Daryl Mitchell (actor)

Early life and career

Mitchell was born in The Bronx, New York to a secretary mother and a bus driver father. He grew up in Wyandanch. After a career in hip hop in the 1980s with Groove B. Chill, Mitchell had considerable success as an actor, appearing in House Party and its sequel, Sgt. Bilko, Galaxy Quest, 10 Things I Hate About You, and the TV sitcoms The John Larroquette Show and Veronica's Closet. He has also made appearances in the sitcom Becker, and in The Game and Desperate Housewives. In 2009, he co-starred in the short-lived sitcom Brothers. Since 2014 he has guest-starred in NCIS: New Orleans as recurring character Patton Plame, a computer specialist.

In September 2009, Mitchell was profiled on TV One's biographical documentary program Life After, a series that examines the lives of celebrities following a career turning point.

Personal life

In November 2001, Mitchell was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident in South Carolina. "It was dark and I didn't know the roads really well," said Mitchell, "I went around a bend and on the other side there was gravel and loose pavement and bam, the bike shot right underneath me. I woke up five days later in the hospital." "It was a blessing," explained Mitchell, to have his friend, who was once shot in a random act of violence, be "one of the first people to show up at the hospital." Spending much time with him previously, doing things and going places, had really helped Mitchell open his eyes with the circumstances. Mitchell got full support from his family and friends, including Denzel Washington and Chris Tucker, to continue his career. Mitchell advises other wheelchair users to hold on to something they believe in. "You cannot do this by yourself. You need your family, your friends, faith, and love," he said.

After the accident, he appeared on the TV program Ed between 2002 and 2004 as a bowling alley manager who was paralyzed after an accident similar to Mitchell's own. He later started the Daryl Mitchell Foundation to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries and serves as the Minority Outreach spokesperson for the Christopher Reeve Foundation. He has also become a strong advocate for employing actors with disabilities.

Today, Mitchell resides in Sugar Hill, Georgia with his wife and three children. Two of his sons play football for North Gwinnett High School, while his daughter also cheers for North Gwinnett High. Mitchell won an NAACP Image Award on February 26, 2010.