Mehcad Brooks

Mehcad Jason McKinley Brooks(born October 25, 1980) is an American actor and formerfashion model. He is known for his roles asMatthew Applewhitein the second season ofABC's seriesDesperate Housewives(2005–2006), Jerome inThe Game, "Eggs" Benedict Talley in the first and second seasons ofHBO's seriesTrue Blood, his leading role as Terrance "TK" King in theUSAseriesNecessary Roughness(2011–2013) andJames Olsenin theCBS/The CWseriesSupergirl. Since 2022, he has portrayed the lead role ofNYPDDetective Jalen Shaw on theNBCpolice procedural dramaLaw & Order.
Brooks was born and raised inAustin, Texas, where he attendedL.C. Anderson High School. Brooks is the son ofAustin American-Statesmaneditorial writer Alberta Phillips and former pro football playerBilly Brooks; his stepfather is lawyer Gary Bledsoe.After graduating from high school in 1999, he attended theUniversity of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television.
Brooks mentioned on a September 2010 episode ofThe Wendy Williams Showthat he turned downbasketballscholarships and offers fromIvy Leagueschools in favor of going toUSC. He then left to pursue an acting career.
Brooks' early work includes being aCalvin Kleinunderwear model.
In 2004, Brooks played a high school basketball player who was killed by a teammate's father on the seriesCold Case(season 1, episode 17). From 2005 to 2006, Brooks played the role ofMatthew Applewhiteon theABCTV dramaDesperate Housewives. He appeared inGlory Road, portrayingHarry Flournoy, an athlete atTexas Western Universitywhen the five starting black players beat Kentucky for the national championship. He acted in the 2007 filmIn the Valley of Elah. He starred oppositeTia Mowryas her boyfriend, Jerome, on the TV seriesThe Gamein 2008. In 2009, he appeared on FOX's TV seriesDollhouse. Brooks played Benedict "Eggs" Talley in the second season of HBO'sTrue Blood. Beginning January 2010, he appeared as attorney Malcolm Bennet in the now-canceled ABC seriesThe Deep End. He plays the "new boyfriend" in a recentState Farm Insurancetelevision commercial alongside formerThe Gameco-star Gabrielle Dennis.
Brooks appeared in the ABC documentary-styledramedytelevision seriesMy Generation, which premiered in Fall 2010. The show was canceled after only two episodes.He was among the cast on theUSA NetworkseriesNecessary Roughnesswhich debuted on June 29, 2011. The show featured Brooks as Terrence "TK" King, a football player for the New York Hawks whose anger issues cause his team to require him to see a therapist. In 2013, Necessary Roughness was cancelled.Brooks guest starred in theLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitepisode as Prince Miller, a basketball superstar who was molested as a child by his coach, and a guest role onJ. J. Abrams' showAlcatrazas a bomb disposal expert. In 2013, Brooks was featured in apublic service announcementfor theCenter for Reproductive Rights.
From the series premiere until his departure in the fourth episode of the fifth season, Brooks playedJames Olsenon theCBS/The CWdramaSupergirlas a series regular.
On October 20, 2017, he released his debut single, "Tears Away".
In 2019, he was announced to portrayJax Briggsfor theMortal Kombatreboot released on April 23, 2021.
In June 2022, it was announced that Brooks would be joining the cast of the long-running crime seriesLaw & Orderas Detective Jalen Shaw in season 22.
He appeared in the July 2010 issue ofGQ, alongsideEmanuela de Paula.
He is the son of formerNFLwide receiverBilly Brooks.
Brooks has stated in an interview withIGNthat he is an avid player of video games, including theCall of Duty,Medal of Honor, andMaddenseries.
His older twin brother, Billy Brooks IV, was a regular on the now defunctSpill.comand currently guests on its successorDouble Toasted.
He was in a relationship withCreatureco-starSerinda Swanuntil their break up in 2011.