Francois Battiste

In 1977, Francois Battiste, the son of Kathryn Battiste of Munster, Ind., and Auggeretto Battiste of South Holland, Ill., was born in the United States and given the name Phillippe Francois Battiste, which he eventually shortened by dropping Phillippe. After making his way through high school, he chose to further his education at Illinois State University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree. After concluding his studies, Battiste pursued training at Oxford University, and he eventually earned a diploma in acting from Juilliard School in New York City. His first big break came in 2000, when he landed a role in the movie "One Week" (2000), giving him a platform to pursue his acting career. In 2009, Battiste found himself with a part in "The Good Negro" at the Public Theatre in New York City and went on to win the 2009 Obie Award for the role as well as receiving the 2009 Lucille Lortel nomination. When his professional life began to blossom, his personal life took on a major change when he married Shevawn Nicole Beacham on June 28, 2009. As 2009 was coming to a close, Battiste took on the role of Ennis King in "BROKE-OLOGY," performing at the Lincoln Center Theater. Although he has made appearances in episodes of different TV shows, he has also landed jobs in a few movies, including "A Long Walk" (2013) and "The Normal Heart" (2014).