Adrian Lester

Actor Adrian Lester, the son of Jamaican immigrants, sang with the local church choir, and performed with the Birmingham Youth Theatre. He went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. By 1992, he made his television debut in the made-for-TV movie "Touch and Die." Six years later he earned the lead in the Mike Nichols political comedy "Primary Colors," a thinly veiled look at the Clinton presidential campaign. The film showed Lester could hold his own against big name stars like Emma Thompson, John Travolta, and Kathy Bates. Two years later, he was featured in Kenneth Branagh's musical adaptation of the Shakespeare classic "Love's Labour's Lost." The film was scorned by critics, but Lester's portrayal of Dumaine earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Actor.

In 2006, Lester re-teamed with Branagh for his Asian-inspired take on Shakespeare's "As You Like It." Lester established a career on both sides of the pond in TV and film. In the States, he snagged the recurring role of Ellis Carter of the popular comedy series "Girlfriends," while in the United Kingdom he became a series regular on the crime drama "Hustle."