Daryl Mitchell (actor)

Daryl "Chill" Mitchell (born July 16, 1965)[1] is an American actor and former rapper. He is known for such roles as Dexter Wilson on The John Larroquette Show, Tommy Webber in Galaxy Quest, Leo Michaels on Veronica's Closet, Eli Goggins III on Ed, and Patton Plame on NCIS: New Orleans. For his performance in the sitcom Brothers, Mitchell won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.

Daryl Mitchell
Mitchell in September 2009
Born (1965-07-16) July 16, 1965 (age 59)
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, rapper
Years active1985–present
Spouse
Carol
(m. 1998)
Children3

Early life

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Mitchell was born in The Bronx, to a secretary mother[2] and a bus driver father.[3] He grew up in Wyandanch.[4]

Career

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During the 1980s, Mitchell was a member of the hip hop group Groove B. Chill.[5] Mitchell made his film debut in House Party (1990).[6] He had taken the role for both financial reasons and in hopes of popularizing his music. After acting in the sequel, Mitchell decided to leave music to focus strictly on acting.[6][5]

His first regular role on television was on the sitcom Here and Now as T.[7] Mitchell landed the role of Dexter,[8] a lunch attendant[9] that often argued with the protagonist, on the sitcom The John Larroquette Show (1993−96).[10] For his work on John Larroquette, Mitchell was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 1996 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.[11] He appeared regularly as marketing director Leo on Veronica's Closet from 1997 to 2000.[12]

He appeared as Wally, a mechanic, in Sgt. Bilko (1996),[13] with Steve Martin and Chris Rock among his co-stars.[14] Mitchell was Earl in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)[5] and played Roy in Home Fries (1998).[15] Mitchell appeared as Raul in the Disney film Toothless (1997) alongside Veronica's Closet co-star Kirstie Alley.[16]

In 1999, Mitchell acted in two feature films. He appeared as English teacher Mr. Morgan in 10 Things I Hate About You[17] and portrayed Tommy Webber, a fictional actor who performed as Lieutenant Laredo during childhood,[18] in the science fiction spoof Galaxy Quest.[19]

He appeared as police officer Chambers in Lucky Numbers (2000)[20] and was Steve in Black Knight (2001).[21] Mitchell played a state trooper in The Country Bears (2002),[22] which finished filming shortly before he was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.[23]

Mitchell's first role following the accident was Eli, a bowling alley manager, in Ed (2002−04).[23] He joined the series in its third season. The producers of the series, already feeling the ensemble was too large, balked at the idea of another character being introduced. However, producer Jon Beckerman's worries were quelled upon meeting Mitchell and he was taken by Mitchell's sense of humor, leading to the character of Eli being created.[6]

In 2009, he portrayed Chill Trainor in the short-lived sitcom Brothers with Michael Strahan. A reviewer for The New York Times found Mitchell's character to be the most interesting, and praised the actor's line delivery.[24] Despite the show's short run, Mitchell received his second NAACP Image Award nomination in 2010, in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.[25] Mitchell went on to win the award on February 26, 2010.[26] From 2014 to 2021 he starred in NCIS: New Orleans as recurring-turned-main character Patton Plame, a computer specialist for NCIS.[27][28] In 2018, he joined the cast of Fear the Walking Dead portraying Wendell.[29]

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

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Mitchell and his wife, Carol, have three children. As of 2010, they live in Sugar Hill, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.[30]

Motorcycle crash

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On November 10, 2001, Mitchell was paralyzed from the waist down after a motorcycle crash on an island near Beaufort, South Carolina, in which he lost control of his bike while turning a corner on gravel and loose pavement. He woke up five days later in the hospital.[30] Mitchell got full support from his family and friends, including Denzel Washington and Chris Tucker, to continue his career.[4] He had a recurring role thereafter on the TV program Ed between 2002 and 2004 as a bowling alley manager who was paralyzed after an accident.[31]

Mitchell later started the Daryl Mitchell Foundation to raise awareness of spinal cord injury, and serves as the Minority Outreach spokesman for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.[32] He has also become a strong advocate for employing actors with disabilities.[30]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1990 House Party Chill
1991 House Party 2 Chill
1992 Boomerang Street Photographer
1993 Fly by Night [fr] Kayam
1994 Cosmic Slop - TV movie
1996 Sgt. Bilko Pfc. Walter T. Holbrook
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate Earl
Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault Dean Memminger TV movie
1997 White Lies Mark
Quiet Days in Hollywood Angel
Toothless Raul TV movie
1998 Home Fries Roy
1999 10 Things I Hate About You Mr. Morgan
Galaxy Quest Tommy Webber
2000 The Pooch and the Pauper Moocher (voice) TV movie
Lucky Numbers Det. Chambers
2001 Slacker Cats Eddie (voice) TV Short
Black Knight Steve
2002 13 Moons Lenny
The Country Bears Officer Hamm
2006 Inside Man Mobile Command Officer Rourke
2012 Playback Wylie
2019 Love & Debt Ed

