American actor and model Jay Ellis has undoubtedly consolidated his stay in the entertainment industry through his polarizing role as Lawrence Walker in the HBO hit series Insecure, as created by Issa Rae, one of the main characters in the series, who appears as Walker’s love interest. The role gave Ellis the breakthrough he needed after a decade of service to the industry. It earned him his first prize, an NAACP Image Award for outstanding supporting actors in a comedy series. Here is a look at his rise to TV star status, as well as facts about his personal life.
Jay Ellis Bio (Age)
Jay was born on December 27, 1981, in Sumter, South Carolina, as Wendell Ramone Ellis Jr. He is the only child of his parents Wendell Ellis Sr., a veteran U.S. Air Force veteran, and Paula Ellis, a Chief Financial Officer. As is typical for military brats, Ellis moved around a lot and as such attended 12 schools in 13 years. Ellis traveled throughout the country and spent time abroad in countries such as Germany and the Philippines.
He attended Concordia University in Oregon where he played basketball. Jay had tried to play basketball professionally, but fate had other plans up his sleeve. Apart from being an athlete, he was also quite good with his academics and as a result, was elected president of the school’s student body.
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Ellis did an internship with the Portland Trail Blazers in their public relations department. After graduating summa cum laude from Concordia School with a degree in economics, he left the business world for a career in the entertainment industry and began modeling for sportswear brands like Nike, Adidas, and Columbia Sportswear.
In 2004 he tried his hand at acting and moved to Los Angeles to improve his chances of a successful acting career. Like most aspiring actors, Ellis began with small roles on television shows. Among the television shows, he appeared in were Relatives, The Bold and the Beautiful, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and How I Met Your Mother. During the same period, Ellis appeared in a number of short films before he was given his first lead role in the BET series The Game, which premiered in 2013 and ended in August 2015.
His next leading role as Lawrence in Insecure was to be the biggest breakthrough in his career. He starred in the films In a Relationship and A Boy, A Girl, A Dream in 2018.
When Jay Ellis is not on set or auditioning for a movie role, he spends his time promoting HIV/AIDS education or participating in some philanthropic activities. He has volunteered at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles.
Jay Ellis Net Worth
Thanks to Insecure, Ellis finally got the wide recognition he needed. As his popularity grows, Ellis will inevitably earn more from his roles. In addition to acting, the actor is boosting his income with income from his Pilates-oriented gym Body + in Lafayette, Louisiana. He started the business with a friend. Ellis is a certified Pilates instructor, his net worth is estimated at $3 million.
Wife or Girlfriend, Is He Married or Dating?
Jay Ellis is incredibly sexy and more… educated and successful. Simply put, he is the man of many women’s dreams, and it’s not surprising that most of his fans are female. Sadly, Ellis is off the market for these women, especially those who secretly hope they would get the chance to go out with him!
Yes! Jay Ellis is dating a certain Serbian model named Nina Senicar. He loves to keep his private life private and reveals little to no details when it comes to his love life. However, it turns out that the two might have started their romance in 2015. In the radio show The Breakfast Club of Charlamagne in 2017, he spoke about his relationship for the first time.
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On many occasions, Ellis has been seen in public at industry events with his white beau at his side. One such occasion was the Late Night Soiree, held in May 2018 in Cannes, France, to celebrate iconic moments in the film industry.
Is He Gay?
The sexual orientation of Jay Eliss was questioned in the past after unfounded rumors arose that he was gay. But this is incredibly wrong. Ellis has met only women in his life. Before he was with his Serbian princess, he is said to have dated the actress Brittany Daniel. Ellis himself openly denied the gay rumors. It is not clear what led to the rumors, but it is suspected that the fact that he admitted that Mount Gay XO is his favorite drink stirred up the rumors.
Height
Jay Ellis is quite a tall man and stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches which is the equivalent of 1.9 m. The hunky actor has a chiseled athletic build and brown eyes.
