---
name: "Sterling K. Brown"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/sterling-k-brown"
fi1m_id: "sterling-k-brown"
imdb_id: "nm1250791"
tmdb_id: 1225953
wikidata_id: "Q3295000"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "5 April 1976"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 11
average_fi1m_score: 70
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 11
updated: "2026-10-03T00:46:45.390573+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Sterling K. Brown

## Identity

Sterling K. Brown

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/sterling-k-brown
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** sterling-k-brown
- **IMDb ID:** nm1250791
- **TMDB ID:** 1225953
- **Wikidata ID:** Q3295000
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_K._Brown, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3295000, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1250791/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1225953

Actor. Born 5 April 1976 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 5 April 1976, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- **Active:** 2005–present
- **Also known as:** Sterling K Brown, Sterling Brown, Sterling Kelby Brown
- **Frequently works with:** [Dan Fogelman](https://film.one/person/dan-fogelman.md), [Glenn Ficarra](https://film.one/person/glenn-ficarra.md), [Joe Robert Cole](https://film.one/person/joe-robert-cole.md), [John Requa](https://film.one/person/john-requa.md), [Ken Olin](https://film.one/person/ken-olin.md)
- **Golden Globes:** 1 Golden Globe (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 70, as actor, over 11 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 77 (1), 2010s 69 (5), 2020s 68 (5)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 69 to 69 across 10 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 8 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 10 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 7, Action 3, Thriller 3, Adventure 2, Animation 2, Comedy 2
- **Screen time:** 11 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2,997m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_K._Brown, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3295000, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1250791/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1225953

## Coming up

- *The Gallerist* (2026-12-04), as Tom

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Black Panther*](https://film.one/film/black-panther.md) (80), [*American Crime Story*](https://film.one/tv/american-crime-story.md) (78), [*This Is Us*](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md) (76), [*Paradise*](https://film.one/tv/paradise.md) (73), [*Frozen II*](https://film.one/film/frozen-ii.md) (65)
- **Apple TV:** [*Is God Is*](https://film.one/film/is-god-is.md) (74), [*The Rhythm Section*](https://film.one/film/the-rhythm-section.md) (48)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*INVINCIBLE*](https://film.one/tv/invincible-2021.md) (74)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*American Fiction*](https://film.one/film/american-fiction.md) (73)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Sterling K. Brown

> Sterling K. Brown is persuasive when a character is trying not to show how much he hurts, and welcome company when allowed to be funny. We rate him more highly than some of his scripts.

In *Paradise* (2025), Sterling K. Brown makes Xavier Collins work to keep his distress from showing. We were moved by that effort, because he lets us see the strain without turning the scene into a plea for sympathy. He gives a character caught up in a mystery something to do beyond waiting for the next piece of information. We recommend the programme chiefly for him: the plotting can wander, but his restraint keeps its more extravagant turns worth following.

Brown's years as a regular in *Army Wives* (2007–2013) came before his breakthrough. That arrived with Christopher Darden in *The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story* (2016) and Randall Pearson in *This Is Us* (2016–2022). Long-form family drama established his reputation for emotional conviction. That helps explain why the looseness of his performance in *American Fiction* (2023) is such a pleasure.

Director Cord Jefferson gives him room to be loose and funny as Clifford Ellison, brother to Jeffrey Wright's Monk. Brown changes the pace whenever he arrives, providing a useful interruption to the lead character's scowling seriousness. When the humour drops away, he does not seem to have switched to a different performance; the hurt belongs to the same man who was making us laugh. The film's family scenes and publishing satire never quite fit together, and Brown cannot mend that. He does, however, make the gentler half worth staying with.

*Paradise* reunites him with Dan Fogelman after *This Is Us*, and gives his steadiness more work to do. James Marsden's President Cal Bradford supplies a welcome change of rhythm, while Julianne Nicholson's Samantha ‘Sinatra’ Redmond matches Brown's force without competing for attention. Their company matters: Brown is persuasive, but a thriller still needs explanations that hold together. The first season provides a firmer mystery than the second, where loose plotting and flashbacks test the patience his performance has earned. Start with *American Fiction* for the comedy; follow him into *Paradise* if good acting can persuade you to forgive some untidy plotting.

## Biography

Sterling K. Brown is an American actor. He was born on 5 April 1976 in St. Louis, Missouri, and studied drama at Stanford University before completing an MFA at New York University.

