Cast of TV series 'B Positive,' Author of 'Blacky,' 'The Shes'

Terrence Terrell | Biography

Terrell released his fourth book 'My Little Black Book,' in 2021

• By Chetana
• Update : November 28, 2021

---

Terrence Terrell is an 'Emmy Award' winning actor, currently playing the role of Eli on 'B Positive.'

Who is Terrence Terrell?

Terrell began his acting career doing minor roles in 2010. He appeared on shows like My Roommate, The Mindy Project, Meet the Dramatics, and Criminal Minds in his early days.

In 2018, he was cast as one of the main characters of the TV series Giants. The series, which was about friendship and dealing with real-life issues, won him the 2019 'Daytime Emmy Award' for 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series.'

Further, he appeared on the series Modern Family, Black-ish, First Wives Club, Bosch, Batwoman, and Room 104. 

Subsequently, in 2020, he bagged the role of Eli in the Chuck Lorre-Marco Pennette produced TV series B Positive. 

Terrell has published four children's storybooks, 'Blacky’, 'The Shes,' 'The Crowned Kids,' and 'My Little Black Book.' He also runs a non-profit organization, I Crowned Me, from where he has been raising funds for the production of an animated short movie called Skin Deep.

Early Life and Education

Terrence Terrell was born on 30 August 1984. When he was 15 years old when he moved to Cleveland in Mississippi, to take care of his sick grandmother. His grandmother was Irish, and his cousins from her family were fair-skinned, unlike him. So, his cousins were preferred and treated better than him, making him hate his skin color. Once, he even tried to rub off color from his face to be treated as nicely as his cousins.

Nevertheless, his grandmother always assured him that he had beautiful skin and told him that she also wished to have a dark skin tone like him. It gave him space and courage to accept his contrast with his cousins.

In addition to that, whenever he was regarded as ugly or bullied in school, he channeled the negative thoughts into humor, which supported his general interest in entertainment. 

Eventually, Terrell began cracking jokes, did acting, and amused anyone he got a chance to. He used to watch actors and singers on the television and wanted to be like them. Terrell was inspired by the movie Boomerang while growing up. 

After high school, he attended Mississippi Valley State University for Bachelor's education and went to Jackson State University for a Master's degree.

Career

Ever since he began watching films, Terrell wanted to be a part of Hollywood.

He initiated acting, doing minor roles in small-scale production like the 2010 short movie Menages and the 2011 TV My Roommate the. Followed by that, he appeared as a triathlon winner on a 2013 episode of The Mindy Project, the 2015 TV movie Meet the Dramatics, and on the 2016 TV series Criminal Minds and Tinderellas.

In 2018, he appeared in a recurring character of a Lawyer on the TV series Stuck in the Middle.

'Giants' 

Terrell landed the supporting role of Kwasi on the TV series Giants (2017-2018). It followed the journey of three friends who were united by a strong desire to live life on their terms. But when each of them became unable to escape problems of identity, sexuality, and mental health, they were forced to choose between giving up and fighting for their life.

Terrell received the 'Daytime Emmy Award' in 2019 for 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series.'

Other Appearances

After Giants, Terrell began appearing in major productions. In 2018 he was seen on one of the episodes of Modern Family and TV series Sorry for Your Loss and Shameless.

In 2019 he acted on the series, Black-ish, First Wives Club in the recurring role of Wesley and on Bigger as Reggie.

In 2020, he played the character of Marvel on the series Bosch, as Tim' The Titan' Teslow on Batwoman, and one of the episodes of Room 104.

'B Positive'

In 2020, Terrell landed the role of Eli Russel in the Chuck Lorre-Marco Pennette produced TV series B Positive, aired on CBS.

The series chronicles the story of a therapist, Drew, who is a newly divorced father and needs a kidney donor. He meets a rough-around-the-edges lady from his past who offers to donate him a kidney. 

Terrell plays the role of Eli, a pleasant and outgoing professional football player for the Seahawks. He is a ladies' guy with an ego problem who is not afraid to flaunt his Super Bowl ring. Eli also needs a kidney donor after taking too many hits to the body on the field. He is oblivious of his career coming to an end. However, his spirit isn't broken.

Eli is waiting for his brother to reduce his weight and donate a kidney. While undergoing dialysis, Eli meets Drew, and they embark on a strange relationship.

In an interview, Terrell said that he could relate to the character as he moved to Cleveland after his grandmother began her kidney dialysis. He added that he knew the problems of kidney-failure patients, and he could use his experience with his grandmother as the source for his performance.   

The Season 2 of B Positive was released on 14 October 2021.

Upcoming Projects

Terrell is set to play the role of LeBron James in Jamie Fox's directorial debut movie All-Star Weekend.

Books 

Alongside acting, Terrell has authored several children's books. In 2016 he published his first book, 'Blacky’ followed by his second book, 'The Shes,' in the memory of his mother and the third book, 'The Crowned Kids.' He released his fourth book 'My Little Black Book,' in 2021.

Non-Profit

Further, he founded a non-profit organization I Crowned Me, from where he reaches out to children and teachers who come to like his books. Through the organization, Terrell has also been raising funds for his conceptual animated short film Skin Deep. 

Commercial

Progressive Insurance created an intriguing commercial to promote its insurance packages. Terrell plays the motaur who wishes he had human legs in the commercial. A motaur is like a centaur machine. A centaur is a Greek mythological creature with a human torso and the legs of a horse whereas, a motaur is a centaur with a human body and a motorcycle chassis. The commercial attempts to warn motorists about the dangers of speeding.

'When It All Falls'

Terrell played the character Xavier in the movie When It all Falls, which was released in 2017. The movie was directed by M. Slim Lyons. The movie is about a person attempting to save his daughter's life who makes a decision that may prevent him from ever seeing her again.

'June Bug'

Terrell plays the role of a father named Davis in the short film June Bug. In the film, Junie goes back to vivid recollections of her father, Davis (Terrence Terrell), when she was a child while lying with her boyfriend, Calvin (Jerry Madison Jr.). Davis, who affectionately referred to Junie as Junebug, was a gifted pianist who struggled with mental illness. She recalls her feelings for the guy who raised her, but also the devastation caused by his unstable mind cascading down and harming her in unfixable ways.

'Skin Deep'

Terrell is currently working on his animated short Skin Deep, which will explore mental health, colorism, and what it means to be a small Black boy in today's world, with Anthony Hemingway and Oscar-winning animation company Six Point Harness. This narrative is based on his own experiences with mental health and colorism, and it's part of his children's book series, which includes titles like Blacky, The Shes, The Crowned Kids, and the soon-to-be-released My Little Black Book.

Music

Terrell also has an interest in music other than acting. He has released several songs including 'Understanding' (2019), 'So Nice to Meet Ya' (2019), 'Tried It' (2020), and 'Dirty Red' (2021).

Doppelganger

Terrell's has a famous. Yes, he looks similar to LeBron James, a well-known athlete. When comparing them side by side, it's practically very difficult to tell them apart.

Height

Terrell gas a height of 6 feet and 3 inches (1.90m)