Windell Dwain Middlebrooks, Jr. (January 8, 1979 – March 9, 2015) was an American actor and singer. Most famous as a TV pitchman for Miller High Life beer, Middlebrooks also starred in The Suite Life on Deck and Body of Proof.
Windell Middlebrooks | |
|---|---|
 Middlebrooks in a Miller High Life beer ad in 2009. | |
| Born | Windell Dwain Middlebrooks, Jr. January 8, 1979 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 9, 2015 (aged 36) |
| Other names | Windell D. Middlebrooks |
| Education | Sterling College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2005–2015 |
Early life
editMiddlebrooks was born on January 8, 1979,[1] in Fort Worth, Texas.[2] He was an alumnus of Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Theatre/Communications,[3] the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, and University of California, Irvine, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in acting in 2004.[3]
Career
editFor one season, he worked at the famed Texas Musical Drama, near Canyon, Texas. He started as a hospitality employee, yet he would go on to have a successful acting career on the stage and screen. Middlebrooks worked on The Suite Life on Deck, Hannah Montana, My Name is Earl, and Chocolate News. He is best known for his Miller High Life beer ads, playing a deliveryman who, if he considers the situation to be adverse to "the high life" (such as an expensive restaurant or a skybox at a baseball game), will confiscate all the Miller High Life from the location. He appeared in HBO's Entourage and portrayed a recurring character in the ninth season of Scrubs.[4]
Middlebrooks was a guest on Adam Carolla's podcast on April 2, 2009. He also appeared on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as a character who marries a transgender ex-love of Mac and has a child with her, of which Dee is the surrogate mother. He appeared as a regular cast member in the medical/procedural drama television series Body of Proof, playing an assistant coroner. The show premiered on ABC in March 2011 and ended in May 2013.[5]
Personal life
editMiddlebrooks was awarded the Chancellor's Club Fellowship at University of California, Irvine.[citation needed]
He was a Christian.[6][non-primary source needed][7][8]
Death
editOn March 9, 2015, Middlebrooks was found unconscious at his home in the San Fernando Valley, pronounced dead on arrival at a Los Angeles hospital. An autopsy revealed that he suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism. One or more arteries in his lungs had become blocked by a blood clot. Middlebrooks was 36 years old.[9][10]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Weekends at the DL | Reggie Shanks / Mohammed | 2 episodes |
| The Bernie Mac Show | Boogie | Episode: "Pop Pop Goes the Weasel" | |
| 2006 | Julie Reno: Bounty Hunter | Windelle | Pilot episode |
| All of Us | Sugar Scoops Ice Cream Man | Episode: "Pretty Woman" | |
| 2007 | My Name is Earl | Landlord | Episode: "Kept a Guy Locked in a Truck" |
| Veronica Mars | Big Scary Man / Happy | Episode: "Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves" | |
| Hannah Montana | Plumber | Episode: "You Gotta Not Fight for Your Right to Party" | |
| Entourage | Delivery Guy | Episode: "Gary's Desk" | |
| 2008 | Chocolate News | Black Ice | 2 episodes |
| ER | Arnie | Episode: "Let It Snow" | |
| 2009 | Ace in the Hole | Don Braxton | TV movie |
| Miss March | Bouncer No. 1 | Movie | |
| Parks and Recreation | Brian | Episode: "Boys' Club" | |
| Enlightened! | Free Bird | Short | |
| 2009–2010 | Scrubs | Captain Duncook | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Cougar Town | Gerald | Episode: "Everything Man" |
| 2008–2010 | The Suite Life on Deck | Kirby Morris | 10 episodes (season 1–3) |
| 2010 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Nick | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Body of Proof: The Musical | Curtis Brumfield | Short |
| 2011–2013 | Body of Proof | Curtis Brumfield | Main cast, 42 episodes |
| 2013 | TMI Hollywood | Host/Various | 1 episode |
| 2014 | The Mason Twins | Chance | TV movie |
| Mighty Med | Mr. Patterson / Agent Blaylock | 2 episodes | |
| 2015 | Blunt Talk | Terrence Hibert | Episode: "A Beaver That's Lost Its Mind" |
| 2015 | Road Hard | Reggie | Movie (Premiered three days before his death) |
References
edit- ^ "UPI Almanac for Monday, Jan. 8, 2018". United Press International. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
…actor Windell Middlebrooks in 1979
- ^ Texas Births, 1926–1995, He went to Trimble Technical High school Windell Dwain Middlebrooks, Jr.
- ^ a b "Windell D. Middlebrooks". windelldmiddlebrooks.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ^ "Listings – TheFutonCritic.com – The Web's Best Television Resource". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ "ABC Adds "Body of Proof," "Off the Map" to Roster". The Futon Critic. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ "Windell Middle Brooks".
- ^ "windell4real". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021.
- ^ Windell Middlebrooks [@Windell4Real] (April 1, 2013). "Happy Easter Everybody! JESUS GOT UP!!! :)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "How Did Windell Middlebrooks Die?". July 28, 2020.
- ^ ""The Suite Life of Zac and Cody" Stars Take to Twitter to Mourn the Loss of Beloved Costar". March 11, 2015.