Brown is known for his role as Randall Pearson in the NBC series *This Is Us* (2016–2022), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and as Christopher Darden in the FX limited series *The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story* (2016), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Clifford Ellison in the film *American Fiction* (2023). He also stars as Xavier Collins in the Hulu series *Paradise* (2025).

His other notable screen work includes supporting roles in *Black Panther* (2018) and voice work in *Frozen II* (2019). Brown has received three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (11)

- *Is God Is* (2026), Fi1m 74, as Man — [page](https://film.one/film/is-god-is.md)
- *Paradise* (2025), Fi1m 73, as Xavier Collins — [page](https://film.one/tv/paradise.md)
- *American Fiction* (2023), Fi1m 73, as Clifford Ellison — [page](https://film.one/film/american-fiction.md)
- *INVINCIBLE* (2021), Fi1m 74, as Angstrom Levy / Angstrom #646 (voice) — [page](https://film.one/tv/invincible-2021.md)
- *The Rhythm Section* (2020), Fi1m 48, as Serra — [page](https://film.one/film/the-rhythm-section.md)
- *Frozen II* (2019), Fi1m 65, as Mattias (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/frozen-ii.md)
- *Black Panther* (2018), Fi1m 80, as N'Jobu — [page](https://film.one/film/black-panther.md)
- *The Predator* (2018), Fi1m 48, as Traeger — [page](https://film.one/film/the-predator.md)
- *American Crime Story* (2016), Fi1m 78, as Christopher Darden — [page](https://film.one/tv/american-crime-story.md)
- *This Is Us* (2016), Fi1m 76, as Randall Pearson — [page](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md)
- *Supernatural* (2005), Fi1m 77, as Gordon Walker — [page](https://film.one/tv/supernatural.md)

## Complete filmography (70)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Gallerist* (2026), as Tom
- *Is God Is* (2026), as Man — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/is-god-is.md)
- *Washington Black* (2025), series, as Medwin Harris · Executive Producer
- *Shadow Force* (2025), Producer
- *Paradise* (2025), series, as Xavier Collins · Executive Producer — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/tv/paradise.md)
- *Atlas* (2024), as Colonel Elias Banks
- *American Fiction* (2023), as Clifford Ellison — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/american-fiction.md)
- *Biosphere* (2023), as Ray
- *Interrupting Chicken* (2022), series, as Papa (voice)
- *Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.* (2022), as Lee-Curtis Childs · Producer
- *Bug Therapy* (2021), as Stick Bug (voice)
- *The Normal Heart* (2021), Actor
- *INVINCIBLE* (2021), series, as Angstrom Levy / Angstrom #646 (voice), Angstrom Levy (voice) — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/invincible-2021.md)
- *Lincoln: Divided We Stand* (2021), series, as Narrator
- *A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote* (2020), as Leo McGarry
- *Solar Opposites* (2020), series, as Halk (voice)
- *The Rhythm Section* (2020), as Serra — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/the-rhythm-section.md)
- *Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts* (2020), series, as Lio Oak (voice)
- *One Day at Disney* (2019), as Narrator (voice)
- *Frozen II* (2019), as Mattias (voice) — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/frozen-ii.md)
- *Waves* (2019), as Ronald
- *The Angry Birds Movie 2* (2019), as Garry (voice)
- *The Lonely Island Presents: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience* (2019), as Sia
- *The Predator* (2018), as Traeger — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/the-predator.md)
- *Hotel Artemis* (2018), as Sherman / Waikiki
- *Black Panther* (2018), as N'Jobu — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/black-panther.md)
- *Marshall* (2017), as Joseph Spell
- *Big Mouth* (2017), series, as Michael Angelo (voice)
- *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel* (2017), series, as Reggie — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-marvelous-mrs-maisel.md)
- *This Is Us* (2016), series, as Randall Pearson — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md)
- *Spaceman* (2016), as Rodney Scott
- *Whiskey Tango Foxtrot* (2016), as Sgt. Hurd
- *American Crime Story* (2016), series, as Christopher Darden — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/american-crime-story.md)
- *Mojave* (2016), as Detective Fletcher (uncredited)
- *MLB Network Presents* (2015), series, as Narrator
- *Galyntine* (2014), as Samhir
- *Masters of Sex* (2013), series, as Marcus — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/masters-of-sex.md)
- *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* (2013), series, as Philip Davidson — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/brooklyn-nine-nine.md)
- *The Suspect* (2013), as The Other Suspect
- *Person of Interest* (2011), series, as Cal Beecher — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/person-of-interest.md)
- *Our Idiot Brother* (2011), as Officer Omar
- *Harry's Law* (2011), series, as Mr. Thomas
- *Nikita* (2010), series, as Nick Anson
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, as Andrew Boylan — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Castle* (2009), series, as Ed Redley — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/tv/castle.md)
- *The Mentalist* (2008), series, as DEA Agent Higgins — Fi1m 71, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-mentalist.md)
- *Righteous Kill* (2008), as Rogers
- *Eli Stone* (2008), series, as David Mosley
- *The Favor* (2007), as Policeman #1
- *Army Wives* (2007), series, as Roland Burton
- *Shark* (2006), series, as Quenton North — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/tv/shark.md)
- *Stay* (2005), as Frederick / Devon
- *Supernatural* (2005), series, as Gordon Walker — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/supernatural.md)
- *Trust the Man* (2005), as Rand
- *Starved* (2005), series, as Adam Williams
- *Medium* (2005), series, as Todd Gillis
- *Boston Legal* (2004), series, as Zeke Borns — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/boston-legal.md)
- *Tarzan* (2003), series, as Detective Carey
- *NCIS* (2003), series, as Elijah Banner — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/ncis.md)
- *Brown Sugar* (2002), as Co-Worker
- *Hack* (2002), series, as Rasheed Morgan
- *Without a Trace* (2002), series, as Thomas Biggs
- *Smallpox 2002: Silent Weapon* (2002), as Carl Jocelyn
- *Alias* (2001), series, as Agent Rance — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/alias.md)
- *Third Watch* (1999), series, as Officer Dade
- *ER* (1994), series, as Bob Harris — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *Double Booked*, Actor
- *Voltron*, as Zarkon
- *The Defender*, as Scipio Africanus Jones
- *Better Than They Found It: Black Coaches Who Shaped the Modern NFL*, as Narrator (voice)

