Morris Chestnut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Morris Chestnut
Chestnut at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010
Born	Morris Lamont Chestnut (1969-01-01) January 1, 1969 (age 56) Cerritos, California, U.S.
Education	California State University, Northridge
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Pam Byse-Chestnut ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	2

Morris Lamont Chestnut, born on January 1, 1969, is a well-known American actor. He became famous for playing Ricky in the 1991 movie Boyz n the Hood. He has also appeared in many other films, including G.I. Jane, The Brothers, Like Mike, and The Game Plan.

He is also well-known for his role as Lance Sullivan in The Best Man and its sequels, The Best Man Holiday and The Best Man: The Final Chapters. On television, he has starred in shows like V, Nurse Jackie, Rosewood, and The Resident. He currently plays the main character in the CBS drama series Watson.

Morris Chestnut has been nominated for six NAACP Image Awards, winning two of them. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is a special honor for actors.

About Morris Chestnut's Early Life

Morris Chestnut was born on January 1, 1969, in Cerritos, California. His parents are Morris and Shirley Chestnut. His mother was a teacher, and his father worked as a medical salesman.

He studied finance and drama at California State University, Northridge. Before becoming an actor, Chestnut worked as a bank teller.

Morris Chestnut's Acting Career

Morris Chestnut's first acting job was in a TV show called Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series in 1990. His first big movie role was as Ricky Baker in Boyz n the Hood in 1991. This movie helped him become very well-known.

He then appeared in several TV movies, including the Disney Channel film The Ernest Green Story. In this movie, he played Ernest Green, a real-life hero. Chestnut also had roles in bigger movies like Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) with Steven Seagal and G.I. Jane (1997) with Demi Moore.

Starring in The Best Man and Other Films

In 1999, Chestnut starred in The Best Man. He played Lance Sullivan, a professional football player. The movie was very popular and received good reviews. His performance earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination.

He played another football player in Disney's The Game Plan (2007), alongside Dwayne Johnson. Chestnut also starred in The Brothers (2001), a film about young Black professionals. In 2002, he played basketball player Tracey Reynolds in the movie Like Mike. In 2004, he was a firefighter named Tommy Drake in Ladder 49.

Chestnut has worked with actor Steven Seagal three times. He appeared in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995), Half Past Dead (2002), and Prince of Pistols (2008).

In 2013, he was in four movies: Identity Thief, The Call, Kick-Ass 2, and The Best Man Holiday. In The Best Man Holiday, he played Lance Sullivan again and received another NAACP Image Award nomination. More recently, he appeared in films like The Perfect Guy (2015) and When the Bough Breaks (2016).

Morris Chestnut's Television Roles

In recent years, Morris Chestnut has done a lot of work in television. From 2009 to 2011, he starred in the ABC science fiction show V. In 2011, he had a recurring role in the first season of American Horror Story.

In 2013, he joined the cast of Showtime's medical show Nurse Jackie. He played Dr. Ike Prentiss for two seasons and won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role. He also co-starred in the TNT crime drama Legends.

From 2015 to 2017, Chestnut played the main character, Dr. Beaumont "Rosie" Rosewood Jr., in the Fox crime show Rosewood. He received another NAACP Image nomination for this role.

He also had main roles in the second season of Prime Video's Goliath and NBC's The Enemy Within. From 2019 to 2021, he played Dr. Barrett Cain in the Fox medical drama The Resident.

In 2022, he played Lance Sullivan again in the Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters, winning his second NAACP Image Award. Since 2023, he has hosted the OWN show Rebuilding Black Wall Street. In 2024, he starred in the BET+ mystery show Diarra from Detroit and joined the cast of Hulu's Reasonable Doubt.

In 2025, Chestnut began starring in the CBS medical-mystery series Watson. He plays Dr. Watson from the famous Sherlock Holmes stories.

Morris Chestnut's Personal Life and Other Work

Morris Chestnut has been married to Pam Byse-Chestnut since 1995. They have two children, a son named Grant and a daughter named Paige. Chestnut was raised in the Baptist church and is a practicing Christian.

In 1998, Chestnut won the annual Madden Bowl video game competition. To get ready for his role as a football player in The Best Man Holiday, he worked with a fitness trainer. This experience inspired him to write a health and fitness book called The Cut with Obi Obadike. The book was published on April 18, 2017.

In March 2022, Morris Chestnut received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is a special honor that celebrates his career.

In 2024, Chestnut teamed up with The Best Man director Malcolm D. Lee and co-stars Harold Perrineau and Taye Diggs to create a spirits brand called Sable Bourbon. On December 9, 2024, Chestnut and actress Mindy Kaling announced the nominations for the 82nd Golden Globe Awards.

Filmography

Film

Television

Key

Denotes series/miniseries that have not yet been released

Music videos

Theatrical Performances

• Love In The Nick of Tyme (2007)
• What My Husband Doesn't Know (2011)
• The Nutcracker (2013)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Morris Chestnut para niños