# Mehcad Brooks
**Mehcad Brooks** (full name Mehcad Jason McKinley Brooks, born 1980 in [Austin, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-texas)) is an American actor, producer, and recording artist known for playing James Olsen on the CW series *Supergirl*, Terrence "TK" King on *Necessary Roughness*, Benedict "Eggs" Talley on *True Blood*, and Jax Briggs in the *Mortal Kombat* films of 2021 and 2026.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) • [2](https://mehcad.com/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980, Austin, Texas; full name Mehcad Jason McKinley Brooks[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) |
| Breakthrough role | Matthew Applewhite on ABC's *Desperate Housewives* (2005-2006); part of the ensemble that won a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series[2](https://mehcad.com/) |
| Signature television roles | Benedict "Eggs" Talley on *True Blood* (2008-2010); Terrence "TK" King on *Necessary Roughness* (2011-2013); James Olsen/Guardian on *Supergirl* (2015-2021, 92 episodes)[2](https://mehcad.com/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) |
| Film franchise role | Jackson "Jax" Briggs in *Mortal Kombat* (2021) and *Mortal Kombat II* (2026)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) |
| Recent series regular | Detective Jalen Shaw on *Law & Order* (2022-2025, 57 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) |
| Athletics and modeling | All-state high school basketball player in Texas; turned down basketball scholarships to attend the University of Southern California's school of cinema-television; one of the four faces of Calvin Klein's CK X underwear line two years in a row[3](https://www.foxnews.com/story/desperate-housewives-hunk-likes-new-role) • [2](https://mehcad.com/) |
| Music | Album *May 20TH* (2018) and singles including "Ego Talking," "Train," and "Oceans"[4](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mehcad-brooks/495160379) |
## Early life and start in acting
Brooks grew up in Austin, Texas, excelling at academics while immersed in sports; he was an all-state basketball player in high school.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4950/mehcad-brooks) He turned down basketball scholarships to attend the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california)'s school of cinema-television instead.[3](https://www.foxnews.com/story/desperate-housewives-hunk-likes-new-role) His acting debut came in the 2002 film *Radimi: Who Stole the Dream*, followed by guest and recurring parts on *Malcolm in the Middle*, *Cold Case*, and *Boston Public*.[6](https://www.buddytv.com/actors/mehcad-brooks/)
## Television career
**Desperate Housewives.** Brooks's first major break came in 2005 with the role of Matthew Applewhite, son of [Alfre Woodard](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfre-woodard)'s character Betty Applewhite, on ABC's award-winning *Desperate Housewives*. During his time on the show he shared in a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.[2](https://mehcad.com/)
**True Blood and Necessary Roughness.** From 2008 to 2010 he co-starred on Alan Ball's HBO series *True Blood* as Benedict "Eggs" Talley, opposite [Anna Paquin](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-paquin) and [Stephen Moyer](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-moyer). When that role ended, he quickly booked a lead on [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network)'s *Necessary Roughness*, a drama based on the true story of a female psychologist who worked for the New York Jets. Brooks played Terrence "TK" King, a star wide receiver notorious for frequent fumbles and run-ins with the law; the series ran three seasons, from 2011 to 2013.[2](https://mehcad.com/)
**Supergirl.** In 2015 Brooks was cast as James "Jimmy" Olsen, a young photojournalist and love interest for [Melissa Benoist](https://www.edgepedia.org/melissa-benoist)'s Supergirl, on the CBS series that later moved to [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw).[7](https://time.com/3687086/supergirl-cbs-mehcad-brooks-melissa-benoist-jimmy-olsen/) His take on the character departed from the traditional bow-tied depiction; DC's own blog described it as "not your father's Jimmy Olsen," and the character later took on a masked heroic identity as the Guardian.[8](https://www.dc.com/blog/2015/12/07/capturing-the-moment-an-interview-with-supergirls-mehcad-brooks) Brooks appeared in 92 episodes across the show's 2015-2021 run, playing the character as a friend, mentor, and object of affection to [Supergirl](https://www.edgepedia.org/supergirl).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) • [2](https://mehcad.com/)
**Law & Order.** From 2022 to 2025 Brooks played Detective Jalen Shaw on NBC's revived *Law & Order*, appearing in 57 episodes, with a crossover guest appearance as the same character on *Law & Order: Organized Crime* and earlier credits on *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) He also played Marion Odin in six episodes of *And Just Like That...* in 2025.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/)
## Film career
Brooks's film credits include [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-bruckheimer)'s Disney basketball drama *Glory Road* (2006), [Paul Haggis](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-haggis)'s *In the Valley of Elah* opposite [Tommy Lee Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-lee-jones) and Charlize Theron, *Just Wright* with Queen Latifah and Common, and *About Last Night* with Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, and Regina Hall.[2](https://mehcad.com/) He starred in Tyler Perry's *A Fall From Grace*, Netflix's most watched thriller of 2020, which remained one of the service's Top 10 Most Watched titles in its first four months, and in *Nobody's Fool* (Paramount Pictures) opposite Tika Sumpter, Tiffany Haddish, and Whoopi Goldberg.[2](https://mehcad.com/)
