Donald Faison

Donald Faison
Faison at Hollywood Life Magazine’s 7th Annual Breakthrough Awards in 2007
Born	Donald Adeosun Faison (1974-06-22) June 22, 1974 New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, comedian, voice actor
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Lisa Askey (m. 2001; div. 2005) CaCee Cobb (m. 2012)
Children	6
Relatives	Olamide Faison (brother)

Donald Adeosun Faison^[1] (/feɪˈzɒn/; born June 22, 1974)^[1] is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor, best known for his leading role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC/NBC comedy-drama Scrubs (2001–2010), and a minor role as Murray in the film Clueless (1995) (subsequently reprised in the television series of the same name). He also starred as Phil Chase in the TV Land sitcom The Exes (2011–15).

Faison has also co-starred in the films Waiting To Exhale (1995), Remember the Titans (2000), Uptown Girls (2003), Something New (2006), Next Day Air (2009), and Kick-Ass 2 (2013).

Early life

Faison was born in Harlem in New York City, the son of Shirley, a talent agent, and Donald Faison, a building manager.^[2] He is the elder brother of actor Olamide Faison. His middle name stems from the words "ade" (meaning "crown")^[3] and "osun" (meaning "river of life”) in the west African language of Yoruba. His parents were active with the National Black Theater in Harlem. He attended the Professional Children's School in Manhattan with his best friend, actor Dash Mihok.^[4]

Career

Before his debuts on Scrubs and Clueless, Faison appeared in a 1991 commercial for Folgers coffee at the age of 17, in which he played the younger brother of a soldier returning from war. The following year, he appeared with Malik Yoba in the ABC News special Prejudice: Answering Children's Questions, hosted by Peter Jennings. He also had a small role in Sugar Hill starring Wesley Snipes. He then became famous for his role as Murray Lawrence Duvall in the 1995 film Clueless and the subsequent television series, which ran from 1996 to 1999. In 1995, he also appeared in Waiting to Exhale as Tarik, the son of Loretta Devine's character, Gloria. He was featured in New Jersey Drive. He also starred in Big Fat Liar alongside Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, and Amanda Bynes. He had a recurring role as Tracy on Felicity, appeared in Remember the Titans as the running-back turned corner-back Petey Jones, and provided voice work for various characters in the MTV animated series Clone High. He had minor roles in the sitcoms Sister, Sister and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and in the film Josie and the Pussycats. In 2005, Faison produced one episode of MTV's Punk'd involving his Scrubs co-star Zach Braff. He also appeared in the music videos for Brandy's "Sittin' Up in My Room," Fall Out Boy's cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It," and Gavin Degraw's "Chariot."

On February 13, 2009, Faison participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game. Other celebrities participating included NBA Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins, NFL wide-receiver Terrell Owens, actor Chris Tucker, and four Harlem Globetrotters.

In 2010, Faison starred alongside Scottie Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Eric Balfour, Laz Alonso, and Crystal Reed in the Brothers Strause science fiction thriller Skyline.^[5]

Faison was in the 2010 CBS comedy pilot The Odds.^[6]

As of March 2011, Faison appeared in commercials for The Sims Medieval.^[7] In 2012, he made a cameo appearance in the movie Pitch Perfect.^[8][9] In 2013, Faison hosted the short-lived TBS comedy sketch show Who Gets the Last Laugh; as of 2016, he has hosted GSN game show Winsanity.

Personal life

Faison with second wife Cacee Cobb at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival

Faison started dating Lisa Askey in 1997 and was married to Askey from 2001 to 2005.^[10] After six years of dating, Faison married his second wife, CaCee Cobb, on December 15, 2012.^[11] The wedding was held at the home of Faison's former Scrubs co-star and best friend Zach Braff, who also served as a groomsman. Serving as a bridesmaid was singer Jessica Simpson, for whom Cobb formerly worked as a personal assistant.^[12]

Faison has six children: son Sean (born 1997), from a previous relationship;^[13] son Dade, daughter Kaya (fraternal twins, born 1999), and son Kobe (born 2001), with first wife Askey;^[13] and son Rocco (born 2013)^[14] and daughter Wilder Frances (born 2015), with second wife, Cobb.^[15]

He is a fan of the show Star Wars Rebels.^[16]

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Donald Faison.

• Donald Faison on IMDb