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Daniel Ezra
Ezra in 2018
Born (1991-12-15) 15 December 1991 (age 34)
Alma materEast 15 Acting School
OccupationActor
Years active2014–present

Daniel Ezra (born 15 December 1991)[1] is an English actor. On television, he is known for his roles in the Sky One series A Discovery of Witches (2018–2022) and the CW series All American (2018–present).[2][3][4] His films include The Running Man (2025).

Early life

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Ezra was born on 15 December 1991 in Birmingham.[5][6][7] Both his paternal and maternal grandparents were from Jamaica.[6] Growing up, he was a fan of Harry Potter, Philip Pullman books, and The Lord of the Rings.[8] He grew up playing basketball, but stopped sports when he began acting.[8] Ezra attended Great Barr School, now known as Fortis Academy in Great Barr, Birmingham. He went on to train at East 15 Acting School.[9]

Career

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Ezra was not interested in acting until he turned 16 when a teacher at school convinced him to take a role in a school production. On stage, Ezra appeared as Sebastian in Twelfth Night and was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award.[10][11][12] After making his screen debut in the 2014 television film Murdered by My Boyfriend, Ezra began appearing in BBC dramas, including Undercover and The Missing.[11][7] In 2018, Ezra had a recurring role in the British fantasy drama A Discovery of Witches.[8]

In March 2018, Ezra was cast in a leading role in the American sports drama series All American, which marked his U.S. acting debut and required him to use an American accent.[12][13][14][6] Once he learned that he had received the role, he spent as much time as he could in South Central Los Angeles and carried a football with him everywhere so that he could practice his accent and learn about the local culture.[6][5][15] His favorite rapper, Nipsey Hussle, was from Crenshaw, where the show takes place, so Ezra also studied every song and interview of Hussle as a way of practicing his American accent.[5][16] He did not have an accent coach.[16] In addition, Spencer Paysinger, the real-life football player on whom Ezra's character is based, drove Ezra and his costar Taye Diggs around his local neighborhood so that they could understand the neighborhood dynamics.[17] To prepare for the show, Ezra also watched the NFL Network constantly to learn about the rules of American football.[15] Ezra first realised the show was successful when he attempted to walk in Times Square and was recognised by fans who approached him.[18][19]

In October 2024, it was announced that Ezra would be joining Glen Powell in the Edgar Wright And Paramount feature The Running Man.[20]

Ezra will appear in the upcoming Netflix limited series adaptation All the Sinners Bleed, based on the S. A. Cosby novel of the same name.[21]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Hours Tim
Blood Cells Thom
2017 National Theatre Live: Twelfth Night Sebastian
2025 The Running Man Bradley Throckmorton [22]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Murdered by My Boyfriend Joseph Television film
The Village Ghana Jones Episode: "2.1"
2015 Vera Cameron Thorne Episode: "Shadows in the Sky"
No Offence Ajamu Episode: "1.6"
2016 Prey Alan Gill 2 episodes
Undercover Dan Johnson 6 episodes
The Missing Daniel Reed 5 episodes
2017 Prime Suspect 1973 DC Ashton 6 episodes
2018–2022 A Discovery of Witches Nathaniel Wilson 10 episodes
2018–2025 All American Spencer James Main cast (seasons 1–6, guest role in season 7)
2022 All American: Homecoming Episode: "We Need a Resolution"
The Smeds and the Smoos Bill Television film; voice role
TBA All the Sinners Bleed Marquis Crown Limited series[21]

Theatre

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Year Title Role Venue
2017 Twelfth Night[23] Performer West End, Royal National Theatre
2026 Shifters[24] Dre Off-Broadway, Cherry Lane Theatre

References

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  1. "Happy Birthday, Daniel Ezra!". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  2. "Daniel Ezra on Individualised Lifestyle in Beverly Hills". News 18. 22 February 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. Stockly, Ed (17 February 2020). "What's on TV Monday, Feb. 17: 'All American' on The CW". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. Roeper, Richard (28 March 2020). "Best sports TV shows". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Easter, Makeda (10 October 2018). "Ex-NFL player's life gets the Hollywood treatment in CW teen football drama 'All American'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Daniel Ezra Practiced His American Accent On & Off Set". E! News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  7. 1 2 "British Actor Daniel Ezra Leads the CW'S New Football Series 'All American'". The British Blacklist. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Radish, Christina (30 January 2019). "Daniel Ezra on 'All American' Finding Its Voice & His Role in 'A Discovery of Witches'". Collider. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  9. "2014 graduates of East 15 Acting School | University of Essex". www.east15.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  10. Hewis, Ben (16 April 2018). "Sope Dirisu and Tamara Lawrance among nominees for Ian Charleson Award". What's On Stage. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  11. 1 2 Peters, Fletcher (20 March 2020). "'All American' Cast Guide: Who's Who In The Hit Football Drama". Decider. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  12. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (21 March 2018). "Daniel Ezra Lands the Lead In Spencer Paysinger CW Pilot From Greg Berlanti". Deadline. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  13. Miller, Bruce (20 October 2018). "All-Brit Daniel Ezra becomes 'All American' football star". Sioux City Journal.
  14. Bentley, Rick (30 October 2018). "Small Screen: All American star Daniel Ezra actually British". Times Colonist.
  15. 1 2 Baumgartner, Scott (10 October 2018). "'All American' Star Daniel Ezra Talks Preparing For the Role and Relating To the Inspiring Story (Exclusive)". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  16. 1 2 "'All American' Star Daniel Ezra Addresses the CW Show's Future". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  17. Gonzalez, Alden (17 October 2018). "An NFL player had an idea. Now it's a TV show with Taye Diggs". ESPN. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  18. "Taye Diggs & Daniel Ezra Didn't Realize "All American" Is So Popular. It was announced he would leave after All American after season 6". E! News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  19. Piester, Lauren (7 October 2019). "How the All American Fandom Has Grown Since Season 1". E! News. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  20. Kroll, Justin (9 October 2024). "'All-American' Star Daniel Ezra Joins Glen Powell In New 'Running Man' Movie From Edgar Wright And Paramount". Deadline. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  21. 1 2 Agard, Chancellor (23 February 2026). "In All the Sinners Bleed, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù Hunts an Unholy Serial Killer". Netflix. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  22. Blexmedia (14 November 2025). "Daniel Ezra Breaks Down His Rebel Role in 'The Running Man' and the Music That Fueled It". Blex Media. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  23. "Twelfth Night (2017)". National Theatre. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  24. "Shifters". Cherry Lane Theatre. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
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