Mekhi Phifer
Acting
Born: December 29, 1974 (age 51) · New York City, New York, USA
Highest Rated
Biography
Mekhi Thira Phifer (born December 29, 1974) is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama ER and his co-starring role opposite Eminem in the feature film 8 Mile. He was a regular on the Fox crime show Lie to Me portraying the role of Ben Reynolds, before season 3. He was born in in Harlem, New York City, the son of Rhoda Phifer, a high school teacher; he grew up in a single-parent household with his mother. His acting career began in 1995, when Phifer attended an open casting call for director Spike Lee’s Clockers, beating over a thousand others to get the lead role as a narcotics dealer embroiled in a murder cover-up. He followed that role with another in the comedy spoof feature High School High (which also starred his former wife Malinda Williams) and continued by co-starring in the fright flick I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr. Among Phifer’s other big-screen credits are Soul Food, The Biography of Spud Webb, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, Tears of a Clown, O (as the titular character Odin a.k.a. O), and the thriller Uninvited Guest (as Silk). He appeared in Impostor as well as Paid in Full, 8 Mile, opposite Eminem and Dawn of the Dead. Phifer has a son, Omikaye, with his ex-wife, actress Malinda Williams. His second son, Mekhi Thira Phifer Jr., was born to his girlfriend Oni Souratha in Los Angeles on October 30, 2007.
Known for
Divergent
2014
Insurgent
2015
8 Mile
2002
Allegiant
2016
Dawn of the Dead
2004
Chicago P.D.
2014
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
1998
Lie to Me
2009
Love, Victor
2020
White Collar
2009
Shaft
2000
Honey
2003
Photos (4)
Movies (45)
Divergent
Max
Dawn of the Dead
Andre
Insurgent
Max
Allegiant
Max
8 Mile
Future
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
Tyrell
Shaft
Trey Howard
Impostor
Cale
The Silent Hour
Mason Lynch
Honey
Chaz
Lights Out
Max Bomer
Flypaper
Darrien
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat
James Henry
Paid in Full
Mitch
Long Gone Heroes
Moreao
Clockers
Ronald 'Strike' Dunham
Pandemic
Gunner
Carmen: A Hip Hopera
Hill
The Tuskegee Airmen
Lewis Johns
High School High
Griff McReynolds
This Christmas
Gerald
Obsession
Sonny
Slow Burn
Isaac Duperde
Subway Stories
Man in Hallway (segment "Fern's Heart of Darkness")
Puff, Puff, Pass
Big Daddy
O
Odin James
A Day in the Life
King Khi
Soul Food
Lem
Mary J. Blige Presents Be Happy
Peter Mosley
Chocolate City: Vegas Strip
Best Valentine
A Day Late and a Dollar Short
Lewis
Be Happy
Peter Mosley
Hell's Kitchen
Johnny Miles
The Suspect
The Suspect
Nora's Hair Salon II: A Cut Above
Maxwell Terry
Last Man Standing
Jeremy Davis
Canal Street
Prosecutor A.J. Canton
A Lesson Before Dying
Jefferson
Uninvited Guest
Silk
A Talent For Trouble
Mekhi Phifer
Labyrinth
2025
Brian's Song
Gale Sayers
Hav Plenty
Harold
The Other Brother
Martin
The Love Section
James Johnson
TV Shows (20)
Law & Order
Lyman Ross · 1 eps
Chicago P.D.
Joe Baker · 1 eps
Psych
Drake · 1 eps
ER
Greg Pratt · 133 eps
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Omar Jones · 4 eps
High Potential
Arthur Ellis · 8 eps
White Collar
Kyle Collins · 2 eps
Homicide: Life on the Street
Nathaniel Lee 'Junior Bunk' Mahoney · 3 eps
Lie to Me
Ben Reynolds · 24 eps
Key & Peele
Cousin · 1 eps
New York Undercover
Sekou · 2 eps
Torchwood
Rex Matheson · 10 eps
Truth Be Told
Markus Killebrew · 28 eps
Best Week Ever
1 eps
House of Lies
Dre Collins · 7 eps
Love, Victor
Harold Brooks · 9 eps
Secret City
Ambassador Moreton · 5 eps
Frequency
Satch Reyna · 13 eps
Roots
Jerusalem · 1 eps
The Bobby Brown Story
Tommy Brown · 2 eps
Self / Appearances (14)
The Daily Show
Self · 1 eps
The View
Self · 2 eps
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self · 2 eps
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest · 2 eps
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self · 5 eps
Beat Bobby Flay
Self · 1 eps
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
Self · 1 eps
Match Game
Self - Panelist · 1 eps
Punk'd
Self · 1 eps
Miss USA
Self - Judge · 2 eps
Hollywood Game Night
Self · 1 eps
NBC 75th Anniversary Special
Self
Girl 6
Self (uncredited)
The Making of '8 Mile'
Self