Meet Jeffrey Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Brown.

Hi Jeffrey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Evanston, IL – just outside of Chicago, which had a thriving theatre community so I saw a lot of plays as a kid. I started acting with improv and story theatre at the Piven Theatre Workshop which was down the street from my house. Then, in 8th grade I got cast in “The Grapes of Wrath” at the Steppenwolf Theatre company. That was a pivotal experience as Gary Sinese, John C. Reily, and Terry Kinny were all in it. I started doing more Improvisation at the Second City in high school and was in their high school touring company where we did classic Second City scenes and improv games at high schools around town. I went to De Paul University for college and studied classic theatre there. I was also a drummer in a band and after college, we decided to move to a warehouse in Oakland to really try to make it.

After about a year, I got cast as a Blue Man in Blue Man Group after my friend Thessaly told me she had a dream where I beat out Michael Jackson for the part of a Blue Man. She opened up the paper the next day and saw an ad for an open call. I moved to NYC shortly thereafter for a year to train and get ready to be in their brand new Vegas show. It was very exciting! I moved to Las Vegas in early 2000 and lived there doing Blue Man Group full time for three more years. In 2003, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career in film and television but continued to fill in and do one off gigs for Blue Man. I started working in commercials at first and then small parts in TV. My first big role was Corbett Stackhouse in True Blood and I worked on three different seasons of that show. I am also super proud to be the voice of Bronty the Dinosaur in Disney’s hit show Doc McStuffins. I got to be Fred Armesin’s fiance in the Las Vegas episode of Modern Family, and then most notably played Jake Hart – Henry’s Dad, in the hit Nickelodeon show Henry Danger. I did that for six years and man was that a fun job… That ended last year and here we are today.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road! After college and before Blue Man Group, I lived in a crazy industrial area of Oakland where it was so run down and deserted, packs of stray dogs roamed around and I once saw a Christmas tree on fire in the street. No cops. No fire dept…. it was just on fire. Moving to Las Vegas was hard too. I had no desire to live in that city and adjusting to the extreme heat took some time. But I really learned to love it after a while. When I moved to Los Angeles, it was like starting over completely. No one cared about Blue Man Group unless they were casting a mute blue creature who can catch things in their mouth – which was never. But I just kept going – hoping – believing- and studying. I took so many acting classes during those first years in LA. I knew I had to be the absolute best I could be. I learned so much and am so thankful for all my teachers. Also, I did everything I possibly could – commercials, voice-over, television, film, you name it I would audition for it. I wanted to be as versatile as I possibly could. It’s true, you grow the most when times are tough and the cards are down.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a very eclectic artist. I do many things. I think thats what sets me apart. In addition to acting, I play drums around town in bands. I teach, I write. I really try to follow my heart and see what happens. Last year I wrote, produced and starred in a pilot called “Vicarious” that won the audience award in the Dances with Films Film Festival and a bunch of other awards on the film festival circuit. I think I’m most proud of that. I love all the acting roles I have played, but there is something about creating something totally from scratch and seeing it through that is like no other. I made no money on that – but it gave me the most sense of pride. I’m most known for playing the Dad on Henry Danger. The scope of that show blows my mind. Currently, I’m writing another pilot to pitch next year and auditioning for other roles. When Blue Man comes back, I hope to work with them again and keep doing that show in-between acting roles out here in LA.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
During this pandemic, I have been teaching more. I teach drums outside or on zoom. You can find out how to contact me at my website. I have an acting workshop on Zoom right now as well.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.jeffreynicholasbrown.com
• Instagram: @jeffreynicholasbrown
• Facebook: @JeffreyNicholasBrown
• Twitter: @jeffreynb