David Ramsey is an American actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

, best known for his roles in the Showtime TV series Dexter

Dexter (TV series)

Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...

 as Anton Briggs and the film Mother and Child

Mother and Child (film)

Mother and Child is an American drama film directed and written by Rodrigo García, and stars Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington, Shareeka Epps and Samuel L. Jackson. It premiered on September 14, 2009 at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and at the Sundance Film Festival on...

.

Life and career

Ramsey was born in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, USA and was the fourth of five children of Jeraldine and Nathaniel Ramsey. After performing in a church play, he started wanting to become an actor and after graduating from Mumford High School, he attended Wayne State University

Wayne State University

Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

. He had his first role in Scared Stiff but his main career kicked off in 1995 when he started getting small roles in films and television series. He starred in such films as The Nutty Professor

The Nutty Professor (1996 film)

The Nutty Professor is a 1996 science fiction-romantic comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. It is a remake of the 1963 film of the same name, starring Jerry Lewis. The original music score was composed by David Newman. The film won an Academy Award for Makeup.Murphy plays benevolent university...

, A Very Brady Sequel

A Very Brady Sequel

A Very Brady Sequel is a 1996 comedy film and sequel to 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie. Both films are parodies-homages of the classic 1969–1974 television sitcom The Brady Bunch. The film was directed by Arlene Sanford and stars Shelley Long and Gary Cole as Carol and Mike Brady. The film was a box...

, Con Air

Con Air

Con Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...

 and A Short Wait Between Trains.

From 1997 to 1998, he appeared on the UPN

UPN

United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...

 sitcom Good News

Good News (TV series)

Good News is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from 1997 to 1998. The series is a spin-off of the UPN series Sparks.-Synopsis:...

, starring as Pastor David Randolph. In 2000, he starred as Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...

 in the Fox

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...

 television movie Ali: An American Hero. Later that year, he appeared in Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward is a 2000 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It was directed by Mimi Leder and written by Leslie Dixon...

 and started a recurring role in For Your Love

For Your Love (TV series)

For Your Love is an American sitcom that premiered on March 17, 1998 on NBC. It was canceled after six episodes, but was picked up by The WB Network. It ran there for four years before its 2002 cancellation.-Synopsis:...

. He has also starred in recurring roles in All of Us

All of Us

All of Us is an American sitcom that premiered on the now-defunct UPN network in the United States on September 16, 2003, where it aired for its first three seasons. October 1, 2006, the show moved to The CW, a new network formed by the merger of UPN and The WB All of Us is an American sitcom that...

, The West Wing, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...

, Ghost Whisperer

Ghost Whisperer

Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...

, Wildfire

Wildfire (TV series)

Wildfire is a US television series that aired on ABC Family, which was produced by Lions Gate Television, Piller2 and The Segan Company . The show premiered June 20, 2005; its fourth and final season ended May 16, 2008 due to low ratings...

 and Hollywood Residential. In 2008 to 2009, he appeared in 17 episodes of Dexter

Dexter (TV series)

Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...

 as Anton Briggs, a pot-smoking confidential informant who has an affair with Debra Morgan

Debra Morgan

Debra Morgan is a fictional character created by Jeff Lindsay for his Dexter book series. She also appears in the television series, based on Lindsay's books, portrayed by Jennifer Carpenter. In Lindsay's novels, she first appeared in Darkly Dreaming Dexter, and has featured in every novel...

 in Season 3 and at the start of Season 4. He appeared in an episode of Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...

 in 2010.

Ramsey appeared in the short lived NBC courtroom drama series Outlaw

Outlaw (TV series)

Outlaw is an American television series that was aired on the NBC network. The one-hour courtroom drama stars Jimmy Smits as a Supreme Court Justice who resigns from the bench to start his own law firm, as a way to more directly promote the ends of justice...

 in 2010.

Ramsey is an accomplished martial artist. Holding a black belt

Black belt (martial arts)

In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...

 in jeet kune do

Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...

, he has also studied boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 and tae kwon do

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...

, and has trained in kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

 under Benny "Jet" Urquidez

Benny Urquidez

Benny Urquidez is an American kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed, The Jet, Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the U.S. He made the transition from point to full-contact karate in 1974 – the year of its inception...

