Sinqua Walls is an American actor known for his work in film and television. His work includes the feature films White Men Can’t Jump, Carry-On, and Man of Tomorrow, as well as the Peacock limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. Carry-On became one of Netflix’s most-watched films, recording 172.1 million views during its first 91 days of release. Earlier in his career, Walls starred as Don Cornelius in BET’s American Soul and appeared in the television series Power, Teen Wolf, Once Upon a Time, and Friday Night Lights.
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Early life and education
Walls was born in Louisiana and moved with his family to Marina del Rey, California, during childhood. He attended El Segundo High School before enrolling at the University of San Francisco, where he studied theatre and film while playing NCAA Division I basketball for the San Francisco Dons men’s basketball team. After graduating in 2007, he pursued a career in acting.
Career
Walls began his acting career with guest and recurring roles in television series including Lincoln Heights, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Grey’s Anatomy, Chuck, Blue Mountain State, Friday Night Lights, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Necessary Roughness, and Pair of Kings.
He gained wider recognition portraying Vernon Boyd in MTV’s supernatural drama Teen Wolf before appearing as Sir Lancelot in ABC’s Once Upon a Time. He later played Shawn Stark in the Starz crime drama Power and starred as Terrance “Lil Ray” Baltimore in VH1’s The Breaks.
In 2017, Walls was cast in Clint Eastwood’s biographical drama The 15:17 to Paris, released the following year.
In 2018, Walls was cast as Don Cornelius in BET’s drama series American Soul, portraying the creator and host of Soul Train. The series ran for two seasons and marked his first leading role in a scripted television series.
Walls subsequently expanded into feature films with roles in Resort to Love, Nanny: Nanny premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it became the first horror film to win the U.S Democratic Grand Jury Prize, Alice, The Blackening, and Mending the Line.
In 2023, he starred as Kamal Allen in White Men Can’t Jump, the remake of the 1992 sports comedy.
In 2024, Walls appeared in the Peacock limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist and the Netflix action thriller Carry-On. Carry-On became one of Netflix’s most-watched films, recording 172.1 million views during its first 91 days of release.
In 2026, it was announced that Walls had joined the cast of James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to Superman (2025), in an undisclosed role.