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Demetrius Grosse
American actor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Demetrius Grosse (born February 26, 1981) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Rock in the film Straight Outta Compton, Emmett Yawners in the Cinemax television series Banshee, Errol in the FX television series Justified, and Baron Samedi in NBC's Heroes.
He is currently set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Eric Williams / Grim Reaper in the Disney+ series Wonder Man.
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Early life
Born in Washington, D.C., Grosse began performing in stage productions as a child at the Summer Musical Theater Workshop, developing a repertoire as an actor, singer, and dancer.[1] Early in his career, Grosse cut hair at Legends, a well-known Los Angeles barber shop.[2] After graduating from Washington's Gonzaga College High School, Grosse attended the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, where he received the prestigious Andrew Carnegie Undergraduate Grant for artistic merit.[3][4] In 2002, Grosse completed a visiting student program in which he completed two semesters of intensive study at the Howard University College of Fine Arts in his home city of Washington DC.[5]
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Career
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Grosse appeared in the HBO series Westworld based on the 1973 film of the same name. He also appeared in Michael Bay's feature film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016). Grosse is known for taking on many characters from various backgrounds and from all different genres. He made his acting debut in Numbers (2005) and is well known for his roles in Straight Outta Compton (2015), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), This Is Martin Bonner (2013), and Banshee (2013). His other television credits include Justified, Criminal Minds, ER, NCIS, Heroes, Bones, Dexter, CSI: Miami and Frontier.[5] Grosse also made appearances in The Inheritance (2011), and Hollywoo (2011). Grosse has credits for producing Last Cry for Katrina (2013), Moonshiners, and A Quiet Fire (2009).[6]
Banshee
On Banshee, Grosse portrayed series regular character Deputy Emmett Yawners for the first two seasons. Grosse's character was the Deputy for the Banshee County Sheriff's Department in the town of Banshee, Pennsylvania. Known as a family man and the moral compass of the show, Deputy Yawners fought until the end protecting his pregnant wife in the season 2 finale episode "Bullets & Tears".
Justified
On Justified, Grosse portrayed recurring character Errol Butler who is Ellstin Limehouse's right-hand man in Noble's Holler. Errol's hand is also shown to be badly burned from lye, possibly by Limehouse for disobeying him at some point. In Season 3, Errol is shown to resemble Boyd's own former right-hand Johnny Crowder, as he is willing to turn on his leader any chance he gets and attempts to make several power plays to increase Limehouse's wealth and power, all without his boss's permission. These plays eventually get Errol kicked out of Noble's Holler in the finale "Slaughterhouse", but he returns to defend Limehouse when he sees Robert Quarles returning with Raylan Givens and another hostage. Errol takes a bullet for Limehouse and his fate is left ambiguous as the season ends. In the Season 6 episode "Sounding", Errol is revealed to be alive and on better terms with Limehouse and is ordered by him to accompany Ava into gathering supplies at a hardware store in order to excavate Boyd's money from a bank robbery to pay off Limehouse for a car. Bob Sweeney and Raylan approach the hardware store, Bob having tracked down Errol from Noble's. Bob and Errol have a stand-off as Bob attempts to lure Errol out of the store on a bogus charge so that Raylan can get Ava back into his custody. Bob then tases Errol when he refuses to cooperate and leaves with him out of the store.
Heroes
On Heroes, Grosse portrayed recurring character Baron Samedi. "Baron Samedi" was the alias used by a warlord in Haiti who escaped from Level 5. Baron Samedi has impenetrable skin, which grants him a greater resistance to physical injury than an average human. His skin is a virtually indestructible armor, impenetrable by bullets, blades, or any other known weapon. When flown into a car by Nathan, Samedi is able to stand up unscathed. According to his assignment tracker profile, Samedi's control index is 82%. His data analysis show his biological level at 80, cerebral at 45, elemental at 15 and temporal/spatial at 25.[7]
Demetrius Grosse as Detective Kevin Wolfe on The Rookie
Actor Demetrius Grosse portrayed Detective Kevin Wolfe, a recurring guest character on the ABC police procedural drama The Rookie. Wolfe, whose badge number is stated as 9871 in the episode "Plain Clothes Day," is introduced as a competent and assertive detective working with the Mid-Wilshire Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. He often collaborates with uniformed officers and plays a key role in several major cases over the course of the series.
Detective Wolfe is partnered with Detective Elijah Vestri, and the pair are central to a pivotal storyline involving an undercover operation targeting the criminal Marcus Vance. The operation, featured in the episode "Time of Death," culminates in a tragic incident in which undercover officer Isabel Bradford is attacked and shot in the head by Vance. Bradford survives the shooting but sustains life-threatening injuries, setting off a chain of retaliatory and investigative efforts by the LAPD.
In the subsequent episode, "Standoff," Wolfe and Vestri respond to a location where Vance’s crew is believed to be hiding after other officers fail to respond to radio communications. Upon exiting an elevator at the scene, the detectives are ambushed and shot multiple times. Vestri dies from his injuries at the scene, while Wolfe is transported to the hospital and ultimately survives.
Wolfe continues to appear in later episodes, including "The Checklist," in which he assists Officer John Nolan in apprehending a suspect involved in a car smuggling ring. His character is portrayed as resilient and committed, reflecting the dangers and complexities of police work in the series.
Allegations and Investigation (2019)
In 2019, The Rookie became the subject of public controversy when actress Afton Williamson, a series regular during its first season, alleged that she had experienced racial discrimination and sexual harassment while working on the show. Among her claims, Williamson accused guest star Demetrius Grosse of harassment and another crew member of sexual assault during a wrap party that Grosse did not attend.
Following the public disclosure of these allegations, Entertainment One (eOne), the studio behind The Rookie, launched an independent investigation. The inquiry was conducted by the law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp in conjunction with EXTTI, a third-party firm specializing in workplace investigations. Over the course of the investigation, nearly 400 hours of interviews were conducted, and various forms of documentation and video evidence were reviewed.
The results of the investigation, released on September 17, 2019, concluded that the specific allegations made by Williamson—including those against Grosse—were unsubstantiated. The investigators stated that they found no evidence to support claims of racial discrimination, sexual harassment, or assault. Grosse's attorney, Andrew Brettler, issued a public statement asserting that the actor had been “libeled all over the media” and suffered professional setbacks due to the allegations, but welcomed that the findings had ultimately cleared his client of wrongdoing.
Despite the controversy, The Rookie continued into subsequent seasons with ongoing support from its production company and network. The situation contributed to broader industry conversations about workplace conduct, accountability, and the processes through which such claims are investigated.
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Filmography
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Awards and nominations
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