A post shared by Brian Michael Smith (@the_brianmichael)Isn’t he a sight for sore eyes?Born in Ann Arbor, MI, Smith eventually moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, and began racking up credits in television, commercials, and regional theater.But it’s when he booked a role in 2017 on Queen Sugar—the OWN drama series created by Ava DuVernay—the Smith broke through in a big way.
Playing transgender law enforcement officer Toine Wilkins, Smith decided to use the part as a his vehicle to come out to the world as a trans man.“It’s really important to me to be visible in my work,” he told NBC News at the time. “I just saw how important it was for young LGBT people, no matter where they were in their experience, to see what is down the road for them.”Since then, Smith has kept busy with television roles, appearing in series like Homeland, Blue Bloods, and The L Word: Generation Q.
A post shared by Brian Michael Smith (@the_brianmichael)And, in 2020, he landed his biggest part yet: The ensemble of FOX’s procedural drama 9-1-1: Lone Star, playing Paul Strickland, a trans firefighter and paramedic.