Christian Payton

Christian Payton (born December 24, 1965) is an American film and television actor and producer known for his roles in Hoodlum (1997), The Temptations (1998), Saying Grace (2003), and The Proud & Privileged (2010).

Christian Payton was born on December 24, 1965, in Chicago Illinois. He got his start in acting at a young age in musicals and plays at his school. He also did commercials and voice-overs during that time.

In 1996, at age 21, Payton landed the role of "Wilsie Carrouthers" in Peter Bogdanovich's TV movie To Sir, with Love II alongside Sidney Poitier, Dana Eskelson, Fernando López, and Casey Lluberes. The following year, he was cast as "Jimmy" in Bill Duke's crime drama Hoodlum starring Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth, Vanessa Williams, and Andy García.

In 1998, Payton was seen in the first two episodes of the first season of The Temptations, a four-hour television miniseries broadcast in two-hour halves on NBC, based upon the history of one of Motown's longest-lived acts, The Temptations. The series was based on Temptations autobiography (1988) written by the Temptations founding member Otis Williams and writer/journalist Patricia Romanowski Bashe. The series was directed by Allan Arkush and produced by Otis Williams and former Motown executive Suzanne de Passe. Payton played the character of Temptations' baritone singer Paul Williams. Other Temptations members in the series include Otis Williams (played by Charles Malik Whitfield), Melvin Franklin (played by D.B. Woodside), Eddie Kendricks (played by Terron Brooks), David Ruffin (played by Leon Robinson), and Richard Street (played by J. August Richards).

In 2008, Payton was cast in the role of detective Clark in Morocco Omari's shot drama (Mis)Leading Man starring Morocco Omari and Tyla Abercrumbie.

His last credit was in Darryl Manuel's 2010 TV series The Proud & Privileged, sharing the screen with Cynthia Kaye McWilliams and Morocco Omari.

Film

• The Temptations as Paul Williams (1998)
• The Old Settler as Christian (2001)
• The Proud & Privileged as Noble (2010)