G.K. Umeh
- Actor
- Writer
Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, GK Umeh first discovered his love of acting seeing a production of "A Raisin in the Sun" at the Goodman Theatre.
After 2 years at Dartmouth College, where he played Football and studied Film History, he left school to embark on a multifaceted career. He began his on-stage journey rocking open mics in Chitown's underground Hip Hop scene, culminating with the Blaze MC Battle a few years later. After relocating to Brooklyn, he dove into NYC's live music scene as frontman for the bands Organizm & Natural Selection.
Somewhere along the way, his lifelong passion for boxing led him to the NYC Golden Gloves tournament, where he fought his way to the semifinals as a light heavyweight.
In 2007, GK enrolled at NYU, where he completed his History BA and studied drama at the famed Tisch School of the Arts. Meanwhile, he garnered acting experience taking any role he could: from MFA thesis films to off-off-off-Broadway (like, way off) productions. It was in one of the latter performances that he was first spotted by a casting director from All My Children.
His breakthrough came in 2011 when he played Javier "el Diablo" Morales in FX's boxing drama, "Lights Out." The role gave him the chance to showcase his acting chops, boxing skills and Spanish fluency all at once.
Since then, GK has graced screens in feature films with the likes of Katherine Heigl, John Leguizamo and Liam Neeson, in addition to recurring roles on acclaimed series like "Hostages," "Gossip Girl," and "Law & Order: SVU."
In 2023 GK once again got the chance to channel his musical roots, playing the homicidal (but lovable) bassist Eskie in the Rian Johnson streamer Poker Face, opposite Natasha Lyonne and Chlöe Sevigny.
After 2 years at Dartmouth College, where he played Football and studied Film History, he left school to embark on a multifaceted career. He began his on-stage journey rocking open mics in Chitown's underground Hip Hop scene, culminating with the Blaze MC Battle a few years later. After relocating to Brooklyn, he dove into NYC's live music scene as frontman for the bands Organizm & Natural Selection.
Somewhere along the way, his lifelong passion for boxing led him to the NYC Golden Gloves tournament, where he fought his way to the semifinals as a light heavyweight.
In 2007, GK enrolled at NYU, where he completed his History BA and studied drama at the famed Tisch School of the Arts. Meanwhile, he garnered acting experience taking any role he could: from MFA thesis films to off-off-off-Broadway (like, way off) productions. It was in one of the latter performances that he was first spotted by a casting director from All My Children.
His breakthrough came in 2011 when he played Javier "el Diablo" Morales in FX's boxing drama, "Lights Out." The role gave him the chance to showcase his acting chops, boxing skills and Spanish fluency all at once.
Since then, GK has graced screens in feature films with the likes of Katherine Heigl, John Leguizamo and Liam Neeson, in addition to recurring roles on acclaimed series like "Hostages," "Gossip Girl," and "Law & Order: SVU."
In 2023 GK once again got the chance to channel his musical roots, playing the homicidal (but lovable) bassist Eskie in the Rian Johnson streamer Poker Face, opposite Natasha Lyonne and Chlöe Sevigny.