.

Filmography

Year	Film/Show	Role	Notes
1987	Scared Stiff	George Masterson
1995	Murder One Murder One (TV series) Murder One is an American legal drama series that first aired on the ABC network in the United States in 1995. The series was created by Steven Bochco, Charles H. Eglee, and Channing Gibson.-Premise:...	Reporter #3
1996	Deutschlandlied	George
	Space: Above and Beyond Space: Above and Beyond Space: Above and Beyond was a short-lived mid-90s American science fiction television show on the FOX Network, created and written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. Originally planned for five seasons, it ran only for the single 1995–1996 season. It was nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Saturn...	Supervisor
	The Nutty Professor The Nutty Professor (1996 film) The Nutty Professor is a 1996 science fiction-romantic comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. It is a remake of the 1963 film of the same name, starring Jerry Lewis. The original music score was composed by David Newman. The film won an Academy Award for Makeup.Murphy plays benevolent university...	Student
	A Very Brady Sequel A Very Brady Sequel A Very Brady Sequel is a 1996 comedy film and sequel to 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie. Both films are parodies-homages of the classic 1969–1974 television sitcom The Brady Bunch. The film was directed by Arlene Sanford and stars Shelley Long and Gary Cole as Carol and Mike Brady. The film was a box...	Brent, the Lifeguard
	Her Costly Affair Her Costly Affair Her Costly Affair is a 1996 television film directed by John Patterson. The film was initially to be released as Consensual Relations, until lead actress Bonnie Bedelia had it changed. Filming took place in Southern California.- Plot :...	Shep Walker
1997	Con Air Con Air Con Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...	Londell
1998	A Short Wait Between Trains	Jenkins
	Good News Good News (TV series) Good News is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from 1997 to 1998. The series is a spin-off of the UPN series Sparks.-Synopsis:...	Pastor David Randolph
	CHiPs '99 CHiPs '99 CHiPs '99 is a film reunion of the 1977-1983 American television series, CHiPs. It was directed by Jon Cassar and shown on Turner Network Television in the USA on October 27, 1998.-Cast:*Larry Wilcox as Capt...	Officer Sergeant McFall
	Mama Flora's Family Mama Flora's Family Mama Flora's Family is a novel by Alex Haley. The story begins with Flora, a daughter of poor black sharecroppers at her home in Mississippi...	Booker Palmer (Adult)
1999	Mutiny	Vernon Nettles
	Three to Tango Three to Tango Three to Tango is a 1999 romantic comedy film starring Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott and Oliver Platt.- Plot :Set amidst Chicago's swing music revival of the late 1990s, Oscar Novak , an aspiring architect and his business partner, Peter Steinberg , have just landed a career-making...	Bill
2000	Ali: An American Hero	Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
	Pay It Forward Pay It Forward Pay It Forward is a 2000 American drama film based on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It was directed by Mimi Leder and written by Leslie Dixon...	Sidney Parker
	For Your Love For Your Love (TV series) For Your Love is an American sitcom that premiered on March 17, 1998 on NBC. It was canceled after six episodes, but was picked up by The WB Network. It ran there for four years before its 2002 cancellation.-Synopsis:...	Brian
2001	Girlfriends	Randall
	Thieves	Agent Victor
	Mr. Bones	Vince Lee
2002	For the People For the People For The People is the debut album from Hip Hop collective Boot Camp Clik, consisting of Buckshot from Black Moon, Cocoa Brovaz, formerly known as Smif-N-Wessun, Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. The crew officially organized in 1995, with all eight members appearing on the song "Cession At Da Doghillee"...
	Romeo Fire
	The Guardian The Guardian (TV series) The Guardian is an American drama series which aired on CBS from September 25, 2001 to May 4, 2004. It is currently showing in re-runs on the Sleuth Channel in the US. The Guardian has also aired in the United Kingdom on the Hallmark Channel, ABC1 and more recently five USA and as of August...	Debord's Lawyer
2002–2003	One on One One on One (TV series) One on One is an American sitcom that aired on the now-defunct UPN from its September 3, 2001 premiere until May 15, 2006. The series stars Flex Alexander as a single sportscaster, who becomes a full-time dad when his ex-wife decides to accept a job out of the country and his teenage daughter...	Jayden
2003	The Flannerys
