Coby Bell

A tall, tough, muscle-bound Hollywood actor of mixed ethnicity (which doubtless increased his perceived versatility among casting agents), Coby Bell first gained audience recognition during the late '90s, via scattered appearances on such hit series as ER and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A short time later, Bell began to find more prominent TV roles, starting with a recurring part as Patrick Owen on L.A. Doctors (1998-1999). After moving on from that series, he scored his first major role, playing Officer Tyrone "Ty" Davis Jr. throughout all six seasons of the emergency-services drama Third Watch (1999-2005). Not long after that series folded, Bell was back on prime-time television with the football-themed comedy drama The Game. On that show, Bell played Jason Pitts, an African-American NFL player and the resolutely unfaithful husband of a white "trophy wife" (Brittany Daniel). He also parlayed his television success into one of the main roles (and co-production status) on director Amy Glazer's indie feature drama Drifting Elegant (2006), in which he portrayed Renny, an African-American man investing in a gated community for middle-class blacks. - Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide