Wesam Keesh

Wesam Keesh proved himself to be a capable character actor in a diverse array of roles on television, from a mysterious high school student on "Awkward" (MTV, 2011-16) to a fresh-faced lawyer on the Shonda Rhimes-produced "For the People" (ABC, 2018- ). Raised by restaurant owners in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Keesh developed an interest in acting after being cast in an eighth-grade production of "Li'l Abner," and subsequently participated in numerous variety shows. He studied theater and acting at Tulsa University and at a summer program at Imperial College in London, England, before heading west to Los Angeles after graduation in 2009. Once there, he found his breakout role in Kyle Cohen, the eccentric, possibly obsessed fan of Ashley Rickards' hapless high schooler on "Awkward," and worked consistently in guest roles on other series, including "NCIS" (CBS, 2003- ). In 2016, he was cast in the Fox pilot for "Zoobiquity," based on the 2012 non-fiction book that detailed the medical similarities between human and animal aliments. The project did not progress to a series, but Keesh was soon on board as a series regular on "For the People," a legal drama produced by Shonda Rhimes for her Shondaland shingle. Keesh played Jay Simmons, a new law school graduate gaining his first experience as a public defender in a New York district court.