Why is he on our inspiration board?

Sterling K. Brown is an acclaimed American actor known for his roles on This Is Us, American Fiction, and The People V. O. J. Simpson. His accolades including three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. Sterling also has a successful podcast called This Was Us, where he digs deep, and talks about life lessons with his former co-stars.

His accomplishments and introspection are reason enough to have him on the Podcast, but he also had a powerful impact on my childhood. Sterling was a year ahead of me in high school, and I remember his early days in the Orthwein Theatre, so it's neat to see how far he's come.

Where is he from?


St. Louis, Missouri.

Big break in life

His big break came with his portrayal of Christopher Darden in the FX limited series "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (2016), a role that earned him critical acclaim and a Primetime Emmy Award.

His network

When you look the institutions someone has been a part of, it gives you a window into their network, and who they might be friends with.

• Stanford & NYU's Tish School of Arts: Those are always formative years.
• NBC: For his role as Randall Pearson in the drama series "This Is Us" (2016–2022), which garnered him multiple awards.
• FX: For his performance in "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story."
• Marvel Studios: For his role in the film "Black Panther" (2018).
• "Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)": Brown starred in both New York and Los Angeles productions of this play.
• "Macbeth": He portrayed Macduff in an off-Broadway production of Shakespeare's classic tragedy.
• "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui": Brown performed alongside Al Pacino in this play, further establishing his stage credentials.

Quotes we love

Stay ready so you don't have to get ready

Podcast

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