Sterling K. Brown

Sterling K. Brown is an Emmy Award-winning actor best known for his breakout TV roles on This Is Us and The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Brown was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He discovered acting while attending Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in drama in 1998. He went on to receive a master’s degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2001.

After years of theater work and guest roles on television, Brown steadily built a resume with appearances on shows like Third Watch, Starved and Supernatural. His major breakthrough came in 2016 when he portrayed prosecutor Chris Darden on FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, a performance that earned him his first Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.

Later that year, Brown became a household name as Randall Pearson on NBC’s This Is Us. The role earned him an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. On the big screen, he’s appeared in Black Panther (2018), Waves (2019) and American Fiction (2023). His role in American Fiction earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 2025, he joined the cast of Hulu’s Paradise as Xavier Collins.

Brown married actress Ryan Michelle Bathe in 2007 after meeting in college. The couple share two sons, Andrew (born in 2011) and Amare (born in 2015).