## Gallery

- ![Sterling K. Brown](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-79a3af7e4761.jpg) Sterling K. Brown — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Sterling_K_Brown_-_Paradise.jpg/1280px-Sterling_K_Brown_-_Paradise.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Augusto Aguilera, Thomas Jane, Sterling K. Brown and Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Con](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-438f1843fdff.jpg) Augusto Aguilera, Thomas Jane, Sterling K. Brown and Jake Busey speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Con — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Augusto_Aguilera%2C_Thomas_Jane%2C_Sterling_K._Brown_%26_Jake_Busey_%2829726068328%29.jpg/1280px-Augusto_Aguilera%2C_Thomas_Jane%2C_Sterling_K._Brown_%26_Jake_Busey_%2829726068328%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Olivia Munn speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attr](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-ecde8f768ffd.jpg) Olivia Munn speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attr — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Olivia_Munn_%2828709006747%29.jpg/1280px-Olivia_Munn_%2828709006747%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Shane Black, Sterling K. Brown and Olivia Munn speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-297a713dcea7.jpg) Shane Black, Sterling K. Brown and Olivia Munn speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Shane_Black%2C_Sterling_K._Brown_%26_Olivia_Munn_%2842878760444%29.jpg/1280px-Shane_Black%2C_Sterling_K._Brown_%26_Olivia_Munn_%2842878760444%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sterling K. Brown](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-f0c59a01b07e.jpg) Sterling K. Brown — Image via TMDB
- ![Sterling K. Brown](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-30bf75c0df92.jpg) Sterling K. Brown — Image via TMDB
- ![Sterling K Brown headshot. (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-003697c1532d.jpg) Sterling K Brown headshot. (2016) — Blairali, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Sterling-k-brown-1-900x600.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Sterling K. Brown speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Pleas](https://film.one/media/person/12073/gallery-e13077766c53.jpg) Sterling K. Brown speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Predator", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Pleas — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Sterling_K._Brown_%2829726383748%29.jpg/1280px-Sterling_K._Brown_%2829726383748%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2024: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *American Fiction*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 2018: Best Actor – Television Series Drama (won), for *This Is Us*

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 2 won

- 2017: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (won), for *This Is Us*
- 2016: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (won), for *The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Time 100 2018: Time 100 (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/sterling-k-brown