Mekhi Phifer

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Mekhi Phifer

Born Mekhi Thira Phifer
December 12, 1974 (1974-12-12) (age 33)
Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Spouse(s) Malinda Williams
(1999 - 2003) 1 child

Oni Phifer (2004 - Present) 1 Child

Mekhi Thira Phifer (born December 12, 1974[1]) is an American actor. He has a starring role as Greg Pratt on NBC's television program ER, and won season four of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. He had a recurring role in Curb Your Enthusiasm and specializes in playing himself in a variety of roles.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Phifer was born in Harlem, New York, the son of Rhoda Phifer, a high school teacher, and grew up in a single-parent household with his mother.[2][1] Phifer has a son Omikaye with his former wife, actress Malinda Williams. With his Malagasy fiancee Oni his second son Mekhi Thira Phifer Jr was born in Los Angeles on 30 October 2007 at 6:47 a.m., and weighed 5 lbs., 4 oz. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

Phifer plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Love Our Children USA charity. Phifer is chairman of the board of trustees of The Vine Group USA.[3] a non-profit organization established in 2000 to provide educational resources to universities in Africa.

[edit] Career

Phifer attended an open casting call for director Spike Lee’s Clockers as a narcotics dealer embroiled in a murder coverup. He followed that impact role with another in the comedy spoof feature High School High (which also starred his former wife Malinda Williams) and continued by co-starring in the fright flick I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr. His current television work includes his regular role as Gregory Pratt on the medical drama ER, that he started in 2002. Currently in his 6th year, Phifer's character has grown from a rebellious intern to an older, mature attending physician.

Phifer’s television credits include the movies The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), HBO's Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground (1997), and Brian's Song (2001) (as former Chicago Bear Sayers). He received additional notice for his performance opposite singer Beyoncé Knowles (from Destiny’s Child) on MTV’s alternative take on the Carmen legend with the movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001). Phifer guest-starred in the series Homicide: Life on the Street and New York Undercover. Likewise, he earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for another TV movie, A Lesson Before Dying, opposite Don Cheadle.

Among Phifer’s other big-screen credits are Soul Food, The Biography of Spud Webb, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, Tears of a Clown, O (as Odin aka O), and the thriller Uninvited Guest (as Silk).[4] He more recently appeared in Impostor (with Gary Sinise, Madeline Stowe and Vincent D'Onofrio of NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent), as well as Paid in Full and director Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile, opposite Eminem, Brittany Murphy and Kim Basinger.

In addition, he appeared in the music videos for:

Phifer is also the youngest owner of the Athletes Foot athletic shoe store franchise in California. He is the proprietor of six stores (two of the stores are up and running and four feature casting calls for up and coming actors).

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Television appearances

[edit] Winners of the Celebrity Poker Showdown Championship Table

Season Date Winner Runner- Up
First January 13, 2004 Nicole Sullivan David Cross
Second July 1, 2004 Maura Tierney Lauren Graham
Third August 12, 2004 Seth Meyers Dave Navarro
Fourth November 14, 2004 Mekhi Phifer Neil Patrick Harris
Fifth March 1, 2005 Brad Garrett Colin Quinn
Sixth September 22, 2005 Kathy Najimy Stephen Collins
Seventh November 17, 2005 Steven Culp Dule Hill
Eighth July 5, 2006 Jason Alexander Robin Tunney

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Mekhi Phifer Biography (1975-)
  2. ^ USA WEEKEND Magazine
  3. ^ The Vine Group, USA
  4. ^ An Invited Guest (1999)

[edit] External links