Jay Ellis is an American film and television actor, producer, director, writer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Born in Sumter, South Carolina, Ellis spent the majority of his childhood traveling with his military family. His father completed over 15 years of service in the Air Force while his mother was an accomplished finance executive and former board member of the Consumer Advisory Council for the Federal.
Ellis graduated Summa Cum Laude at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon, where he also played basketball and held the position of student body president. He interned briefly with the Portland Trailblazers and also joined AmeriCorps to provide care and resources to disadvantaged students of Portland.
In 2004, Ellis made the move to Los Angeles to pursue his passion for acting before landing his first role on the BET series The Game (2013–2015), which ran for 147 episodes. Over the years, he has been featured on several critically acclaimed series such as Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, How I Met Your Mother, Hart of Dixie, NCIS: Los Angeles, Masters of Sex, Grace and Frankie, and Running Point. His role as Martin "Lawrence" Walker in the HBO series Insecure (2016–2021), earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Ellis also starred in the horror film Escape Room (2019) and appeared in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
In 2017, Ellis partnered with leading HIV/AIDS research organization, amfAR.
