
Morris Chestnut
Biography
Morris Lamont Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as NBA star Tracy Reynolds in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan Nichols in the TV series V (2009).
His first professional acting role was as Jadon in Freddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series in the episode "A Family Affair" (season 2, episode 19) which aired on February 18, 1990.
His first feature film role was as Ricky Baker in Boyz n the Hood (1991). He followed 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 like Under Siege 2 (1995) and G.I. Jane (1997). In 1998, he won the annual Madden Bowl video game competition.
In 1999, he starred in The Best Man with Taye Diggs and Nia Long in which he played a professional football player on the eve of his wedding. He reprised his role in Best Man Holiday. For both of his performances, he earned NAACP Image Award nominations. He then starred in The Brothers (2001), another film centering on the themes of fidelity and success among urban professionals. He has worked with Steven Seagal three times in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Half Past Dead and Prince of Pistols.
He starred In Two Can Play That Game (2001), Breakin' All the Rules (2004), and Ladder 49 (2004). He again played a football player in The Game Plan (2007). He produced and starred in the film Not Easily Broken (2009). He starred as Ryan Nichols in the TV series reboot of V (2009). He then appeared in the films Think Like a Man (2012), and, in 2013, the films Identity Thief, Kick-Ass 2, and The Call.
In 2013, he joined the cast of HBO's Nurse Jackie, playing war veteran Dr. Ike Prentiss. The following year, he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2015, Morris Chestnut played Derrick Dog Prince in the movie Heist; and People magazine named him as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2015. He then starred in the films The Perfect Guy (2016) and When the Bough Breaks (2017).
He played the lead role of pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. in the series Rosewood, receiving another NAACP image Award nomination. He had recurring roles in the TV series Legends, The Enemy Within, and Our Kind of People. He had a starring guest role on the medical drama The Resident.
Gallery






Known For
Acting History
2025
Number One on the Call Sheet as Self
2025Watson as Dr. John Watson
2024Diarra from Detroit as Swa
2024After Midnight as Self
2023Rebuilding Black Wall Street as Self - Host
2022The Best Man: The Final Chapters as Lance Sullivan
2022Halloween in Hollywood as Self
2022Reasonable Doubt as Corey Cash
2022The Jennifer Hudson Show as Self
2022Sherri as Self - Guest
2021Our Kind of People as Raymond Dupont
2020Saving OurSelves: BET COVID-19 Relief Effort as Self
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
2019The Enemy Within as Will Keaton
2018All American as Rick Barnes
2018The Resident as Barrett Cain
2017Girls Trip as Morris Chestnut
2016Goliath as Hakeem Rashad
2016When the Bough Breaks as John Taylor
2015Heist as Dog
2015Rosewood as Beaumont Rosewood Jr.
2015The Perfect Guy as Dave King
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
2014Legends as Tony Rice
2014The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
2013The Best Man Holiday as Lance Sullivan
2013Kick-Ass 2 as Detective Marcus Williams
2013The Call as Officer Paul Phillips
2013Identity Thief as Detective Reilly
2012Think Like a Man as James
2011American Horror Story as Luke
2011The Enduring Significance of 'Boyz n the Hood' as Self
2009Love in the Nick of Tyme as Marcelles Wynters
2009V as Ryan Nichols
2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
2009Not Easily Broken as Dave Johnson
2008The Wendy Williams Show
2008The Prince of Motor City as Leo Moore
2007The Perfect Holiday as Benjamin Armstrong
2007The Game Plan as Travis Sanders
2006The N Word as Self
2005Bones as Agent Oakes
2005The Cave as Top Buchanan
2005American Dad! as Craig (voice)
2004Ladder 49 as Tommy Drake
2004Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid as Gordon Mitchell
2004Breakin' All the Rules as Evan
2003Friendly Fire: Making of an Urban Legend as Self
2003Confidence as Travis
2003Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
2002Half Past Dead as Donald Robert Johnson
2002Like Mike as Tracey Reynolds
2002Scenes of the Crime as Ray
2001The Killing Yard as Shango
2001Two Can Play That Game as Keith Fenton
2001The Brothers as Jackson Smith
1999The Best Man as Lance Sullivan
1997C-16: FBI as Mal Robinson
1997G.I. Jane as McCool
1996The Daily Show as Self
1996Firehouse as Andre
1995Under Siege 2: Dark Territory as Bobby Zachs
1995Higher Learning as Track Anchor
1994ER as Frank 'Rambo' Bacon
1994The Inkwell as Harold Lee
1993Living Single as Hamilton Brown
1993The Ernest Green Story as Ernest Green
1992In the Line of Duty: Street War as Prince Franklin
1992Out All Night as Jeff Carswell
1991The Last Boy Scout as Locker Room Kid
1991Boyz n the Hood as Ricky Baker
1988LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self
1988LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
1944Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter









