# Lyriq Bent

Lyriq Bent (born Martin Lyriq Bent) is a Jamaican-Canadian actor. He is known for his roles in the Saw films, the television series Rookie Blue, and The Book of Negroes. Bent portrays Jamie Overstreet in the Netflix series She's Gotta Have It, based on the film of the same name.

## Early life

Martin Lyriq Bent was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, when he was six years old.

## Career

Bent has starred in various lead and supporting roles both in film and television since he began his acting career in the early 2000s. Prior to landing a co-starring role in the drama series Angela's Eyes, he guest starred on the UPN series Kevin Hill opposite Taye Diggs, and USA Network's Kojak opposite Ving Rhames. After appearing on several television shows, Playback Magazine listed him as one of Canada's top rising stars.
Bent attracted further attention when he co-starred in the hit horror films Saw II and Saw III as Officer Daniel Rigg. He later starred as one of the central characters in Saw IV.
From 2010 to 2014 he co-starred in the Canadian television series Rookie Blue, portraying Staff Sergeant Frank Best.
In 2015 Bent portrayed Chekura Tiano in the television miniseries The Book of Negroes, based on the best-selling novel by Lawrence Hill. For this role, Bent won the award for Best Actor in a Television Film or Miniseries at the 2016 4th Canadian Screen Awards.
He was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Lead Performance in a Web Program or Series at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 for the web series For the Record.

## Filmography
### Film

List of films and roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | The Caveman's Valentine | Seraph Dancer | |
| 2002 | Superbob | Lepke | |
| 2002 | Damaged Goods | Eddie Barrel | |
| 2003 | Crime Spree | Ellwood | |
| 2003 | Honey | Barber | |
| 2005 | The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico | Mr. Stuff | |
| 2005 | Four Brothers | Damian | |
| 2005 | Saw II | Daniel Rigg | |
| 2006 | Take the Lead | Easy | |
| 2006 | Saw III | Daniel Rigg | |
| 2007 | Skinwalkers | Doak | |
| 2007 | Saw IV | Daniel Rigg | |
| 2009 | Defendor | Wayne | |
| 2010 | Mother's Day | Treshawn Jackson | |
| 2010 | Perception | Father | Short |
| 2012 | Home Again | Dunston Williams | |
| 2013 | Queen City | Takiri | |
| 2015 | Pay the Ghost | Jordan Reynolds | |
| 2018 | Love Jacked | Tyrell | |
| 2018 | Acrimony | Robert Gayle | |
| 2018 | Nappily Ever After | Will Wright | |
| 2019 | Benjamin | Greg | |
| 2019 | Astronaut | Jim | |

### Television

List of television appearances and roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2000 | Relic Hunter | Quelch's Guard #2 | Episode: "The Legend of the Lost" |
| 2001 | Tracker | Bartender | Episode: "The Plague" |
| 2001 | Jane Doe | Rawlins | Television film |
| 2002 | Street Time | Sergeant Danny Blackstone | 3 episodes |
| 2002 | Pretend You Don't See Her | Detective | Television film |
| 2002 | 10,000 Black Men Named George | Disgruntled Man | Television film |
| 2003- 2005 | Blue Murder | Twist BallardKeith Rose | Episode: "Remington Park"Episode: "Respect" |
| 2003 | Platinum | Devon | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Playmakers | — | 4 episodes |
| 2003- 2004 | Mutant X | Harris/Randall Blake | Episode: "Within These Walls"Episode: "Art of Attraction" |
| 2004 | 1-800-Missing | Dante | Episode: "Pop Star" |
| 2004- 2005 | Kevin Hill | Jack Johnson | Episode: "Full Metal Jessie"Episode:"Sacrificial Lambs" |
| 2005 | Kojak | Billy Harris | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2006 | Angela's Eyes | Leo Jetson | Main Cast |
| 2006 | North/South | Joss Colley | Regular Cast |
| 2007 | The Dresden Files | Jake | Episode: "Bad Blood" |
| 2008 | CSI: Miami | Colin Madison | Episode: "Going Ballistic" |
| 2008- 2009 | Sophie | Andre | 7 episodes |
| 2009 | Guns | Ford Saunders | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Haven | Ray McBreen | Episode: "Harmony" |
| 2010-14 | Rookie Blue | Frank Best | 45 episodes |
| 2013 | Rookie Blue Webisodes | Frank Best | Episode: "In Session: Frank Best" |
| 2014 | A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Randall | Television film |
| 2014 | The Good Sister | Investigator | Television film |
| 2014 | Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B | Barry Hankerson | Television film |
| 2015 | 12 Monkeys | Henri Toussaint | Episode: "Cassandra Complex" |
| 2015 | The Book of Negroes | Chekura Tiano | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Coconut Hut | Desmond Kilpatrick | Episode: "No Wifi" |
| 2016 | Shoot the Messenger | Frank Lutz | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | Ladies Book Club | Carlyle | Television film |
| 2016 | Group Home | Winnie | Television film |
| 2017 | Mary Kills People | Detective Frank Gaines | 6 episodes |
| 2017- 2019 | She's Gotta Have It | Jamie Overstreet | 19 episodes |
| 2018 | The Man in the High Castle | Mingus Jones | Episode: "Sensô Kôi"Episode: "Sabra" |
| 2019 | The Affair | Paul | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Carter | Joyce Boyle | 8 episodes |
| 2020 | For the Record | Stefan | Episode: "Climax" |
| 2021 | Our Christmas Journey | Rick | Television film |
| 2021 | An Ice Wine Christmas | Declan Monroe | Television film |
| 2021 | Delilah | Gordon Leighton | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Long Slow Exhale | Garrett Carter | 12 episodes |
| 2022 | Kid's Crew | Principal Drayton | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | The Rookie: Feds | Congressman Damien Roberts | Episode: "Close Contact" |
| 2023 | Law & Order | Pastor Mike Butler | Episode: "Mammon" |

### Video games

List of video game voice roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Mafia III | Emmanuel Lazare (voice) | |