Lakeith Stanfield

Making a steady climb towards success from the time he was a teenager, actor Lakeith Stanfield is perhaps best known for his role on the groundbreaking series "Atlanta" (FX, 2016-). Born in San Bernardino but growing up in Riverside and Victorville, Stanfield became interested in acting when he joined his high school drama club at age 14. He soon began trolling for auditions in the Mojave area, but turned up few options, so he eventually enrolled at Los Angeles' John Casablancas Modeling and Career Center. This soon led to him auditioning for commercials, but those opportunities gave him little inspiration.

His big break came when he was cast as Mark in the short film "Short Term 12" (2008). He would reprise the role for the feature length adaptation in 2013, performing a rap that he composed himself for the film. Still more prominent roles would follow, such as Jimmie Lee Jackson in the acclaimed civil rights movie "Selma" (2014) and a co-starring role in the indie hit "Dope" (2015). He would also appear in Don Cheadle's biopic of legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, "Miles Ahead" (2016). The same year, Stanfield joined the cast of "Atlanta," starring alongside series creator Donald Glover.