Criminal Minds
Season 9
on CBS
SHEMAR MOORE
Derek Morgan in "Criminal Minds"
Born in Oakland, CA, Shemar Moore lived the first three years of his life with his family in Denmark and Bahrain. His mother then traveled with him over the next few years to London, Pakistan, the Virgin Islands, Ghana and Greece. Upon returning to the U.S. at the age of six, they moved around the country from Boston all the way to Chico, CA, and finally settled in Palo Alto, where Moore went to high school. He attended Santa Clara University, majoring in communications, and played varsity baseball.
After several years working as a catalog model during and after college, Moore had his initial training in television on the series "The Young and the Restless." A scout from the show had seen him in an ad in GQ magazine, which led to an audition and landing the role of Malcolm Winters. He played the role for eight years, winning a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as two nominations for Outstanding Younger Leading Actor in a Drama Series and one for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. In addition Moore won seven NAACP Image Awards for his role on the show. Other television credits include the series "Birds of Prey," the telefilm "Reversible Errors," opposite William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Monica Potter and Tom Selleck, and hosting the long running show "Soul Train" for four years.
Moore solidified himself as an onscreen heartthrob in the hysterical yet poignant Tyler Perry film, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," where he gave a heartwarming performance as the love interest and "ideal man." His other film credits include the action thriller "Butter," opposite Nia Long and Terrence Howard, and "The Brothers," starring DL Hughley, Gabrielle Union and Tatyana Ali.
In 1998 Moore's mother, Marilyn Wilson, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Since then he has been devoted to raising awareness about the disease, become a spokesperson for the National MS Society, and has participated in Bike MS for the last seven years, along with his "Criminal Minds" cast mates.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN San Francisco, CA
BIRTHDATE April 20