Brian Tyree Henry as Tayo Michaels in Class of '09 | FX
Brian Tyree Henry
Tayo Michaels
"Tayo Michaels," portrayed by Brian Tyree Henry, refuses the easy path from the beginning. A former insurance executive, he abandoned a comfortable high paying career, joining the FBI with the hope of implementing radical change within the system. After graduating Quantico, he accepted some of the most dangerous and far-flung field assignments to prove himself. The only person to correctly identify and track down a deadly villain, his career takes him to the very top of the Bureau where he seizes his chance to change it for good.
Career Highlights
Emmy® and Tony Award® nominee Brian Tyree Henry is a versatile actor whose career spans film, television and theater. He starred alongside Donald Glover in the Emmy, Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winning FX series Atlanta. He has received Emmy, SAG, Critics’ Choice and MTV Movie & TV Award nominations for his work.
In November 2022, Henry starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence in A24’s Causeway, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and is streaming globally on Apple TV+. For his role, Henry earned an Oscar® nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, as well as a Gotham Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performance.
Henry starred as “Lemon” in Sony’s hit feature film Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt and directed by David Leitch. He recently completed production on several projects, including MGM’s feature film Flint Strong and the Netflix animated feature The Magician’s Elephant. Next up, Henry will headline the Apple TV+ series Sinking Spring, which will be directed by Ridley Scott.
In 2021, Henry starred in four feature films including Marvel’s Eternals, directed by Chloe Zhao. Henry starred as “Phastos,” the intelligent weapons and technology inventor. He also starred in Warner Bros.’ blockbuster Godzilla vs. Kong, in which he portrayed the character of “Bernie,” a truth-seeking podcast host and conspiracy theorist, the indie drama The Outside Story, in which he received rave reviews for his leading role, and in Netflix’s The Woman in the Window opposite Amy Adams and Gary Oldman.
In 2018, Henry had a prolific year on the silver screen, starring in a diverse array of feature films. He co-starred in the action thriller Hotel Artemis alongside Jodie Foster and Sterling K. Brown, Sony’s drama White Boy Rick with Matthew McConaughey, director Steve McQueen’s thriller Widows opposite Viola Davis, Sony’s Oscar®-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, for which he received critical acclaim (NAACP nomination) for his performance as the character “Daniel Carty.” In 2019, Henry starred in MGM’s Child’s Play, Blumhouse’s Don’t Let Go, which premiered at Sundance, and the indie comedy Fam-i-ly.
Henry’s additional film credits include his NAACP-nominated role in Netflix’s Vivo, Superintelligence with Melissa McCarthy and the indie films Irreplaceable You, Puerto Ricans in Paris and Crown Heights. On television, he has appeared in numerous shows including HouseBroken, Room 104, Drunk History, BoJack Horseman, How to Get Away with Murder, Vice Principals, Boardwalk Empire, The Knick, The Good Wife and Law & Order. In 2017, he guest-starred as “Ricky” on NBC’s This Is Us, for which he earned an Emmy nomination.
Henry originated the role of “The General” in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, for which he received high praise. In Spring 2018, Henry returned to Broadway in Kenneth Lonergan’s Tony-nominated play Lobby Hero. For his role, he received Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Award nominations. Henry’s wide range of theater credits include The Fortress of Solitude and The Brother/Sister Plays: The Brothers Size (Helen Hayes Best Actor Nomination) at The Public Theater, as well as Romeo and Juliet and Talk About Race at New York Stage and Film and The Public.
A graduate of Atlanta’s Morehouse College, Henry received his MFA from Yale’s School of Drama.