Dorian Missick

Early life and education

Missick was born in East Orange, New Jersey, and grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, Decatur, Georgia, and New York City's Brooklyn.

From a very early age, Missick had a passion for entertaining; he would attend plays and watch movies with his parents. Missick grew up an only child (his mother later adopted two baby twin girls, and raised a 4th child with her current husband).

Missick has kept athletic; he often took part in competitive sports such as soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming, and diving.

Career

During his first acting class, casting agents were looking for a Coca-Cola commercial, and they decided that Missick was right for the part. At first, he saw acting as being effortless, but he was not booked again for the next year. He was eventually cast in a small role on In the Heat of the Night, playing a young fisherman. Although he continued to audition, he was not sure whether he should take it seriously.

In the summer of 1996, Missick joined the Jazz Actors, a theater company in Harlem, where he studied under Ernie McClintock. McClintock’s style, strongly influenced by jazz music, strongly influenced Missick's style in turn. After the company dispersed, Missick joined NITE Star, an educational company whose primary focus was to educate young teens on AIDS awareness and building an understanding towards alternative lifestyles. During his time with NITE Star, Missick met American actress Kerry Washington (who was also involved with the company) and gained a steady income from commercials, averaging around seven nationals a year.

In 2002, Missick made his professional acting debut in Two Weeks Notice, playing Tony, Hugh Grant's right-hand man/limo driver. His exposure from that role led to parts in TV shows including NYPD Blue, Law & Order, Now and Again, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as small roles in movies such as Undermind, 50 Ways to Leave a Lover, A Message from Pops, Freedomland, and Two Guns. He auditioned for the role of Antwone Quenton 'Fish' Fisher in Antwone Fisher; he was not cast, but his meeting with Denzel Washington later led to a role in The Manchurian Candidate. Soon after, Missick got a role playing Elvis in Lucky Number Slevin, and soon afterward landed his first leading role in Premium alongside Zoe Saldana.

Personal life

Missick married his wife, Simone Cook, in February 2012.