# Mo McRae
**Mo McRae** (birth name Maurice McRae; born 1982 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter known for recurring television roles on *Sons of Anarchy*, *Murder in the First*, and *[Pitch](https://www.edgepedia.org/pitch-tv-series)*, and for his 2022 feature directorial debut *A Lot of Nothing*, which he also wrote and produced[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594895/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, Los Angeles, California; birth name Maurice McRae[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594895/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/) |
| Signature TV roles | Tyler Yost on *Sons of Anarchy* (joined 2012), Anthony 'Suger' Cascade on *Murder in the First* (2015), Blip Sanders on *Pitch* (2016–17)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/) |
| Feature debut as director | *A Lot of Nothing* (2022), which he also wrote and produced[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mo_mcrae) |
| Notable film roles | *The Butler* (2013), *Wild* (2014), *Den of Thieves* (2018), *The First Purge* (2018)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mo_mcrae) |
| Production company | Scalable Content, co-founded with *Pitch* co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar[4](https://www.finehomesandliving.com/featured/pitch-perfect/article_6a0acce1-2555-515d-af6f-979fc78c0754.html) |
| Spouse | Actress Lex Scott Davis, married July 21, 2019[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594895/) |
## Early career
McRae grew up in [South Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-los-angeles) and initially wanted to be a basketball player before discovering drama in his mid-teens; he has said he was introduced to acting in a fourth-period high school drama class whose teacher encouraged him to do a play[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/) • [4](https://www.finehomesandliving.com/featured/pitch-perfect/article_6a0acce1-2555-515d-af6f-979fc78c0754.html). After booking television commercials, he made his acting debut in the indie rom-com *The Blue Diner* (2001) and then accumulated more than a dozen small parts on shows such as *The Shield*, *ER*, and *Cold Case*, and in films including *Thirteen* (2003), *Woman Thou Art Loosed* (2004), and *Dirty* (2005)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/).
His screen time expanded with the role of troubled quarterback Leon Hayes in the sports drama *[Gridiron Gang](https://www.edgepedia.org/gridiron-gang)*; IMDb dates the film to 2006, while [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide)-style listings place it in 2008[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594895/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/). A recurring part as dealer-turned-informant Pooch on *Detroit 1-8-7* (ABC, 2010–11) and guest spots on *Southland* and *CSI: NY* raised his profile further[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/).
## Television breakthrough
In 2012 McRae joined the FX outlaw drama *Sons of Anarchy* as Tyler Yost, leader of the One-Niners gang, appearing across the show's final two seasons[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/mo-mcrae/). During that stint he also played Black Panther leader Eldridge Huggins in *The Butler* (2013) and reporter [Jimmy Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-carter) in *Wild* (2014), and appeared in three episodes of *Ray Donovan* as a wealthy athlete accused of murder[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/).
In 2015 he played gang kingpin Anthony 'Suger' Cascade in the second season of TNT's *Murder in the First*, then landed his first leading film role as a commitment-phobic shoe salesman in the [Queen Latifah](https://www.edgepedia.org/queen-latifah)-produced rom-com *November Rule* (2015)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/). He followed with a recurring part as J Poppa, Gabourey Sidibe's love interest, on Fox's *Empire*, and portrayed civil rights leader [Stokely Carmichael](https://www.edgepedia.org/stokely-carmichael) in the [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/lyndon-b-johnson) biopic *All the Way* (2016)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/). His best-known regular role came as outfielder Blip Sanders, a centerfielder for the San Diego Padres and longtime friend of the lead character, in Fox's fictional Major League Baseball series *Pitch* (2016–17)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/). Preparing for the part, he trained several times a week with coaching provided by the network and studio, and filmed at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium[4](https://www.finehomesandliving.com/featured/pitch-perfect/article_6a0acce1-2555-515d-af6f-979fc78c0754.html).
Later television work included Michael Perkins in *Big Little Lies* (2017), Benjamin Berry in *The Flight Attendant* (2020), and a series-regular role on Fox's *Almost Family* (2019)[5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/mo-mcrae/) • [6](https://scalablecontent.co/about).
## Work behind the camera
McRae made his directorial debut with the short film *Kings and Beggars* (2013)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/). His feature debut, *A Lot of Nothing* (2022), starred Y'lan Noel, Cleopatra Coleman, and [Justin Hartley](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-hartley) and was executively produced by [David Oyelowo](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-oyelowo); McRae directed, wrote, and produced it[6](https://scalablecontent.co/about) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mo_mcrae). He has since directed episodes of network and streaming dramas including *All Rise* (CBS, 2019), *East New York* and *The Cleaning Lady* (both 2022), *Bel-Air* (2022), and *Ransom Canyon* (2025)[5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/mo-mcrae/) • [6](https://scalablecontent.co/about).
While working on *Pitch*, he co-founded the production company Scalable Content with his co-star [Mark-Paul Gosselaar](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-paul-gosselaar) to develop short-form narrative content[4](https://www.finehomesandliving.com/featured/pitch-perfect/article_6a0acce1-2555-515d-af6f-979fc78c0754.html). His wife, actress [Lex Scott Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/lex-scott-davis), later signed on as an executive producer at the company[6](https://scalablecontent.co/about).
## Recent work
McRae's film roles in the late 2010s and 2020s included Gus Henderson in *Den of Thieves* (2018), 7 & 7 in Blumhouse's *The First Purge* (2018), Wilson in *Adopt a Highway* (2019), and Walker in Kevin Willmott's World War II drama *The 24th* (2020)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mo_mcrae) • [6](https://scalablecontent.co/about). On Rotten Tomatoes, his highest-rated film as an actor is *Wild* at 88 percent and his lowest is *Gully* (2019) at 25 percent[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mo_mcrae).
More recent credits include Duke Parks in *Red Right Hand* (2024), Milestone 'Miles' Williams in *Stay* (2025), and Agent Eli Gates in the 2026 series *[Lucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucky-miniseries)*, adapted from [Marissa Stapley](https://www.edgepedia.org/marissa-stapley)'s novel and starring [Anya Taylor-Joy](https://www.edgepedia.org/anya-taylor-joy)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594895/) • [7](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/lucky-anya-taylor-joys-apple-tv-series-is-one-of-the-years-best/).
## References
1. [Mo McRae, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0594895/)
2. [Mo McRae, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/mo-mcrae/)
3. [Mo McRae Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mo_mcrae)
4. ["Pitch" Perfect: Mo McRae Stuns in FOX's New Hit Drama, FINE Magazine (December 3, 2016)](https://www.finehomesandliving.com/featured/pitch-perfect/article_6a0acce1-2555-515d-af6f-979fc78c0754.html)
5. [Mo McRae, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/mo-mcrae/)
6. [About the Team, Scalable Content](https://scalablecontent.co/about)
7. ['Lucky' Is One of the Year's Best TV Series, The Daily Beast (July 2026)](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/lucky-anya-taylor-joys-apple-tv-series-is-one-of-the-years-best/)
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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 Mc to Mi*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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