# Wolé Parks

Wolé Parks (born July 27, 1982) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Dallas Griffin in the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns, and as Sam Alexander in the Lifetime comedy-drama series Devious Maids. He appeared in the 8th season of The Vampire Diaries, playing the role of 'Cade' and portrays John Henry Irons in Superman & Lois.

## Early life and education

Parks was born in New York City, to a Belizean mother named Lilith Parks and a Tanzanian father whom he did not meet until he was an adult. He is a graduate of New York University with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts and a B.A. in Mathematics.

## Career

He first joined the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns on November 14, 2007, taking over the role of Dallas Griffin.
Parks guest-starred in Law & Order, its spin-off Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Gossip Girl, as well as starring in the sixth season of MTV's anthology series Undressed. In film, Parks was seen alongside Kevin Bacon in the HBO telefilm Taking Chance and with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the 2012 film Premium Rush. In 2013, he has series regular role in the Lifetime comedy-drama Devious Maids. In the final season of The Vampire Diaries, Parks had a recurring role as Arcadius.
In May 2020, Parks was cast as "The Stranger" in the CW superhero drama television series Superman & Lois, later revealed to be a version of John Henry Irons from an unidentified Earth where his Superman became evil.

## Personal life

Parks is an active volunteer with School on Wheels and has been tutoring students in mathematics since 2013. He is also heavily involved with AIDS/LifeCycle, a seven-day cycling tour through California to raise money in support of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

### Driving accident

In 2006, at the age of 23, Parks accidentally killed a 25-year old graduate student while driving with a suspended license. On the evening of January 22, Parks was charged with leaving the scene of an accident. The Assistant District Attorney concluded that Parks "had the green light, was not speeding, committed no traffic infractions and did not appear intoxicated." Four hours later, Parks showed up at the 94th Precinct in Brooklyn to turn himself in. Following a lengthy investigation, Parks later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of leaving the scene of an accident after causing physical injury, and received one year of probation, 250 hours of community service, and counseling.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2002 | Undressed | Brett | Season 6 |
| 2003 | Polaroid | Michael | Short film |
| 2007 | Law & Order | Thomas Ryland | Episode: "Bling" |
| 2007–2008 | As the World Turns | Dallas Griffin | Series regular |
| 2009 | Taking Chance | Major Schott | TV movie |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | A.D.A. Damon Whitney | Episode: "Identity Crisis" |
| 2009 | Gossip Girl | Staffer | Episode: "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" |
| 2009 | Law & Order | Sergeant Elias | Episode: "Shotgun" |
| 2010 | The Town | Boston police Sergeant Ryan | |
| 2012 | Next Caller | Keith Calhoun | Series regular, 4 episodes, unaired series |
| 2012 | Premium Rush | Manny | |
| 2013 | Devious Maids | Sam Alexander | Series regular, 9 episodes |
| 2013 | NCIS | Navy Captain Michael Laramie | Episode: "Under the Radar" |
| 2014 | Half the Perfect World | Ralph | |
| 2016–2017 | The Vampire Diaries | Arcadius "Cade" | Recurring role |
| 2017 | Superstore | Scott (Construction worker) | Season 3: episode 3 - Part-Time Hirers |
| 2018 | 9-1-1 | Michael Grant's Boyfriend | Episode: "Next of Kin" |
| 2019 | All American | Micah Richards | Recurring role (season 1-2) |
| 2019 | Yellowstone | Torry | Recurring role (season 2) |
| 2020 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Markeevious Ryan | Episode: She Paints For Vengeance |
| 2021–2024 | Superman & Lois | John Henry Irons | Series regular (season 1-4) |
| 2024 | The Lincoln Lawyer | David Henry Lyons | Recurring role (season 3) |