GQ (actor)
Encyclopedia
Gregory J. Qaiyum better known by his initials GQ, is an American
actor, writer and MC.
The son of a Caucasian American
mother of German
and English
descent and a Pakistan
i father. GQ was raised in Chicago
, where he attended Loyola Academy (high school), and later studied at New York University
's (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. Before graduating from the Experimental Theatre Wing of NYU, he put some friends together to create his senior project, merging hip hop
and theater, combining two of his passions, rapping
and acting. The result is off-Broadway
production The Bomb-itty of Errors
, in which GQ is actor, rapper, co-writer and original producer. The show won the jury prize for Best Show at the 2001 Aspen Comedy Festival.
GQ's first professional acting job was at the Manhattan Theatre Club in the hit London play, East is East
. His film credits include What's the Worst That Could Happen?
, On the Line
, and Drumline
.
After his experience in theater, GQ turned his attention to television: a musical sketch/comedy series for MTV called Scratch & Burn. He and the other members of the Bomb-itty crew, including his little brother, JAQ
(who also wrote and produced all of the music for the show), created, wrote and starred in the series.
GQ's next project was his directorial debut for a film for Showtime called Just Another Story, which he wrote and starred in as well. GQ also guest-starred on Fox's Boston Public
, writing his own rhymes for a role as a delinquent student in a Shakespeare class who brought the material to life for the other bored students by rapping it.
GQ currently lives in Los Angeles. Alongside his brother JAQ, the two have created Q Brothers Productions and are working together on an album, The Feel Good Album Of The Year, a mix of jazz, rock, R&B and electronica.
The name "GQ" comes from his own initials, but is also a reference to GQ
magazine, which itself has become somewhat of a colloquialism
referring to stylish males.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, writer and MC.
The son of a Caucasian American
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
mother of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
descent and a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i father. GQ was raised in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he attended Loyola Academy (high school), and later studied at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. Before graduating from the Experimental Theatre Wing of NYU, he put some friends together to create his senior project, merging hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and theater, combining two of his passions, rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and acting. The result is off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production The Bomb-itty of Errors
The Bomb-itty of Errors
The Bomb-itty of Errors is a hip hop theatre retelling of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. Written and performed by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, GQ, and Erik Weiner, the show has been performed in New York City , London , Chicago, Dublin, Edinburgh, Florida, Aspen, Syracuse,...
, in which GQ is actor, rapper, co-writer and original producer. The show won the jury prize for Best Show at the 2001 Aspen Comedy Festival.
GQ's first professional acting job was at the Manhattan Theatre Club in the hit London play, East is East
East is East
East Is East, a quotation from Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Ballad of East and West", may refer to one of the following:* East Is East , a 1999 BAFTA award-winning film...
. His film credits include What's the Worst That Could Happen?
What's the Worst That Could Happen?
What's the Worst That Could Happen? is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito. Loosely based on the book of the same name by Donald Westlake, the film's supporting cast includes John Leguizamo, Bernie Mac, Larry Miller, Nora Dunn, GQ, and...
, On the Line
On the Line (film)
On the Line is a 2001 American romantic comedy film starring Lance Bass and Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film was directed by Eric Bross and was written by Eric Aronson and Paul Stanton, based upon their short film of the same name.-Plot:...
, and Drumline
Drumline (film)
Drumline is a 2002 American film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, which was inspired by The Southwest Dekalb High School Drumline , was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps...
.
After his experience in theater, GQ turned his attention to television: a musical sketch/comedy series for MTV called Scratch & Burn. He and the other members of the Bomb-itty crew, including his little brother, JAQ
JAQ
Jeffery Allen Qaiyum redirects here. For the name Jeffery Allen Qaiyum see Jacques.Jeffery Allen Qaiyum is an American professional b-boy, writer and MC. He has a brother, GQ, who is also a B-Boy professional.-Biography:...
(who also wrote and produced all of the music for the show), created, wrote and starred in the series.
GQ's next project was his directorial debut for a film for Showtime called Just Another Story, which he wrote and starred in as well. GQ also guest-starred on Fox's Boston Public
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...
, writing his own rhymes for a role as a delinquent student in a Shakespeare class who brought the material to life for the other bored students by rapping it.
GQ currently lives in Los Angeles. Alongside his brother JAQ, the two have created Q Brothers Productions and are working together on an album, The Feel Good Album Of The Year, a mix of jazz, rock, R&B and electronica.
The name "GQ" comes from his own initials, but is also a reference to GQ
GQ (magazine)
GQ is a monthly men's magazine focusing on fashion, style, and culture for men, through articles on food, movies, fitness, sex, music, travel, sports, technology, and books...
magazine, which itself has become somewhat of a colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
referring to stylish males.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | On the Line On the Line (film) On the Line is a 2001 American romantic comedy film starring Lance Bass and Emmanuelle Chriqui. The film was directed by Eric Bross and was written by Eric Aronson and Paul Stanton, based upon their short film of the same name.-Plot:... |
Eric |
| What's the Worst That Could Happen? What's the Worst That Could Happen? What's the Worst That Could Happen? is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito. Loosely based on the book of the same name by Donald Westlake, the film's supporting cast includes John Leguizamo, Bernie Mac, Larry Miller, Nora Dunn, GQ, and... |
Shelly Nix | |
| Perfume | Charlie | |
| 2002 | Scratch & Burn (TV series) | Himself |
| Drumline Drumline (film) Drumline is a 2002 American film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, which was inspired by The Southwest Dekalb High School Drumline , was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps... |
Jayson | |
| 2003 | Boston Public Boston Public Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place... (TV series) |
Daryl |
| Just Another Story | Director/Stix | |
| 2004 | Taxi Taxi (2004 film) Taxi is a 2004 American remake of the 1998 Luc Besson-penned, Gérard Pirès-directed French film of the same name, starring Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon and Gisele Bündchen, and directed by Tim Story.-Plot:... |
Mario |
| Man with a Van | Keith | |
| 2005 | Jonny Zero Jonny Zero Jonny Zero is an action-crime drama television series that aired on the Fox network in 2005. It starred Franky G, GQ, and Brennan Hesser. It was cancelled after eight episodes. It began airing on Monday nights on ABC TV in Australia in early 2007.-Plot:... (TV series) |
Random |
| 2007 | Rescue Dawn Rescue Dawn Rescue Dawn is a 2007 war drama film directed by Werner Herzog, based on an adapted screenplay written from his acclaimed 1997 documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly... |
Farkas |
| I Think I Love My Wife I Think I Love My Wife I Think I Love My Wife is a romantic comedy-drama 2007 film directed by and starring Chris Rock and Kerry Washington. Rock co-wrote and produced the film... |
White Rapper in Elevator | |
| Numb3rs NUMB3RS Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes... |
Frank Fisher | |
| 2008 | SIS | Spider |