Ethan Herisse

Ethan Herisse (born September 24, 2000) is a Haitian-American actor. He is best known for his role as young Yusef Salaam on the Netflix original series When They See Us and as Elwood in the Academy Award nominated film Nickel Boys (2024).

Early life and education Herisse was born in Miami, Florida to Haitian parents and spent his early childhood in Randolph, Massachusetts.

Herisse had aspirations to be a basketball player until he accompanied his younger sister to an acting class and soon began performing. After his parents asked him if he wanted to pursue acting seriously at age 11, the family moved to Los Angeles, California.

In 2024, Herisse received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from University of California, Irvine.

Career Herisse spent his middle and high school years in Burbank going to auditions between classes, acting in guest roles on shows like The Mindy Project, About a Boy, and Key & Peele.

Herisse landed the lead role of Elwood in RaMell Ross' Nickel Boys (2024), an adaptation of Colson Whitehead's novel.

Filmography

Films

Television