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 a brief stint playing Football and studying Film History at Dartmouth College, he left to embark on a multifaceted career. Initially hitting stages as an MC on the Chitown underground Hip Hop circuit, he went on to Brooklyn's live music scene as a frontman for the bands Organizm & Natural Selection. Somewhere along the way, his lifelong passion for boxing took him all the way to the semifinals of the NYC Golden Gloves tournament. In 2007, GK returned to academia at NYU, immersing himself in the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts, while taking on roles in MFA thesis films and off-off-off-Broadway productions. His breakthrough came in 2011 with FX's "Lights Out," where he got 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 and Liam Neeson, in addition to recurring roles on acclaimed series like "Hostages," "Gossip Girl," and "Law & Order: SVU," most recently with a guest star appearance opposite Natasha Lyonne in "Poker Face."