**Mortal Kombat.** Brooks plays Jackson "Jax" Briggs, a cybernetically enhanced super soldier and leader of Earthrealm, in Warner Bros.' *Mortal Kombat* (2021), directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by [James Wan](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-wan), released simultaneously in theaters and on [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) on April 23, 2021.[2](https://mehcad.com/) To prepare for the first film, he bought a [PlayStation](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation) to study Jax's posture, punching, and blocking, adopting the character's body language from the games.[9](https://as.com/meristation/cine/reportajes/mehcad-brooks-actor-de-mortal-kombat-ii-me-compre-una-playstation-para-estudiar-los-movimientos-de-jax-f202605-n/) He returned as Jax in *Mortal Kombat II*, released in theaters and IMAX on May 8, 2026, alongside Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, Lewis Tan, Tati Gabrielle, and Martyn Ford as Shao Kahn.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b24oG7qCwp4) The sequel opened to $63 million worldwide in its first weekend, an all-time franchise record, against a budget of $80 million.[11](https://as.com/meristation/cine/mortal-kombat-2-se-acaba-de-estrenar-y-es-todo-un-exito-sus-creadores-ya-trabajan-en-la-tercera-pelicula-f202605-n/) Director Simon McQuoid singled out Brooks's performance in the film, saying he "did an amazing job with Jax's death."[12](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/mortal-kombat-2-director-says-one-of-the-sequels-most-shocking-deaths-was-actually-quite-moving-to-film-we-were-all-kind-of-like-oh-s-what-have-we-done/)
## Music and other work
Brooks has also recorded music. His album *May 20TH* was released in 2018, and his singles include "Ego Talking," "Train," "Kepu," "Living Proof," "Coupe Windows," "Oceans," and "Early Morning Under A Lilac Sky" (2020).[4](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mehcad-brooks/495160379) As a producer, his credits include the short film *Wildlife* (2017, executive producer) and *Adulterers* (2015, producer).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/) Between *True Blood* and *Necessary Roughness* he held a Calvin Klein endorsement deal, appearing as one of the four faces of the CK X underwear line two years in a row.[2](https://mehcad.com/)
## References
1. [Mehcad Brooks, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1419635/)
2. [Mehcad Brooks, official site biography](https://mehcad.com/)
3. ["'Desperate Housewives' Hunk Likes New Role," Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/story/desperate-housewives-hunk-likes-new-role)
4. [Mehcad Brooks, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mehcad-brooks/495160379)
5. [Mehcad Brooks, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/4950/mehcad-brooks)
6. [Mehcad Brooks, BuddyTV](https://www.buddytv.com/actors/mehcad-brooks/)
7. ["Mehcad Brooks to Play Jimmy Olsen in Supergirl," Time](https://time.com/3687086/supergirl-cbs-mehcad-brooks-melissa-benoist-jimmy-olsen/)
8. ["Capturing the Moment: An Interview with Supergirl's Mehcad Brooks," DC](https://www.dc.com/blog/2015/12/07/capturing-the-moment-an-interview-with-supergirls-mehcad-brooks)
9. ["Mehcad Brooks, actor de 'Mortal Kombat II': 'Me compré una PlayStation para estudiar los movimientos de Jax'," MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/cine/reportajes/mehcad-brooks-actor-de-mortal-kombat-ii-me-compre-una-playstation-para-estudiar-los-movimientos-de-jax-f202605-n/)
10. [Mortal Kombat II | Official Trailer II, Warner Bros. on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b24oG7qCwp4)
11. ["'Mortal Kombat 2' se acaba de estrenar y es todo un éxito," MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/cine/mortal-kombat-2-se-acaba-de-estrenar-y-es-todo-un-exito-sus-creadores-ya-trabajan-en-la-tercera-pelicula-f202605-n/)
12. ["Mortal Kombat 2 director says one of the sequel's most shocking deaths was 'actually quite moving' to film," GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/mortal-kombat-2-director-says-one-of-the-sequels-most-shocking-deaths-was-actually-quite-moving-to-film-we-were-all-kind-of-like-oh-s-what-have-we-done/)
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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 Bo to Br*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license