Daniel Ezra

Ezra was born on 15 December 1991 in Birmingham.^[5][6][7] Both his paternal and maternal grandparents were from Jamaica.^[6] Growing up, he was a fan of Harry Potter, Philip Pullman books, and The Lord of the Rings.^[8] He grew up playing basketball, but stopped sports when he began acting.^[8] Ezra attended Great Barr School, now known as Fortis Academy in Great Barr, Birmingham. He went on to train at East 15 Acting School.^[9]

Ezra was not interested in acting until he turned 16 when a teacher at school convinced him to take a role in a school production. On stage, Ezra appeared as Sebastian in Twelfth Night and was nominated for an Ian Charleson Award.^[10][11][12] After making his screen debut in the 2014 television film Murdered by My Boyfriend, Ezra began appearing in BBC dramas, including Undercover and The Missing.^[11][7] In 2018, Ezra had a recurring role in the British fantasy drama A Discovery of Witches.^[8]

In March 2018, Ezra was cast in a leading role in the American sports drama series All American, which marked his U.S. acting debut and required him to use an American accent.^{[12][13][14][6]} Once he learned that he had received the role, he spent as much time as he could in South Central Los Angeles and carried a football with him everywhere so that he could practice his accent and learn about the local culture.^[6][5][15] His favorite rapper, Nipsey Hussle, was from Crenshaw, where the show takes place, so Ezra also studied every song and interview of Hussle as a way of practicing his American accent.^[5][16] He did not have an accent coach.^[16] In addition, Spencer Paysinger, the real-life football player on whom Ezra's character is based, drove Ezra and his costar Taye Diggs around his local neighborhood so that they could understand the neighborhood dynamics.^[17] To prepare for the show, Ezra also watched the NFL Network constantly to learn about the rules of American football.^[15] Ezra first realised the show was successful when he attempted to walk in Times Square and was recognised by fans who approached him.^[18][19]

In October 2024, it was announced that Ezra would be joining Glen Powell in the Edgar Wright And Paramount feature The Running Man.^[20]

Ezra will appear in the upcoming Netflix limited series adaptation All the Sinners Bleed, based on the S. A. Cosby novel of the same name.^[21]