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Cosby Show Guy in Club Episode: "Clair's Case"
1991 Old Head Episode: "Warning: A Double-Lit Candle Can Cause a Meltdown"
1992 Law & Order Reginald Beggs Episode: "The Fertile Fields"
1992–1993 Here and Now T Main role
1993 Alex Haley's Queen Abner Episode: "Episode #1.3"
1993–1996 The John Larroquette Show Dexter Walker Main role
1994 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Chill Episode: "The Philadelphia Story"
1996 In the House Militant Guy Episode: "Home Again"
1997 Cosby Mike Episode: "Lucas Platonicus"
1997–2000 Veronica's Closet Leo Michaels Main role
2002–2004 Ed Eli Goggins III Main role (seasons 3–4)
2004 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Player in Wheelchair Episode: "Mad Hops"
2005 Eve Damien Episode: "Wheeling and Dealing"
2007 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Himself Episode: "Back in the Game"
The Game Chris Clements Episode: "Media Blitz" & "The Truth Hurts"
2009 Brothers Chill Trainor Main role
2010 Desperate Housewives Ron Episode: "The Glamorous Life"
Wizards of Waverly Place Scientist One Episode: "Wizards Exposed"
2011 Traffic Light Liam Episode: "Help Wanted"
2012 The Cleveland Show Maurice (voice) Episode: "Jesus Walks"
2014 See Dad Run Calvin Riggins Episode: "See Dad Downsize"
2014–2021 NCIS: New Orleans Computer Specialist Patton Plame Recurring role (season 1); main role (season 2–7)
2017 Lifeline - 2 episodes
2018–2022 Fear the Walking Dead Wendell Recurring role (season 4–5, 7); guest role (season 6); 19 episodes
2020 F is for Family Chipsy White (voice) 2 episodes
2025 Shifting Gears Stitch Upcoming series

Awards and nominations

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Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome
2010 NAACP Image Award NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series "Brothers" Won

Studio album

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  • Starting From Zero (A&M, 1990) (with Groove B. Chill)

References

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  1. ^ "Today's famous birthdays list for July 16, 2022 includes celebrity Will Ferrell, Corey Feldman". Cleveland.com. July 16, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "Daryl Mitchell Biography (1969-)". filmreference.com.[better source needed]
  3. ^ Slewinski, Christy (June 7, 1996). "Mitchell to return to NBC in fall". Rome News-Tribune. p. 62.
  4. ^ a b "Moving Man". People. July 29, 2002. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "'Laroquette' actor expands success". The Vindicator. April 16, 1996. p. C10.
  6. ^ a b c "Actor Makes Comeback From Paralysis On NBC's 'Ed'". Warsaw Times-Union. December 23, 2003. p. 4C.
  7. ^ "Here and Now". Observer-Reporter. September 13, 1992. p. F-5.
  8. ^ Terrace, Vincent (January 10, 2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 540. ISBN 9780786486410.
  9. ^ "'The John Larroquette Show' scores with its sly satire". New Straits Times. March 5, 1996. p. 4.
  10. ^ Hughes, Mike (March 26, 1996). "Daryl Mitchell finds L.A. niche". San Bernardino Sun. p. D4.
  11. ^ "The 27th NAACP Image Awards Ballot". The Crisis. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 1996.
  12. ^ Gerston, Jill (September 28, 1997). "COVER STORY; Kirstie Alley's Comedy Mines the Humor in a Messy Divorce". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  13. ^ Cherry, Nanciann (April 2, 1996). "Martin excels in television-inspired con-artist role". Toledo Blade. p. 5.
  14. ^ Peters, Ida (March 9, 1996). "Mitchell and Chris Rock in 'Sgt. Bilko'". Baltimore Afro-American. p. B4.
  15. ^ Ebert, Roger (2000). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2001. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 259. ISBN 9780740710896.
  16. ^ Joyner, Will (October 4, 1997). "TELEVISION REVIEW; The Tooth Fairy, Played With a Lot of Lip". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  17. ^ McTavish, Brian (March 31, 1999). "There's enough to like about '10 Things I Hate'". The Vindicator. p. C6.
  18. ^ Wright, Cherriece (January 3, 2000). "'Galaxy Quest' has fun with science-fiction genre". The Dispatch. p. 6A.
  19. ^ Paseman, Lloyd (December 31, 1999). "Film follows prime directive of parody". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 18.
  20. ^ "Nora Ephron directs John Travolta in 'Lucky Numbers'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 17, 2001. p. E6.
  21. ^ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (December 2002). Screen World 2002. Applause Theatre & Cinema Book Publishers. p. 136. ISBN 9781557835987.
  22. ^ Vice, Jeff (July 26, 2002). "Don't let 'Bears' get you - run!". The Deseret News. pp. W3−W4.
  23. ^ a b Brady, James (October 5, 2003). "In Step With Daryl Mitchell". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. p. 26.
  24. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (September 24, 2009). "Canned Laughs, Raw Realism". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  25. ^ "41st Image Awards Winners". The Crisis. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 2010. p. 47.
  26. ^ "Celebrity Circuit: Daryl Mitchell Accepts NAACP Award". CBS News. February 27, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  27. ^ Terrace, Vincent (January 17, 2020). Encyclopedia of Television Pilots (2nd ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 306. ISBN 9781476638102.
  28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 17, 2021). "'NCIS: New Orleans' To End With Season 7 On CBS". Deadline. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  29. ^ Romano, Nick (July 18, 2019). "Fear the Walking Dead star teases Alicia's fate in midseason finale". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  30. ^ a b c "Daryl "Chill" Mitchell". Ability. Aug–Sep 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  31. ^ Straka, Mike (March 13, 2003). "Ed Star Daryl Mitchell on Rolling With Life's Punches". Fox News. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  32. ^ "Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Ambassador Daryl "Chill" Mitchell Nominated for NAACP Image Award" (Press release). Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. January 8, 2020.
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