# Brian J. White
**Brian J. White** (Brian Joseph White, born 1975 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American actor and producer who moved into entertainment after a professional sports career, playing professional football for the [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots) of the NFL and lacrosse for the Boston Blazers of the NLL before an injury ended his athletic path.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) He is known for roles including Detective Tavon Garris on *The Shield*, Sylvester in *Stomp the Yard* (2007), Patrick Thomas in *The Family Stone* (2005), [Jay White](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-white) on *Ray Donovan* (2017–2018), and Evan Lancaster on *Ambitions* (2019).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) • [2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-brian-j-1977) He is the son of Boston Celtics Hall of Fame guard [Jo Jo White](https://www.edgepedia.org/jo-jo-white).[3](https://lasentinel.net/The-Official-Hype-behind-Brian-White.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Brian Joseph White; born 1975, Boston, Massachusetts (one biographical reference lists 1977 instead) |
| Sports career | Professional football for the New England Patriots (NFL) and professional lacrosse for the Boston Blazers (NLL) before acting[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) |
| Family | Son of Jo Jo White, who won three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics from 1969 to 1981; oldest of six children and the only boy[3](https://lasentinel.net/The-Official-Hype-behind-Brian-White.html) |
| Education | Dartmouth College; studied psychology and theater[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-white/bio/3030067395/) |
| Signature TV roles | Detective Tavon Garris on *The Shield* (from 2003); Jay White on *Ray Donovan*, 2017–2018, 11 episodes; Evan Lancaster on *Ambitions*, 2019, 18 episodes[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-brian-j-1977) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) |
| Notable films | *The Family Stone* (2005), *Brick* (2005), *Stomp the Yard* (2007), *The Game Plan*, *I Can Do Bad All By Myself* (2009), *The Cabin in the Woods* (2012)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/771391527) |
| Producing | Began producing in 2011 on the series *9ine*, in which he also starred; 17 producer credits listed on IMDb[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-white/bio/3030067395/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) |
| Marriage | Married Paula Da Silva on August 28, 2010; one child, daughter Layla[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) |
## Athletic beginnings and the switch to acting
White came from what the Los Angeles Sentinel described as an athletic family and championship background: his father, Jo Jo White, played for the [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics) from 1969 to 1981 and won three championships, and Brian grew up the oldest of six children and the only boy among five younger sisters.[3](https://lasentinel.net/The-Official-Hype-behind-Brian-White.html) At Dartmouth College he studied psychology and theater, and he later co-founded the Phunk Phenomenon Urban Dance Theater in his hometown of Boston.[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-white/bio/3030067395/)
The move into acting was unplanned. In a 2010 interview he described being in Los Angeles trying to return to football, hoping for a Raiders camp tryout, when a casting director approached his table at dinner and asked if he was an actor; his agent answered yes on his behalf, and he soon auditioned against about 500 other actors for a part on *Moesha*, which he won.[6](https://mediamikes.com/2010/12/interview-with-brian-j-white/) He attributed the career change in part to a nagging injury he had never allowed to heal, saying an average football career lasts two years and he needed something he could do until he was 85 rather than 35.[6](https://mediamikes.com/2010/12/interview-with-brian-j-white/)
## Television career
Early television work included *Moesha* on UPN, MTV's *Undressed* and *Spyder Games* in 2001, and *Second Time Around* on UPN in 2004–2005.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-brian-j-1977) His most formative role, by his own account, was Detective Tavon Garris on FX's *The Shield*, beginning in 2003; he has called the eight seasons of that series the best acting class he could have had, supplementing it with theater classes and training.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-brian-j-1977) • [7](https://soapoperanews.net/brian-white-talks-bronx-siu-ambitions/) A recurring role as Lieutenant Carl Davis followed on *Moonlight*, and he later had a regular role as Marcus on TNT's *Men of a Certain Age*.[8](https://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/brian_white_01.htm) • [6](https://mediamikes.com/2010/12/interview-with-brian-j-white/)
Later series work spread across network, cable, and digital platforms. He appeared on *Suits*, *[Scandal](https://www.edgepedia.org/scandal-tv-series)* (as Franklin Russell), *Chicago Fire* and *Chicago P.D.* (as Dallas Patterson), *Mistresses*, *Beauty and the Beast* on the CW (2012–2016), *Hostages*, *Hawaii Five-0*, and *Major Crimes*. In streaming-era drama he played Jay White on *Ray Donovan* for 11 episodes in 2017–2018 and Evan Lancaster on OWN's *Ambitions* for 18 episodes in 2019.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) • [9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/brian-white/) More recent credits include the miniseries *The Black Hamptons* (Jeffery Bowen, 12 episodes, 2022–2024), *Fosters Law* (Edward Foster, 7 episodes, 2023), and guest appearances on *Criminal Minds* (Vincent Orlov, 2024, 4 episodes) and *The Rookie* (Mark Greer, 2024).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/)
