest for Natascha McElhone's character in a multi-episode arc on the fourth season of
Californication.
Michael Ealy Fast Facts:
- Got his start acting in off-Broadway plays.
- Named one of the Sexiest Men Alive by People magazine in 2002.
- Played the love interest in music videos for Mariah Carey ("Get Your Number") and Beyoncé ("Halo").
- Appeared in the 2009 documentary The People Speak, a history of American democracy that focuses on the experiences of everyday people.
- Michael Ealy Relationships:
- Halle Berry - Ex-significant Other
- Khatira Rafiqzada - Wife
- Michael Ealy Awards:
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- College:
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD (BA in English, 1996)