Biography
Who is Corey Hawkins?
Early life and education
Corey Antonio Hawkins was born in Washington, D.C. He was raised by his mother, who worked as a police officer. During his youth, he attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts to develop his craft.
He later enrolled at the Juilliard School in New York City, where he became a member of the drama division known as Group 40. While studying at Juilliard, he earned the John Houseman Award, which recognizes excellence in classical theatre.
Career beginnings and Broadway
Upon graduating, Corey Hawkins began his professional career with Off-Broadway performances and guest roles on television programs. His early film credits include a small part in the Marvel Studios production Iron Man 3 and a role in the action thriller Non-Stop alongside Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.
In 2013, he made his Broadway debut playing Tybalt in a revival of Romeo and Juliet, performing alongside Orlando Bloom. He returned to the stage in 2017 for a limited run of Six Degrees of Separation with Allison Janney, which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. He secured another Tony nomination in 2022 for his performance in the play Topdog/Underdog.
Breakthrough in film and television
The actor became well known playing Heath in the AMC series The Walking Dead between 2015 and 2016. That same year, he portrayed Dr. Dre in the Universal Pictures biopic Straight Outta Compton. This role earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
He subsequently took on a lead role in the Fox network series 24: Legacy and appeared in the monster film Kong: Skull Island. In 2018, he joined the cast of the biographical crime-comedy BlacKkKlansman, directed by Spike Lee. This performance also resulted in a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. His television work continued with the Quibi series Survive, where he played Paul and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Recent screen projects
In recent years, Corey Hawkins has appeared in a variety of high-profile films. His credits include the action-comedy 6 Underground, directed by Michael Bay, and the musical film In the Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu. He also worked with Joel Coen on the historical thriller The Tragedy of Macbeth.
In 2023, he appeared in the film adaptation of The Color Purple. Looking ahead, he starred in Christopher Nolan's 2026 project The Odyssey, where he portrayed the character Polybus.
Birthday and age
Corey Hawkins was born on October 22, 1988, which makes Corey 38 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Corey shares the date with 26 other famous people.
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