# Karon Riley

Karon Joseph Riley (born August 23, 1978) is an American former gridiron football defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 2001 NFL draft. Riley played college football for the SMU Mustangs and Minnesota Golden Gophers. He is since a television actor and producer.

## High school career

At Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan, Riley starred in football, basketball, and track&field. As a senior, in football, he was an All-City choice, an All-Metro choice, and an All-State choice.

## Professional career

Karon Joseph Riley entered the National Football League by being selected by the Chicago Bears in the 4th round (103rd overall pick) of the 2001 NFL draft out of the University of Minnesota. He played with the Bears in 2001 and the Atlanta Falcons (2003-2004).
In 2005, he played two games in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts.
On January 30, 2006, Riley signed with the Redskins as an unrestricted free agent but was released on August 28, 2006
Karon Joseph Riley played two seasons in the Arena Football League with the Las Vegas/Cleveland Gladiators (2007–2008) as an offensive lineman/defensive lineman. On August 8, 2008, Riley was removed from the Gladiators roster and reassigned to the Arena Football 1 League office.

## Acting career

Riley has appeared in a few films and television shows since 2010 including Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, 35 and Ticking, The Last Punch, Last Call, Mann & Wife and the 2019 film Little.
In 2019, Riley appeared in a recurring role on Bounce TV soap opera-drama Saints & Sinners. He was the first replacement made in the series recast as the character Malik Thompson, previously portrayed by Anthony Dalton in 2018. Riley has starred as main character Malcolm in the hit series "The Black Hamptons" since 2022.
He is also a film producer, in which his credits include two films.

## Personal life

Karon is married to actress Terri J. Vaughn and on April 24, 2008, Vaughn welcomed their first child, a son named Kal'El Joseph Riley.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | This Time | Malcolm | Short |
| 2011 | 35 and Ticking | Roderick | |
| 2012 | A Cross to Bear | Trey | TV movie |
| 2013 | Between Sisters | Sheldon | TV movie |
| 2013 | A Christmas Blessing | Oscar | TV movie |
| 2013 | Marry Me for Christmas | Blair | TV movie |
| 2014 | Where's the Love? | Dale | TV movie |
| 2014 | Lyfe's Journey | Rob White | TV movie |
| 2014 | Marry Us for Christmas | Blair | TV movie |
| 2015 | Blaq Gold | Grail Jacobs | TV movie |
| 2015 | A Baby for Christmas | Blair | TV movie |
| 2016 | The Last Punch | Muhammad Ali | |
| 2016 | Merry Christmas, Baby | Blair | TV movie |
| 2016 | Beat Street | Prince | Video |
| 2017 | When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story | Robert | TV movie |
| 2018 | Gentrification | Michael Shields | |
| 2018 | Breakthrough | Officer Lorenzo Daryl | |
| 2018 | The Mothers | Officer Bentley | Short |
| 2018 | Chandler Christmas Getaway | Blair | TV movie |
| 2018 | The Morning After: Part One | Michael | |
| 2018 | Coins for Christmas | Jake | TV movie |
| 2018 | Related Destiny | Chico | Short |
| 2019 | Thirty | Javon | Short |
| 2019 | Little | Tony | |
| 2019 | The Waiting Room | Steven | |
| 2019 | His, Hers & the Truth | Xavier | |
| 2020 | Coins for Love | Jake | TV movie |
| 2020 | Vault of Terrors | David | Short |
| 2020 | Pinch | Simon Ross | |
| 2021 | Stick Me Up | Thomas | |
| 2021 | Liam White: The Forgettable Life of Liam White | Chris | |
| 2021 | The Holiday Switch | Jay Rich | |
| 2021 | Letters from the Bottle | Amos Naphish | |
| 2022 | The Love We Had | Corey Wright | |
| 2022 | Red Winter | Jerrod | |
| 2022 | Stronger | Jarrod | |
| 2022 | Out of Anger | Alex | |
| 2022 | Single Not Searching | Rodney | |
| 2022 | The Holiday Stocking | Wilson Whitlock | TV movie |
| 2022 | Eighteen | Gerald Harris | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Meet the Browns | Medic | Episode: "Meet the Cheating Liver" |
| 2012 | Single Ladies | Baller | Episode: "Eat, Play, Love" |
| 2012 | Boulevard West | Malachi | Main cast |
| 2012 | Conversations | Mr. Gomez | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2013 | Necessary Roughness | Damani Jensen | Episode: "The Fall Guy" |
| 2013 | Walking with Gods | Detective John Marcus | Main cast |
| 2013 | Love Thy Neighbor | Marty | Episode: "The Black Tie Affair" |
| 2017 | Mann & Wife | James | Episode: "Mann in Charge" |
| 2018 | Insatiable | Chase | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2018 | The Pre-Quarter Life Crisis | Mykell | Episode: "Super Lit" |
| 2019 | Last Call | Julian | Episode: "Bird & The Beast" |
| 2019 | American Soul | Corporal Siprian | Episode: "Continuous Revolution in Progress" |
| 2019 | Ambitions | Roderick | Recurring cast |
| 2019 | BET Her Presents: The Waiting Room | Steven | Episode: "The Waiting Room" |
| 2021 | The Bottom | Reggie | Main cast |
| 2021 | Saints & Sinners | Malik Thompson | Recurring cast: season 5 |
| 2022 | The Black Hamptons | Malcom Britton | Main cast |
| 2022 | Twisted | Darnell | Episode: "Long Day" |