Michael Brown, professionally known as Michael Ealy, was born on August 3, 1973, in Silver Spring, Maryland. He spent his formative years attending Springbrook High School and later enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park.
As a young man, Ealy began his journey in the world of acting, starting with off-Broadway stage productions in the late 1990s. His early film credits included roles in Bad Company and Kissing Jessica Stein.
It wasn't until 2002 that Ealy landed his breakout role as Ricky Nash in the film Barbershop. He reprised this role in the 2004 sequel, Barbershop 2: Back in Business. In the same year, he appeared alongside DMX in the film Never Die Alone.
In 2003, Ealy took on the role of Slap Jack in the second installment of the Fast and the Furious film series, 2 Fast 2 Furious. The following year, he co-starred in the telefilm version of Their Eyes Were Watching God, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones, and starring Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry.
Ealy's impressive resume continued to grow in 2005, as he starred in the independent film Jellysmoke, directed by Mark Banning. He also landed a role in the Showtime television series Sleeper Cell and its spin-off, Sleeper Cell: American Terror.
In 2006, Ealy received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Sleeper Cell: American Terror in the category Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
In 2008, Ealy starred alongside Will Smith in the movie Seven Pounds. He also played CIA Field Officer Marshall Vogel in the ABC television series FlashForward.
In 2010, Ealy took on a variety of roles, including starring in the action-thriller Takers and the drama For Colored Girls. Additionally, he signed on to play an attorney, Derrick Bond, in the TV series The Good Wife.
