McKinley Freeman facts for kids

McKinley Freeman (born June 9, 1976) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles in popular TV shows. These include playing Derek Roman in Hit the Floor. He also played Dominic in the OWN's drama series Queen Sugar. More recently, he played Lewis in Hulu's Reasonable Doubt.

Early Life and First Steps

Freeman studied finance at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. In 2004, he was working as a Business Development Manager at IBM. During this time, he tried out for the TV show All My Children. He got the part, which started his acting career.

Acting Career Highlights

After his first role on All My Children, McKinley Freeman appeared in many other TV shows. These include popular dramas like ER, CSI: Miami, and Criminal Minds.

In 2007, he acted in the comedy movie Delta Farce. By 2009, he became a regular on the ABC series Samantha Who?, playing Tony Dane. He also took on roles in soap operas such as Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.

A big role for Freeman came in 2013. He became a main character, Derek Roman, in the drama series Hit the Floor. After three seasons, he moved on to other shows. He became a regular on Daytime Divas and If Loving You Is Wrong.

More recently, he has been seen in Queen Sugar and Reasonable Doubt.

Personal Life and Hobbies

McKinley Freeman stays active and healthy. He enjoys different types of boxing, kickboxing, and martial arts. Some of these include Bojuka, Jeet Kune Do, and Muay Thai.

He also cares about helping others. He works with organizations like the Covenant House and the Boys & Girls Club of America. He uses his basketball skills to help children through these programs.

Awards and Recognition