	Strong Medicine Strong Medicine Strong Medicine is a medical drama with a focus on feminist politics, health issues and class conflict. The television series aired on the Lifetime network from 2000 to 2006. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The series was created and produced in part by comedienne and...	Jake Cortese
	Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service	Special Agent Richard Owens
2004	Crossing Jordan Crossing Jordan Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...	Agent Scannell
	CSI: Miami CSI: Miami CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....	Officer Everhart
	Charmed Charmed Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...	Upper Level Demon
	Hair Show Hair Show Hair Show is a 2004 comedy film directed by Leslie Small that stars Mo'Nique and Kellita Smith.-Plot:Peaches , a hair stylist from Baltimore, and her estranged sister, Angela , the owner of an upscale salon in Beverly Hills, get reacquainted when Peaches decides to attend a celebration for Angela...	Cliff
	Second Time Around	Travis Byrd
2005	Central Booking	Troy Stonebreaker
	Huff Huff (TV series) Huff is an American television dramedy series produced by Sony Pictures Television for Showtime. The series was created by Bob Lowry and features Hank Azaria as Dr. Craig "Huff" Huffstodt, a psychiatrist whose life changes abruptly when a 15-year-old client commits suicide in his office...	Clay
	Resurrection: The J.R. Richard Story	J.R. Richard
	All of Us All of Us All of Us is an American sitcom that premiered on the now-defunct UPN network in the United States on September 16, 2003, where it aired for its first three seasons. October 1, 2006, the show moved to The CW, a new network formed by the merger of UPN and The WB All of Us is an American sitcom that...	Rusty
	Bathsheba Bathsheba According to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which King David seduced her....	King David
	Jane Doe: The Wrong Face	Mac
2005–2008	Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...	Will
2006	Hello Sister, Goodbye Life Hello Sister, Goodbye Life Hello Sister, Goodbye Life is a 2006 ABC Family original Dramedy television film based on novelist Claire Scovell LaZebnik's book, Same as It Never Was...	Uncle Dennis Klein
	The West Wing	Santos's Turnout Briefer
	Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America is an ABC two-hour TV movie which first aired May 9, 2006 in which an American "businessman visiting China is infected and carries the deadly mutated bird flu virus back via jetliner to the USA, soon it spreads throughout the country then the rest of the world...	Curtis Ansen
	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...	Gerald Crowley
2007	Criminal Minds Criminal Minds Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...	Wakeland
	The Death and Life of Bobby Z The Death and Life of Bobby Z The Death and Life of Bobby Z, also known as Bobby Z and Let's kill Bobby Z, is a 2007 American action film, directed by John Herzfeld, and stars Paul Walker, Laurence Fishburne, Olivia Wilde and Joaquim de Almeida...	Wayne
	Journeyman Journeyman A journeyman is someone who completed an apprenticeship and was fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman had to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master....	Det. Wilson Hargreaves
2008	Wildfire Wildfire A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...	Dr. Noah Gleason
	Hollywood Residential	Don Merritt
	The Coverup	Bill Daily
2008–2009	Dexter Dexter (TV series) Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...	Anton Briggs	Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2009	The Rub The Rub The Rub were a band formed in 1999 by ex-Stone Roses drummer Alan "Reni" Wren. The band's line up was Reni as lead singer & lead guitar, Casey Longden from Manchester on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Neil Nisbet on bass and backing vocals with Mik Grant on drums...	Cam Stewart
	Mother and Child Mother and Child (film) Mother and Child is an American drama film directed and written by Rodrigo García, and stars Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington, Shareeka Epps and Samuel L. Jackson. It premiered on September 14, 2009 at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and at the Sundance Film Festival on...	Joseph
	Castle Castle (TV series) Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...	Jim Wheeler
2010	Grey's Anatomy	Jimmy Thompson	Episode: "Sympathy for the Parents"
	Outlaw Outlaw (TV series) Outlaw is an American television series that was aired on the NBC network. The one-hour courtroom drama stars Jimmy Smits as a Supreme Court Justice who resigns from the bench to start his own law firm, as a way to more directly promote the ends of justice...	Al Druzinsky	Main cast

External links