Jay Ellis

Wendell Ramone "Jay" Ellis Jr. (born December 27, 1981 ) is an American actor. In 2013, Ellis received his first major role on BET's series The Game. 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. He later starred in the horror film Escape Room and appeared in Top Gun: Maverick (2022). He is the only child of the family. He went to 12 schools in 13 years, before attending Concordia University in Oregon, where he played basketball.

Career Ellis worked as a public relations intern for the Portland Trail Blazers during their infamous "Jail Blazers" era. Ellis also served with AmeriCorps, volunteering with students in Portland, Oregon. Later, Ellis switched his focus to modeling and started working with Portland-based sportswear companies such as Nike, Adidas and Columbia Sportswear.

Acting In 2004, Ellis moved to Los Angeles to focus on his acting career.

His first major acting role was in 2013, starring in BET's series The Game. He plays the role of Lawrence Walker, who has a long-term relationship with main character Issa Dee played by Issa Rae.

Ellis will star in The Rookie: North, a spin-off of the ABC police drama The Rookie. Ellis will play the lead role of Alex Holland, a middle-aged man who becomes the Pierce County Police Department's oldest rookie officer.

The Untold Story: Policing In 2020, Ellis started hosting The Untold Story: Policing, a four-part podcast series co-produced by Campaign Zero and Lemonada Media. Through interviews with academics, data scientists, and community organizers, the podcast demystifies police union contracts and investigates how they contribute to violent police misconduct across the United States. Ellis serves as the series’ host, as well as an executive producer alongside DeRay Mckesson, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, and Jessica Cordova Kramer.

Philanthropy In 2017, Ellis partnered with leading HIV/AIDS research organization, amfAR.

Personal life Ellis has been in a relationship with Serbian model and actress Nina Seničar since 2015. Their daughter was born in November 2019. On July 9, 2022, they married in Italy. Their son was born in July 2024.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2010 Triple Standard Lewis Short film 2011 Hatched: A Tale of Great Egg-spectations Jay Short film 2012 Election Eve Jeff Short film 2013 Movie 43 Lucious Segment: "Victory's Glory" 2014 Mass Shooting News Team Unknown Short film The Black Bachelor Unknown Short film 2015 My Favorite Five Jonathan Colburn November Rule James Avedon Breaking Through Quinn Twelve Steps Ray Short film 2016 Like Cotton Twines Micha Brown Shortwave Robert 2018 In a Relationship Dexter 2019 Escape Room Jason Walker 2020 Thirsty The Young Man Short film 2021 Escape Room: Tournament of Champions Flashback - Jason Walker 2022 Top Gun: Maverick Lieutenant Reuben "Payback" Fitch 2023 Somebody I Used to Know Sean 2024 Freaky Tales Sleepy Floyd The Gutter "Lil Patience" Comedy 2026 One Night Only Bernard Starks

Television Year Title Role Notes 2005 Invasion Soldier (uncredited) Episode: "Watershed" 2005 Related College Student Episode: "Hang in There, Baby" 2010 The Bold and the Beautiful Orderly Episode: "Episode #1.5922" 2011 Grey's Anatomy D.J. Episode: "White Wedding" 2011 NCIS Marine PFC Thomas "Tommy" Hill Episode: "Restless" 2011 Let's Do This! Ugandan Thug #1 / Ceiling Mop Ugandan TV movie 2012 How I Met Your Mother Sound Guy Episode: "Tailgate" 2012 Hart of Dixie Resident Episode: "Heart to Hart" 2012 iCarly Friend #1 Episode: "iFind Spencer Friends" 2012 Crash & Bernstein Derek Episode: "Coach Crash" 2013 Dear Secret Santa Brad TV movie 2013–2015 The Game Bryce "Blueprint" Westbrook Main, 45 episodes 2013 NCIS: Los Angeles Naval Flight Officer Randall Baker Episode: "Purity" 2014 Masters of Sex Dr. Cyril Franklin Episode: "Giants" 2016 Grace and Frankie Dan Episode: "The Anchor" 2016–2021 Insecure Martin "Lawrence" Walker Main (seasons 1–2, 4–5); guest (season 3)

Awards and nominations