Jay Ellis

With a diverse skill set and resume spanning both television and film, Jay Ellis is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors and producers.

Ellis can be seen as ‘Lawrence’ on HBO’s critically-acclaimed comedy series "Insecure." "Insecure," created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore follows Issa, a young African-American woman as she navigates familiar insecure situations in Los Angeles, while Lawrence, her live-in unemployed boyfriend, faces his own expectations for himself and his success and happiness. "Insecure" has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of “Outstanding Comedy Series” in 2017 and 2018. Ellis was most recently nominated for a 2018 NAACP Image Award in the category of “Outstanding Supporting Actor” in a Comedy Series.

Ellis also starred on the BET series "The Game" from 2013 to 2015. His additional television credits include roles on "Masters of Sex," "Grace and Frankie," "How I Met Your Mother," "Grey’s Anatomy," and "NCIS."

Ellis can be seen on the big screen as the lead role in the horror film Escape Room (2019) and is in Top Gun: Maverick.

In 2016, Ellis served as the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Spokesman.  The HIV/AIDS Awareness Days are a project of the Community Capacity Building Coalition (CCBC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose mission is to provide capacity building assistance to community-based organizations and stakeholders involved in HIV/AIDS prevention. In December of 2016, Ellis was requested by the Obama administration to speak and moderate a panel at the White House for the final My Brother’s Keeper summit, an initiative created by President Barack Obama to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.

Ellis is also an active volunteer at Inside Out Writers, an organization that teaches creative writing classes in Los Angeles County Juvenile Detention Centers.