Y'lan Noel
Panamanian-American actor
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Y'lan Noel is an American actor. He is known for portraying Daniel King in the HBO television series Insecure (2016–2018), and the lead role of Dmitri Cimber in the horror film The First Purge (2018). He also starred as Coltrane Wilder in the crime drama, Nemesis (2026). For his role as Troy Marshall in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Noel was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role.
Y'lan Noel | |
|---|---|
| Born | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Early life and education
Y'lan Noel was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was further raised in Queens until his family moved to Decatur, Georgia. He is of Afro-Panamanian descent.[1]
He began attending Morehouse College and transferred to New York University.[1] He continued through Tisch School of Arts until he was called away to Los Angeles.[2]
Career
Noel landed the role of Daniel King on the 2016 series Insecure.[1] He described Daniel as being the opposite of him: "I was nervous about playing Daniel. I love being around women...but I’ve always felt a bit awkward, well, insecure, around women I’ve had crushes on. Daniel doesn’t seem to have any of that awkwardness... Daniel’s extremely confident and goes after what he wants."[3]
In 2018, Noel played the lead role of Dmitri in The First Purge,[4] which he considered very challenging.[5]
In 2021, he was cast in the lead for a television pilot based on the Sam Greenlee novel The Spook Who Sat By The Door, to be produced by Lee Daniels.[6][7][8]
Noel voiced the role of Troy Marshall in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.[9]
Accolades
In 2025 Noel was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Performer in a Leading Role for his role in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.[9]
Personal life
Noel is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.[10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Spartan King | Jack | Short film |
| 2013 | House of Another | Henry Gibson | |
| 2018 | The First Purge | Dmitri | |
| 2018 | Slice | Big Cheese | |
| 2018 | The Weekend | Aubrey | |
| 2020 | The Photograph | Young Isaac Jefferson | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Hustle | Kutta | Main role |
| 2016–2018 | Insecure[11] | Daniel King | Recurring (season 1) Main role (season 2–3) |
| 2021 | The Spook Who Sat by the Door | Dan Freeman | Main role; unaired pilot |
| 2024 | Lady in the Lake[12] | Ferdie Platt | Main role; limited series |
| 2026 | Nemesis | Coltrane Wilder | Main role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Troy Marshall | [13] |
| 2025 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 |