## Film work
His early films included *The MatchMaker* (1997, uncredited), *Redemption* (2003) as Christian Rayne, and *Mr. 3000* (2004) as T-Rex Pennebaker opposite [Bernie Mac](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernie-mac), his first studio film.[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-brian-j-1977) • [6](https://mediamikes.com/2010/12/interview-with-brian-j-white/) Mid-decade genre work followed: *Brick* (2005) with [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseph-gordon-levitt), *Dirty* (2005) with [Cuba Gooding Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/cuba-gooding-jr), *The Family Stone* (2005) as Patrick Thomas, *Stomp the Yard* (2007) as Sylvester, and *DOA: Dead or Alive* (2007).[9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/brian-white/) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/771391527)
In 2009 he appeared in *Fighting*, *12 Rounds*, and [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry)'s *I Can Do Bad All By Myself*, and in 2012 he worked with Perry again in *Good Deeds* (as Walt Deeds) and appeared in the horror film *[The Cabin in the Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cabin-in-the-woods)* as Truman, his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 92 percent with critics.[8](https://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/brian_white_01.htm) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/771391527) He has said he deliberately sought character roles rather than leading-man parts, telling Essence that when he started acting he made a conscious decision to be a character actor so he would not repeat the same role.[10](https://www.essence.com/celebrity/5-questions-with-brian-white-on-tyler-perrys-good-deeds-and-making-movies/)
## Producing and other work
White began producing in 2011 on the series *9ine*, in which he also starred, and his producer credits include *My Favorite Five* (2015), *Where Children Play* (2015), *Only for One Night* (2016), *No Regrets* (2016), *Never Heard* (2018), *Black & Privileged* (2019), *Dear Frank* (2019), and *All the Men in My Life* (2022); on *Monogamy* and *Never Heard* he was credited as Brian J. White.[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-white/bio/3030067395/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/)
His activities outside acting are broad. He passed the [Series 7 exam](https://www.edgepedia.org/series-7-exam) and worked as a stockbroker before acting full time, has worked as a model, and wrote a book, *Black Carpenter*, focused on tools for youth empowerment.[8](https://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/brian_white_01.htm) • [10](https://www.essence.com/celebrity/5-questions-with-brian-white-on-tyler-perrys-good-deeds-and-making-movies/) He was politically active as a surrogate for [Barack Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/barack-obama)'s 2008 campaign, traveling and speaking to young people about the political system.[11](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/politics-of-love-brian-white-interview/)
## Recognition
[TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) lists three acting nominations: a 2019 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series, a 2020 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Digital Drama Series, and a 2020 ISA nomination for Best Lead Actor in Drama.[4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-white/bio/3030067395/) IMDb counts 1 win and 4 nominations overall, with 104 acting credits, 17 producer credits, and one director credit.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/)
## Note on biographical sources
Most databases, including IMDb, TV Guide, and Rotten Tomatoes, give his birth date as 1975.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/) • [4](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-white/bio/3030067395/) The Encyclopedia.com career entry gives April 21, 1977 as his birth date;[2](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-brian-j-1977) the two have not been reconciled, and the 1975 date is the one carried by the majority of filmography databases.
## References
1. [Brian White, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924552/)
2. [White, Brian J., Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-brian-j-1977)
3. [The Official Hype behind Brian White, Los Angeles Sentinel (2009)](https://lasentinel.net/The-Official-Hype-behind-Brian-White.html)
4. [Brian White Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/brian-white/bio/3030067395/)
5. [Brian White Movie and TV Listings, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/771391527)
6. [Interview with Brian White, MediaMikes (2010)](https://mediamikes.com/2010/12/interview-with-brian-j-white/)
7. [Brian White Talks Bronx SIU, Ambitions and Much More, Soap Opera News](https://soapoperanews.net/brian-white-talks-bronx-siu-ambitions/)
8. [Brian White interview, Beauty & The Beast, The SciFi World (2013)](https://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/brian_white_01.htm)
9. [Brian White, Actor and Producer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/brian-white/)
10. [5 Questions with Brian White on Tyler Perry's 'Good Deeds', Essence (2012)](https://www.essence.com/celebrity/5-questions-with-brian-white-on-tyler-perrys-good-deeds-and-making-movies/)
11. [Politics of Love: Brian White, Blackfilm.com (2011)](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/politics-of-love-brian-white-interview/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Wh to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license