Michael Evans Behling (born March 5, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jordan Baker on All American.[1][2][3][4]
Michael Evans Behling | |
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Born | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | March 5, 1996
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | United States |
Education | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2017–present |
Known for | All American |
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
Spouse | Madison Stanton (2021-2022) |
Parents |
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Behling was born in Columbus, Ohio and adopted by Mike and Carol Behling, but grew up in Columbus, Indiana.[1][5][6][7][8] He is biracial and was adopted by a white family.[1][9][10][11] In a March 2020 YouTube video, he stated that his father is of Nigerian descent and his mother is of German descent and that his last name is German.[12] He has three siblings, Matt, Adam, and Andrea.[7] Behling's family owned ten acres of land, several dogs and cats and a chicken coop.[1][9] Sports were a big part of his life growing up, and Behling played baseball, soccer, and volleyball.[13][14]
He first thought about being an actor when he was a freshman in high school and was inspired by Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight.[15][6][9][16] Behling attended Columbus North High School, where he played football for two years and ran track.[1][17][15] He was on the honor roll and graduated in 2015.[7] Behling continued to run track in college, competing in the 400-meter hurdles.[15] He stopped competing in track after breaking his foot twice, which required two surgeries.[15][11] He attended Indiana State University for two years as a pre-med student before dropping out to pursue modeling and acting.[1][7][13][18][11][9] Prior to beginning his acting career, he worked as an assistant director at the Donner Aquatic Center in Columbus, Indiana.[7]
While in college, Behling began modeling, and eventually his team convinced him to audition for acting roles.[16] He did several advertising campaigns with Adidas and White Castle.[11] Behling began his career in television in 2017 with a role as "Handsome Dude" on Empire.[1][7][19] In March 2018, he was cast as Jordan Baker on All American,[20] and filming for the pilot began two weeks later.[7][21] Behling moved to Los Angeles in January 2018 when filming began, and after his finances ran low he began sleeping on a friend's floor.[1][7] He has said that he identifies with his character because they are both biracial and looking for the place where they fit in.[22] His role as Jordan Baker is his breakout role.[19] He is currently represented by HRI Talent and Management 101.[21]
Behling has a clothing line, DesignedAt5AM, which he started with three friends from high school (Nicholas Stevens, Drew Thompson, and Floyd Athaide).[9][16][23] The clothing line was inspired by his desire to start his day early to accomplish his goals and by his high school friends' early morning swim practices.[15]
Behling lives in Los Angeles.[6][7] He actively advocates for animal rights and mental health awareness.[8] He and costar Daniel Ezra are friends and frequently hang out after filming.[16]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | A Cinderella Story: Starstruck | Jackson Stone[24] | Direct-to-video |
2022 | The Manny | Morgan Washington | Tubi Original[25] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Empire | Handsome Dude | Episode: "The Lady Doth Protest" |
2018–present | All American | Jordan Baker | Main cast |
2019 | Grey's Anatomy | Brady | Episode: "Good Shepherd" |
2022 | All American: Homecoming | Jordan Baker | Special guest, 4 episodes |
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