Mekhi Phifer- Age, Career, Family, Worth, Full Bio

Drug dealer looks on TV, perfect gentleman in real life. Mekhi Phifer has found success as an actor in Hollywood. He has appeared in hip-hop videos and also worked with rapper Eminem in the drama film “8 Mile”. Aside from the career, he is having in the show business, he is an entrepreneur as he owns an Athlete’s foot stores in California. See everything about him below.

Mekhi Phifer: Age and upbringing

Mekhi Phifer is the son of a school teacher named Rhoda Phifer. He never met his father and her mother assumed the responsibility of playing a fatherly role in his life very early. Mekhi was born on December 29, 1974, in Harlem, New York City. Part of the things his mother did was to make sure he receives the best education. Mekhi would later attest that his mother’s style of parenting made him a better person

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He attended the Lincoln Square Auxiliary Services High School and graduated with a flourish in 1994. He then enrolled in the State University of New York in New Paltz, New York City where he was started Electrical Engineering until his acting program waded into his studies and he gave up schooling to join the show business.

Mekhi Phifer: Career

Mekhi Phifer’s first attempt at acting was when he was seven years of age. He featured in a play entitled “A Christmas Carol” which was packaged by Harlem Community Centre. In 1994, he portrayed the role of a drug dealer enmeshed in a murder cover-up in the crime drama film “Clockers” fighting off competitions from thousands of his mates who came for the same role. The film opened the doors of Hollywood for him and he walked in freely.

Mekhi appeared in the comedy spoof movie, “High School High” as Griff McReynolds in 1996. This appearance was followed by the role he played in the film “Hell’s Kitchen”. In 1997, Mekhi portrayed the role of Tyrell Martin in the horror movie, “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr.

He switched to rap music and released his first album under Warner Brothers Records with the title “New York Related: The HF Project”. The album wasn’t quite a success as it should be so he turned his focus to acting. However, he appeared in some music videos of the late 90s and early 2000s like Brandy’s “The Boy Is Mine”, 50 Cent’s “Many Men En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go”.

One of the major highlights of his career came in 2002 when he portrayed the character of Dr. Gregory Pratt on the medical drama ER, which he started in April 2002 on NBC. When his character was killed off in the first episode of the season 14 finale, his watch ended. However, he was nominated twice for an NAACP Image Award during his time in the series.

His motion picture credits exceed the roles he has played on television series. In 2012, he portrayed the role of Drake in the detective comedy-drama television series “Psych” on USA Network. Mekhi had a recurring guest role in Seasons 5 and 6 of police procedural drama series “Homicide: Life on the Street” where he played the role of Junior Bunk the troubled nephew of Baltimore drug lord Luther Mahoney.

He still continued to make appearances in music videos like “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, “So Many Ways” by The Braxtons and “Without Me” by Eminem. Mekhi also had a recurring role on the Fox crime show “Lie to Me” as Ben Reynolds, he also appeared as CIA agent Rex Matheson in “Torchwood: Miracle Day.”

Marriage

Mekhi Phifer has had his own share of marriages. His first union was with Malinda Williams the actress whom he met on the set of the comedy film “High School High”. They got married in 1999 and the union produced a son named Omikaye Phifer. In 2003, they divorced.

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Mekhi had another son with Mekhi Thira Phifer Jnr with Oni Souratha. This relationship never led to marriage as they soon went their separate ways. On March 30, 2013, he married his longtime girlfriend who goes by the name Reshelet Barnes, in Beverly Hills, California.

Mekhi Phifer: Net worth, height, awards, other facts

Mekhi is having a stellar career in Hollywood. However, there was a period in his life when he filed for bankruptcy with a debt of 1.3 million dollars. Now, he doesn’t rely on the proceeds of Hollywood alone to meet every one of his needs. His net worth is 9 million dollars and part of the figure that makes up this sum must have come from his Athlete foot stores in California. He is young with the potential of making more money in Hollywood or outside Hollywood.

Mekhi Phifer stands at a height of 5 ft 9 inches or 175 meters. He has won the Black Reel Award for Network/Cable in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his role in “A Lesson Before Dying”. In 2004, he won the Celebrity Poker Showdown Championship after defeating Neil Patrick Harris during the 4th season.

Image Source: Today Show