Morris Chestnut

Morris Chestnut
Chestnut at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010
Born	Morris Lamont Chestnut, Jr. January 1, 1969 (1969-01) (age 48) Cerritos, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Pam Byse Chestnut (m. 1995)
Children	2

Morris Lamont Chestnut, Jr. (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor. He first came to attention for his role in the groundbreaking 1991 film Boyz n the Hood. He has appeared in numerous feature films and on television series, including the starring role of pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, Jr. in the Fox TV series Rosewood.

Chestnut was born in Cerritos, California, the son of Morris Lamont Chestnut, Sr. & Shirley Chestnut. He graduated from Richard Gahr High School in 1986, and subsequently studied finance and drama at California State University, Northridge.

Chestnut's first professional acting role was as Jadon in Freddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series, season 2, episode 19 ("A Family Affair"), which aired on February 18, 1990. His first feature film role was as Ricky Baker in Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed that up with roles in various TV movies. Chestnut also played a role on Patti LaBelle's short-lived sitcom Out All Night. His career continued to rise steadily with co-starring roles in standard big-budget studio films such as Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) and G.I. Jane (1997).

In 1998, he won the annual Madden Bowl video game competition. In 1999, Chestnut starred in The Best Man with Taye Diggs and Nia Long, as a professional football player on the eve of his wedding. The Best Man earned positive reviews from the press and did well at the box office. For his performance Chestnut earned an NAACP Image Award nomination. He again played a football player in The Game Plan (2007). In 2001, he starred in The Brothers, a film centering on the themes of fidelity and success among young professionals. In 2004, he appeared as a firefighter in Ladder 49.