Kendrick Sampson

Kendrick Sampson (born March 8,[1] 1988)[2] is an American actor and activist, best known for his appearances on The Vampire Diaries, Gracepoint, How to Get Away with Murder, The Flash, and HBO's Insecure.

Kendrick Sampson
Sampson in 2022
Born (1988-03-08) March 8, 1988
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, Activist
Years active2005–present

Early life

Sampson was born and raised in Houston, Texas, the son of Daphne Smith Sampson and Hoyle Sampson Sr.[1][3][4] He is biracial. As a child, Sampson was enrolled in music lessons.[3][5][6] Sampson expressed an interest in acting at 10 after he saw a Gap commercial. After finding an agent, Sampson was referred to the Kim Terry Studio in Texas. He began performing in theater productions while attending Elkins High School.[4][3] Sampson is a devout Christian.[6]

Career

In 2008, Sampson appeared in two episodes of the ABC Family series Greek and followed that up with an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2010.[5] In July 2013, Sampson booked the recurring role of Jesse in the fifth season of The CW series The Vampire Diaries.[7] In January 2014, Sampson was cast in the role of Dean Iverson in the Fox miniseries Gracepoint.[8] In November 2014, Sampson starred in the music video for Hayley Kiyoko's song "This Side of Paradise."[9] In early 2015, Sampson shot the pilot for a potential ABC series called The Kingmakers but the series wasn't picked up.[10] In July 2015, Sampson booked the recurring role of Caleb Hapstall in the second season of ABC's prime time legal drama How to Get Away with Murder, produced by Shonda Rhimes.[11] From 2018 - 2021, Sampson had a recurring role as Nathan Campbell on Issa Rae's Insecure. Sampson has also started his own production company called Sampson Studios.[3]

Activism

In May 2019, he founded the organization BLD PWR for new development, empowerment and change within marginalized groups and American society.[12] Following the Murder of George Floyd, Sampson actively participated in and organized Black Lives Matter protests in Los Angeles.[13] During the protests, Sampson reported that police officers shot rubber bullets at him and assaulted him.[13][14][15] Sampson called for a one-day strike in Hollywood over the Shooting of Jacob Blake.[16]

In 2020, Sampson collaborated with JusticeLA to create a public service announcement #SuingToSaveLives about the health of people in Los Angeles County Jails amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2005 Resurrection: The J.R. Richard Story Lamar
2011 This Boy's Dream Announcer Short film
2011 Immune Darren Short film; Producer and writer
2012 The Sidelines Fred Billings Short film
2014 Survival Short film; Assistant producer
2016 Rougarou Henri Short film
2020 Miss Juneteenth Ronnie
2022 Something from Tiffany's Ethan Greene

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Greek Woodchuck 2 episodes
2010 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Derrick Gold Episode: "Field Mice"
2011 Days of Our Lives Jay Jordan Episode: December 8, 2011
2013 The Vampire Diaries Jesse Recurring role; 5 episodes
2014 Gracepoint Dean Iverson Miniseries
2014 2014 Young Hollywood Awards Himself TV special
2015 Kingmakers Pete Greer TV movie
2015 VH1 Big in 2015 with Entertainment Weekly Himself TV special
2015–2016 How to Get Away with Murder Caleb Hapstall Recurring role; 13 episodes
2016 Hollywood Today Live Himself Episode: 16 March 2016
2016–2017 Supernatural Max Banes 2 episodes
2017 Up To Us Himself Documentary
2017 Rosewood Nathan Turner Episode: "Asphyxiation & Aces"
2017 White Famous Robbie MacDonald Recurring; 4 episodes
2017 Relationship Status Nate 4 episodes
2017 The Flash Dominic Lanse / Brainstorm, Clifford DeVoe / Thinker Recurring role (3 episodes)
2018–2021 Insecure Nathan Campbell Recurring maincast (seasons 3–5)
2019 Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas Ben TV movie
2020 Fashionably Yours Rob TV movie
2023 I'm a Virgo Edwin Garrison Episode: "It Requires Trust on My Part"

References
  1. "Kendrick Sampson". ISSUE Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2019. Birth Date: 3/8 Birth Place: H-town
  2. Kwateng–Clark, Danielle (June 11, 2019). "Actor Kendrick Sampson Talks About His New Activism-Focused Organization". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020. Born and raised in Houston by a black father and white mother ... the 31-year-old...
  3. Chang, Kee (January 20, 2014). "Q&A with Kendrick Sampson". Anthem.
  4. "Testimonials from Parents". The Kim Terry Studio. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  5. Menza, Kaitlin (December 5, 2013). "OK! Next Big Deal: Kendrick Sampson of Vampire Diaries Chats About Bonding With the Cast". OK! Magazine. American Media, Inc. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  6. Yoo, Sarah (September 2015). "Kendrick Sampson". Celebrity. Composure Magazine (6): 75–82. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  7. Abrams, Natalie (July 12, 2013). "Exclusive: The Vampire Diaries Taps Greek Alum, HIMYM Actress for Season 5". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (15 January 2014). "Fox Adds Kendrick Sampson To 'Gracepoint'". deadline.com. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  9. Kiyoko, Hayley (November 12, 2014). "Hayley Kiyoko - This Side of Paradise". YouTube.
  10. Abrams, Sean (November 5, 2015). "Outfitted: Kendrick Sampson". Maxim. Biglari Holdings. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  11. Petski, Denise (July 22, 2015). "Kendrick Sampson Joins 'How To Get Away With Murder'". Deadline. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  12. HuffPost (July 16, 2019), "Kendrick Sampson Is Empowering Celebs To Become Activists With New Initiative"
  13. Galuppo, Mia (2020-07-10). "Actor-Organizer Kendrick Sampson Is Putting "Pressure in the Streets" for Change". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  14. Kennedy, Gerrick (2020-12-22). "Protesting for Social Justice Helped Kendrick Sampson Manage Anxiety". Men's Health. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  15. Bruney, As told to Gabrielle (2020-06-04). "The First Time They Hit Me Was From Behind. We Were Peaceful, But They Wanted To Send a Message". Esquire. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  16. Chuba, Kirsten (2020-08-28). "Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Calls for One-Day Hollywood Strike Over Jacob Blake". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  17. Moniuszko, Sara M. "Natalie Portman, Gabrielle Union and Joaquin Phoenix join all-star PSA for jail reform amid COVID-19". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  18. Perez, Lexy (2020-09-24). "Natalie Portman, Gabrielle Union, Joaquin Phoenix Lead #SuingToSaveLives PSA for COVID-19 Response Coalition (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
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