Darryl Stephens is an American actor and author. He is best known for playing Noah Nicholson on the television dramedy Noah's Arc.
Darryl Stephens | |
|---|---|
 Stephens in 2015 | |
| Born | Darryl Stephens Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, author |
| Years active | 1999–present |
Film career
editBack in L.A., Stephens appeared on the sexy late-night serial MTV's Undressed, the short-lived series That's Life, and VH1's Red Eye. During the same period, he was also appearing in various commercials for products such as Dockers and performing in small theater venues and scene study classes. He also played a "future funked"[citation needed] Greta in a Hollywood revival of the well-known play Bent.
Stephens had supporting roles in the films Seamless (with Shannon Elizabeth), Not Quite Right, and Circuit. However, his breakout role came in 2004, when independent filmmaker Patrik-Ian Polk cast him as the lead character for the new series Noah's Arc. The original intention was for the show to be released direct-to-DVD after it had received rave reviews at various film festivals. However, in the fall of 2005, LOGO picked up Noah's Arc, which debuted on October 19.
In August 2006 the second season of Noah's Arc was televised. By the end of 2006, Stephens had completed roles in the comedy Another Gay Movie and the drama Boy Culture, the latter alongside newcomer Derek Magyar.
In October 2008, a feature film version was release. Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom picks up where the show's second season left off and tells the story of the marriage between Stephens' character and Jensen Atwood's.[1][2]
In 2010, he guest starred in an episode of Private Practice, playing a transgender woman. His next film, released in 2011, was Bolden!, a bio film about jazz great Buddy Bolden starring Anthony Mackie as Bolden. Stephens' role is of cornet player Frank Lewis.
Stephens played the recurring role Gideon on B Positive on CBS.[3]
Other
editStephens released a self-published novel in 2011, entitled Shortcomings, which weaves together short stories he had written previously.[4]
Personal life
editAlthough Stephens is reluctant to discuss his personal life, he is gay and his roles address issues of classism and sexuality.[5][6] In 2020, he became a father.[7]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Seamless: Kidz Rule | Devin | |
| 2001 | Circuit | Julian | |
| 2004 | Noah's Arc: The Short Film | Noah Nicholson | |
| 2005 | Not Quite Right | Evan | |
| 2006 | Boy Culture | Andrew | |
| Another Gay Movie | Angel | ||
| 2008 | Tranny McGuyver | Conrad the Pimp | Short |
| Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom | Noah Nicholson | ||
| 2010 | Love Unconditional | Jackson | Short |
| Reunited | Howard | ||
| 2012 | The Skinny | Nurse Nicholson | |
| V Day | Travis | Short | |
| Something Like a Butterfly | Put-Put | Short | |
| 2013 | Hot Guys with Guns | Tim Sampson | |
| 2014 | Secrets & Toys | Chad | Short |
| Tiger Orange | Scott | ||
| Beyond the Lights | Quentin | ||
| 2015 | Stronger | Andy | Short |
| You're Gay... Now What? | Love Interest | Short | |
| 2016 | Pee-wee's Big Holiday | Rene | |
| Killer Assistant | Charles | TV movie | |
| Coffee House Chronicles | Jeff | ||
| 2017 | Captain Black | Party Goer | |
| How to Be a Slut in America | - | ||
| 2018 | Groomzilla | Officiant | TV movie |
| Congo Cabaret | Emcee | Short | |
| I May Regret | Dillon | ||
| 2019 | A Different Direction | Travis Mitchell | Short |
| From Zero to I Love You | Peter Logsdon | ||
| 2020 | Noah's Arc: The 'Rona Chronicles | Noah Nicholson | Short |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Undressed | Rudy | Episode: "Scary Movies" |
| 2001 | That's Life | Tutor | Episode: "Heart Problems" |
| 2005-06 | Noah's Arc | Noah Nicholson | Main Cast |
| 2006 | Ugly Betty | Waiter | Episode: "After Hours" |
| 2009 | Rick & Steve | JP (voice) | Episode: "House of Race Cards" |
| In the Moment | Activist | Episode: "The Bad News" | |
| 2010 | Two and a Half Men | Man #1 | Episode: "Yay, No Polyps!" |
| Private Practice | Jane Finch | Episode: "Short Cuts" | |
| 2011 | Desperate Housewives | Terrence | Episode: "And Lots of Security..." |
| Ringer | Gregor | Episode: "If You Ever Want a French Lesson..." | |
| Reed Between the Lines | Perry [8] | Episode: "Let's Talk About Change" | |
| 2012 | DTLA | Lenny | Main Cast |
| 2 Broke Girls | Nevel | Episode: "And the Big Opening" | |
| 2014 | Survivor's Remorse | Stacey | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
| 2015 | Coffee House Chronicles | Jeff | Episode: "An Exception" |
| Young & Hungry | Hot Guy | Episode: "Young & Back to Normal" | |
| 2017 | S.W.A.T. | Alexander | Episode: "Pamilya" |
| 2018-19 | But She's My Best Friend | Stephen | Guest: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2019 | Good Trouble | Craig | Episode: "In The Middle" |
| 2020 | Twenties | D'Manuel | Episode: "You Know How I Like It" |
| Broke | Jeremy | Episode: "Dates" | |
| Lovecraft Country | Billie Holiday | Episode: "Strange Case" | |
| Saved by the Bell | Dean/Jean | Episode: "Pilot" & "All in the Hall" | |
| 2020-22 | B Positive | Gideon | Recurring Cast: Season 1, Main Cast: Season 2 |
| 2021-22 | Boy Culture: Generation X | Andrew | Main Cast |
| 2022 | Demonhuntr | Anansi | Episode: "Bawdy Horror" |
| Angelyne | Pete | Episode: "Glow in the Dark Queen of the Universe" |
Awards and nominations
editNotes
edithttp://www.thebody.com/content/80676/making-black-gay-lives-matter-a-conversation-with-.html
http://www.thebody.com/content/80679/untying-tongues-a-conversation-with-darryl-stephen.html
References
edit- ^ Anderson, Tre'vell (19 October 2015). "Niche casting and Hollywood's lingering reluctance to feature gay black actors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- ^ "Darryl Stephens Told To Turn Down "Noah's Arc" Role Because It Was "Too Gay"". LOGO News. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2020-10-12). "'B Positive': Izzy G Joins As Series Regular, Briga Heelan & Linda Lavin Among 5 Set To Recur On CBS Comedy". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
- ^ Stephens, Darryl (16 July 2015). Required Reading. ISBN 9781329320802.
- ^ "Gay Series Changing Darryl Stephens' Career Arc (page 2)". AfterElton.com. 2006-08-17. Archived from the original on 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
- ^ Darryl Stephens talks to Instinct about being a gay man on-screen and off... Archived 2008-10-09 at the Wayback Machine by Greg Hernandez on 18 September 2008.
- ^ "Darryl Stephens of Noah's Arc Nearly Quit Acting Before Becoming a Dad". www.advocate.com. 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
- ^ "Next on Reed: Darryl Stephens and Kamar de los Reyes Guest Star". BET Staff. 2011-11-14. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
- ^ "Kiss Me Kate Tops 2011 Ovation Award Nominations". 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2013.