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Jay Ellis

Highest Rated: 96% Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Lowest Rated: 51% Escape Room (2019)

Birthday: Dec 27, 1981

Birthplace: Sumter, South Carolina, USA

Jay Ellis was an American actor who was best known for his recurring roles on the television shows "The Game" (BET, 2006-2015) and "Insecure" (HBO, 2016- ). Born into a military family in Fort Sumter, South Carolina, Ellis traveled a lot as a young boy due to his father's career in the Air Force. Eventually, however, his family settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is where Ellis primarily grew up. He was an athletic child and excelled in sports throughout high school, primarily football. It was football that earned him a scholarship to Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. It was during his time at Concordia that Ellis embarked on a career in the entertainment business, first as a professional model and later as an actor. As a model he worked on campaigns for Nike's Air Jordan brand, and quickly found that he enjoyed being in front of the camera. That ease and comfort in front of the camera eventually led Ellis to pursue a career in Hollywood as a film and TV actor. He landed his first TV role in 2005, and by the early 2010s was landing guest spots on shows like "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005- ), "NCIS" (CBS, 2003- ), and "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS, 2005-2014). Then in 2013 Ellis nabbed his breakout TV role on the BET comedy-drama "The Game." Ellis appeared on 45 episodes of the series from 2013 to 2015. After his time on "The Game" ended in 2015, Ellis nabbed his next major film role on the HBO comedy "Insecure." The series was a critical hit when it debuted on the network in the fall of 2016.

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Highest rated movies

96% 99% Top Gun: Maverick Watchlist
86% Sue Bird: In the Clutch
Watchlist
86% 44% A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. Watchlist 73% The Gutter Watchlist 72% 65% Black Box Watchlist 69% 60% Somebody I Used To Know Watchlist
69% Freaky Tales
Watchlist
64% 39% In a Relationship Watchlist 51% 54% Escape Room Watchlist
75% Insecure: The End
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
73% No Score Yet The Gutter Unknown (Character) $10.5K 2024
86% No Score Yet Sue Bird: In the Clutch Executive Producer - 2024
69% No Score Yet Freaky Tales Unknown (Character) - 2024
69% 60% Somebody I Used To Know Sean (Character) - 2023
96% 99% Top Gun: Maverick Lt. Reuben "Payback" Fitch (Character) $718.5M 2022
No Score Yet 75% Insecure: The End Self - 2021
72% 65% Black Box Executive Producer - 2020
51% 54% Escape Room Jason Walker (Character) $57.0M 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Thirsty Young Man (Character) - 2019
64% 39% In a Relationship Dexter (Character) - 2018
86% 44% A Boy. A Girl. A Dream. Unknown (Character) - 2018
No Score Yet 95% Shortwave Robert (Character) - 2016
No Score Yet 91% Like Cotton Twines Micha Brown (Character) - 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Confessions 1st Kissed (Character) - 2016
No Score Yet 41% November Rule James Avedon (Character) - 2015
No Score Yet 41% Breaking Through Quinn (Character) - 2015
No Score Yet 50% My Favorite Five Jonathan Colburn (Character) - 2015
No Score Yet 65% Dear Secret Santa Brad (Character) - 2013

TV

Credit
No Score Yet 11% The View Guest 2024
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Jennifer Hudson Show Guest 2023
No Score Yet No Score Yet All the Single Ladies Executive Producer 2022-2023
No Score Yet 18% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2023
No Score Yet 54% The Kelly Clarkson Show Guest 2023
No Score Yet No Score Yet How Did They Build That? Host 2022
100% 78% Rap Sh!t Director 2022
No Score Yet 42% Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest 2017-2018 2021-2022
97% 82% Insecure Lawrence (Character),
Director
2016-2017 2020-2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hollywood Game Night Guest 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Desus & Mero Guest 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Desus & Mero Guest 2017
90% 87% Grace and Frankie Dan (Guest Star) 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Game Bryce "The Blueprint" Westbrooke/Blue (Character) 2011 2013-2015
84% 85% Masters of Sex Unknown (Guest Star) 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet 106 & Park Unknown (Character) 2014
No Score Yet 63% NCIS: Los Angeles Unknown (Guest Star) 2013
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wendy Williams Show Guest 2013
81% 88% Hart of Dixie Resident (Guest Star) 2012
No Score Yet 84% NCIS Marine Pfc. Thomas "Tommy" Hill (Guest Star) 2011
84% 72% Grey's Anatomy Unknown (Guest Star) 2011