Biography
Best known for his portrayal of Sergeant Ellis Carver in the acclaimed crime drama "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-08), actor Seth Gilliam also had notable recurring roles in prison drama "Oz" (HBO, 1997-2003), young adult series "Teen Wolf" (MTV, 2011-) and comic book adaptation "The Walking Dead" (AMC, 2010-). Born in 1968, Gilliam studied at the State University of New York at Purchase before making his on-screen debut as Pam's boyfriend Aaron for a three-episode stint in "The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984-1992). Following a cameo in Steven Starr's semi-autobiographical love story "Joey Breaker" (1993), Gilliam played two real-life characters in quick succession, firstly the titular late 19th Century cadet in docudrama "Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson C. Whittaker" (1994) and then James Hemings, the slave freed by the third American President in Merchant Ivory production "Jefferson in Paris" (1995). Roles as cancer-stricken Sergeant Stephen Altameyer in military drama "Courage Under Fire" (1996), kamikaze soldier Sugar Watkins in Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi satire "Starship Troopers" (1997) and reckless hustler Tyrone in urban indie "Tar" (1997) then followed before Gilliam returned to television to play correctional officer-turned-inmate Clayton Hughes in gritty prison drama "Oz" (HBO, 1997-2003). After taking the lead as lovelorn young professional Marcus in LGBT drama "Punks" (2000) and appearing in feminist anthology "Personal Velocity: Three Portraits" (2002), Gilliam landed his signature role as Carver Ellis, the upstanding sergeant whose bickering relationship with simple-minded partner Herc provided most of the comic relief on gritty favorite "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-08). During his five seasons on the show, Gilliam also had four-episode stints on legal spin-offs "Law and Order: Trial By Jury" (NBC, 2005-06), and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" (NBC, 2001-2011), appeared in the "Emme's Story" segment of interweaving post-9/11 drama "The Great New Wonderful" (2005) and guested on the adaptation of Jonathan Mahler's best-seller, "The Bronx is Burning" (ESPN, 2007). Following one-off appearances in "Damages" (FX, 2007-2012), "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 2002-2012) and "Mercy" (NBC, 2009-2010), Gilliam portrayed Jim Conley, the factory janitor many historians believe to be responsible for teenager Mary Phagan's death, in docudrama "The People v. Leo Frank" (2009) and played US Marshal Lasky in romantic comedy "Did You Hear About The Morgans?" (2009). Gilliam then added "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime, 2009-2015), "Homeland" (Showtime, 2011-) and "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-) to his list of guest spots, took on the recurring role of veterinarian and Scott's mentor Dr. Alan Deakin in "Teen Wolf" (MTV, 2011-) and played Professor Frederic Johnson in heart-wrenching Alzheimer's tale "Still Alice" (2014). In 2014, Gilliam joined the cast of "The Walking Dead" as Father Gabriel Stokes, the Georgian Episcopal priest struggling with both the new world and his faith, and two years later appeared as Officer Grady in sci-fi adventure "Police State" (2016).
