Artel Great facts for kids

Artel J. Great (born September 11, 1981), also known as Artel Kayàru, is an American actor and filmmaker. He is well-known for playing the character Rodney in the 2002 movie Dahmer.

About Artel Great

Early Life and Family

Artel Great was born and grew up in Chicago, a big city in Illinois. He was born on September 11, 1981.

He got married in 2016.

Becoming an Actor

Artel Great moved to Los Angeles to start his acting career. He quickly got roles in movies like Light It Up in 1999 and Save the Last Dance in 2001.

Famous Roles

One of Artel's most notable roles was playing Rodney in the 2002 film Dahmer. This character was very important in the story. For his strong acting in this movie, Artel was nominated for a special award. It was called the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. He was recognized for his amazing first big role.

Other Movies

Artel worked with the same director again in the movie Down in the Valley in 2005. He also appeared in a TV movie that year called Their Eyes Were Watching God. Later, in 2009, he was in the film The Soloist.

Beyond Acting: Education and Teaching

Artel Great is not just an actor; he is also very smart and educated. On June 11, 2010, he graduated with top honors from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. "Summa cum laude" means he finished with the highest possible grades.

He continued his studies and earned a master's degree (MA) at UCLA. He is also working towards his PhD at New York University. In 2014, he was chosen as a special researcher at the Cinema Research Institute. This institute is part of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Artel also created an app called Project Catalyst. He developed this app at the New York University Cinema Research Institute.

Starting in 2019, Artel Great worked as a professor. He taught film studies at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. As of 2023, he teaches about African-American cinema at San Francisco State University.

Movies Artel Great Has Been In

Here are some of the movies Artel Great has appeared in:

• Save the Last Dance (2001)
• Dahmer (2002)
• Down in the Valley (2005)
• The Alibi (2006)
• Heavens Fall (2006)
• The Soloist (2009)