Corey Hawkins

Corey Antonio Hawkins (born October 22, 1988) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role in the TV series The Walking Dead (2015–2016), as well as his portrayal of Dr. Dre in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the latter of which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. He's also known for his performances on Broadway starring in Six Degrees of Separation (2017) and Topdog/Underdog (2022), both of which earned him nominations for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. That same year, Hawkins starred in the Fox network series 24: Legacy (2017), along with Jordan Vogt-Roberts' monster film Kong: Skull Island. In 2018, he was featured in Spike Lee's biographical crime-comedy BlacKkKlansman, which earned him a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Hawkins received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award, for his portrayal of Paul in the Quibi series Survive (2020). His other roles include Michael Bay's action-comedy 6 Underground (2019), Jon M. Chu's musical film In the Heights (2021), and Joel Coen's 2021 historical thriller film The Tragedy of Macbeth. He is set to star in the 2023 film adaptation of The Color Purple. Life and career Hawkins was born in Washington, D.C., where he was raised by his mother, a police officer. He attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and graduated from the Juilliard School in New York City, a member of the drama division's "Group 40". While studying at Juilliard, Hawkins received the prestigious John Houseman Award for excellence in classical theatre. Upon graduation, he began a career starring Off-Broadway and guest-starring on television. Hawkins garnered a brief role in Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3 and went on to star opposite Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore in Universal Pictures' action-thriller Non-Stop.