American actor Brett Gray is renowned for portraying Jamal Turner, the nerd of the group, on the Netflix series On My Block. He has been a series regular since the show's first season that released on March 16, 2018.

This month, he reprised his role in the fourth season of the coming-of-age series, alongside his co-stars Sierra Capri, Jason Genao, Diego Tinoco, and Jessica Marie Garcia.

Also a talented singer and voice artist, Gary has also voiced the lead character, Dal, in the forthcoming animated series Star Trek: Prodigy on Paramount+.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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What else do we know about the young actor? Scroll through as we bring everything you need to know about Gray, including his age, a struggle-filled early life, and his other career options.

Brett Gray Slept at McDonald’s

Gray, age 25, was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since he was always fascinated by acting, he attended acting school at a young age and acted in his first school play at the age of 6. A year later, he performed in his first professional show at the Academy of Music.

But his struggles started after he graduated as a theater major from The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts in 2014.

Speaking with Sway Calloway on Sway's Universe in June 2018, the actor revealed that he spent four years in New York City just trying to pound the pavement and find work after his high school graduation.

He said he often sept at McDonald’s because he didn't have money for the bus fare to get back home. He elaborated his revelation, saying,

If I missed the mega bus at 11 o'clock, I would sleep in McDonald’s until the five o'clock in the morning mega bus the next day because I didn't have money to get the Amtrak or you know any other type of bus.

Applauds Mother’s Sacrifice and Support

In the same interview, the When They See Us cast talked about his mother and described her as "a superhero."

He applauded her supportive nature, saying she did anything to keep him happy, so much so that she even gave her last meal to fulfill Gray's hunger. He continued to share that she never demanded a good shoe and didn't even do her hair in salons so that she could give that money to him for his mega bus fare.

"I mean I think I just had the foundation already and she really showed me that you know if you make sacrifices, it will pay off," he added.

Brett Gray Is a Self Taught Music Artist

As stated earlier, Gray is also a singer in addition to being a skilled actor. During an interview with Xavier Brinkman for Heard Well in September 2020, he stated that he had been singing since he was about 3 years old.

He added that when he searched for opportunities as an artist, the actor in him got the chance first, and singing followed later.

As a singer, he released his debut single 'Old Thing Back' in June 2018, followed by his EP Easy Daze the same year on August 7. In 2020, he released another music EP titled Blue, which was about his previous relationship.

Knowing about Gray has indeed taught us that struggle and hard work is the way to success. We hope to see more of his work in the coming days!