Background and career
Wendell Ramone "Jay" Ellis Jr. (born December 27, 1981) is an American actor. In 2013, Ellis received his first major role on BET's series The Game. His role as Martin "Lawrence" Walker in the HBO series Insecure (2016–2021), earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. He later starred in the horror film Escape Room (2019) and appeared in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
Ellis was born in Sumter, South Carolina. His father, Wendell Ramone Ellis Sr., worked for the Air Force, while his mother, Paula Bryant-Ellis, worked as a chief financial officer. He is the only child of the family. He went to 12 schools in 13 years before graduating from Concordia University in Oregon with a degree in finance.
Ellis worked as a public relations intern for the Portland Trail Blazers during their infamous "Jail Blazers" era. Ellis also served with AmeriCorps, volunteering with students in Portland, Oregon. Later, Ellis switched his focus to modeling and started working with Portland-based sportswear companies such as Nike, Adidas and Columbia Sportswear.
In 2004, Ellis moved to Los Angeles to focus on his acting career. He launched his career as a professional actor in 2005, when he appeared briefly in single episodes of the television series Invasion and Related. In 2011–2012, he made appearances on the series Grey's Anatomy, NCIS and How I Met Your Mother. His first major acting role was in 2013, starring in BET's series The Game. In August 2015, it was announced that Ellis has joined the cast of HBO's comedy series Insecure, which premiered in October 2016. He plays the role of Lawrence Walker, who has a long-term relationship with main character Issa Dee played by Issa Rae. For his work on the show, Ellis received the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series award at the 49th NAACP Image Awards. He starred as Reuben "Payback" Fitch in Top Gun: Maverick. Ellis will star in The Rookie: North, a spin-off of the ABC police drama The Rookie. Ellis will play the lead role of Alex Holland, a middle-aged man who becomes the Pierce County Police Department's oldest rookie officer.
In 2020, Ellis started hosting The Untold Story: Policing, a four-part podcast series co-produced by Campaign Zero and Lemonada Media. Through interviews with academics, data scientists, and community organizers, the podcast demystifies police union contracts and investigates how they contribute to violent police misconduct across the United States. Ellis serves as the series’ host, as well as an executive producer alongside DeRay Mckesson, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, and Jessica Cordova Kramer.
In 2017, Ellis partnered with leading HIV/AIDS research organization, amfAR.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
