Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Biography:

American actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. was born on July 23, 1994. His career started with minor parts in the 2013 movies 12 Years a Slave and Ender’s Game. He became more well-known for his role as Travis in the 2017 horror movie It Comes at Night. In addition to The High Note (2020), The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), Cyrano (2021), and Elvis (2022), Harrison starred in the 2019 movies Luce and Waves. He went on to act in the movie Chevalier in 2022. Among his honors are a Screen Actors Guild Award and nominations for an Independent Spirit Award, a Gotham Award, and a British Academy Film Award.

He came to The Westbank after growing up in the Garden District. Before relocating to Los Angeles, California, to pursue acting, he studied studio engineering and marketing and enrolled in acting workshops. He is also a talented musician, primarily singing and performing jazz and gospel on the piano and trumpet. His father grew up with Harry Connick Jr. and had training from Ellis Marsalis. Harrison met Wynton Marsalis, recorded with Delfeayo Marsalis, and trained under Jason Marsalis.

As one of the few Black pupils in his class at Isidore Newman School, Harrison found it difficult to blend in. His father thought he would be a great musician, therefore he initially enrolled at Loyola University New Orleans to specialize in studio engineering.