Y'lan Noel (born August 19, 1988) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Daniel King in the HBO television series Insecure (2016–2018).[1] He played the lead role in the 2018 horror film The First Purge.[2]
Y'lan Noel | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 19, 1988 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2012–present |
Early life
editNoel was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was further raised in Queens until his family moved to Decatur, Georgia. He is of Afro-Panamanian descent. He began attending Morehouse College and transferred to New York University.[1] He continued through Tisch School of Arts until he was called away to Los Angeles.[3]Noel is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
Career
editIn 2015, Noel landed the role of Daniel King on Insecure. Noel described Daniel as being the opposite of him, "I was nervous about playing Daniel. I love being around women...but I’ve always felt a bit awkward, well, insecure, around women I’ve had crushes on. Daniel doesn’t seem to have any of that awkwardness... Daniel’s extremely confident and goes after what he wants."[4]
In 2018, Noel played the lead role of Dmitri in The First Purge, which he considered very challenging, having said, "I feel like I started to actually physiologically relate to these fictional characters and what they would have to experience if they were to go about surviving the Purge."[5]
In 2021, Noel was reported as cast in the lead for a television pilot based on the Sam Greenlee novel The Spook Who Sat By The Door, to be produced by Lee Daniels.[6][7][8]
Personal life
editNoel is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.[9]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Spartan King | Jack | Short film |
| 2013 | House of Another | Henry Gibson | |
| 2018 | The First Purge | Dmitri | |
| 2018 | Slice | Big Cheese | |
| 2018 | The Weekend | Aubrey | |
| 2020 | The Photograph | Young Isaac Jefferson |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Hustle | Kutta | Main cast |
| 2016–2018 | Insecure | Daniel King | Recurring (season 1);
Main cast (season 2-3) |
| 2021 | The Spook Who Sat by the Door | Dan Freeman | Main cast; unaired pilot |
| 2024 | Lady in the Lake | Ferdie Platt |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 | Troy Marshall | [10] |
References
edit- ^ a b Ballin, Sofiya (September 1, 2017). "Insecure's Y'lan Noel Makes It Easy To Be #DanielHive". Fader. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ Crucchiola, Jordan (July 6, 2018). "The First Purge Star Y'lan Noel on Beating Up Nazis". Vulture. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ "Alumni Focus: Y'lan Noel". Method Acting Strasberg. December 14, 2015. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ Armstrong, Olivia. "Y'lan Noel on Why Daniel Is Way More Than Just "The Other Guy"". HBO. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ Volpe, Allie (July 3, 2018). "'Insecure' + 'The First Purge' Star Y'lan Noel on How to Use Audition Nerves to Your Advantage". Backstage. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (22 March 2021). "Y'lan Noel To Headline 'The Spook Who Sat By The Door' FX Pilot Produced By Lee Daniels". Deadline. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Morales, Wilson (April 14, 2021). "Christina Jackson Joins Y'lan Noel In FX Pilot 'Spook Who Sat by the Door'". BFTV. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Alexander, Jared (March 24, 2021). "Y'lan Noel grabs lead role in Lee Daniels' 'The Spook Who Sat By The Door'". thegrio.com. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Kappa Alpha Psi® Fraternity, Inc. [@kapsi1911] (July 7, 2018). "Brother Y'lan Noel (Omicron Chapter) speaks onstage during the 2018 #EssenceFest at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 7, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 📸 by @thephotomanlife #Nupes #essencefestival2018 #essencefestival #InsecureHBO #YlanNoel https://t.co/95e29Go7Ii" (Tweet). Retrieved October 3, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Xbox's 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 6' Voice Cast to Star 'Insecure' and 'The First Purge' Actor Y'lan Noel (EXCLUSIVE)". 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
External links
edit- Y'lan Noel at IMDb