Shemar Moore Bio

Tall, lean, and very handsome, Shemar Moore became known to legions of fans of daytime television for his long-running performance as Malcolm Winters on the popular CBS serial "The Young and the Restless" before branching out to other roles.
Born in Northern California to a Black father and Caucasian mother, Moore spent his formative years outside the USA. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to Denmark in part to avoid prejudice and racism. After his parents' divorce when he was a toddler, he lived with his mother in such exotic locales as Bahrain (where she worked as a teacher), Greece, and the Virgin Islands. Following a stopover in Massachusetts, Moore and his mother finally settled in California, near Palo Alto, where he eventually attended high school. Torn between a desire to perform and his natural athletic abilities as a baseball player, he opted to pursue both in college, majoring in communications and theater and playing on the school's team. Moore also decided to try his hand at modeling as a fast way to earn cash for his tuition. A shoulder injury would eventually derail his dreams of a professional athletic career, allowing him to concentrate on his budding thespian skills.
Heading to NYC after graduating, Moore encountered several obstacles; as far as modeling career went, the issue of his color sometimes proved nettlesome. Eventually he booked an appearance in GQ and an agent spotted the layout. Moore returned to California in 1994 to read for the newly created role of wily shutterbug Malcolm Winters on "The Young and the Restless" and went on to earn several Daytime Emmy nominations before finally nabbing a statue in 2000.
By that point, Moore had begun to moonlight, making guest appearances on "Living Single", "The Jamie Foxx Show" and "Chicago Hope". In 1997, he shot his first movie role but the project, "Butter", ended up being sold to HBO. His first released film role came in Christopher Scott Cherot's romantic comedy "Hav Plenty" (1997), but the part was hardly memorable. Moore earned notice for his work as a privileged cad in the CBS miniseries "Mama Flora's Family" (1998) and as an out of work actor in "How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale" (Fox, 2000). In 1999, he increased his profile adding hosting duties on the syndicated music program "Soul Train". Finally, with "The Brothers" (2001), Moore landed a leading role in a feature film, playing a recently engaged young man in this relationship-driven comedy-drama.
Then it was on to primetime, as back-up for the trio of superheroic crimefighters in the short-lived WB series "Brids of Prey" (2002-03), before returning to features in a series of undistinguished films. Moore had a prominent role in the screen adaptation of Tyler Perry's play "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (2005), bringing his suave charm to the hit slapstick film as Orlando, the perfect strong black male archetype who brings romance into the life of the film's jilted heroine (Kimberly Elise). He returned to the small screen as a regular on the hit CBS FBI show, "Criminal Minds" (2005- ).
Also Credited As:
Shemar Franklin Moore

Born:
on 04/20/1970 in Oakland, California

Job Titles:
Actor, Model, Waiter (before he was famous)

Family
Father: Sherrod Moore. originally from Birmingham, Alabama; Black; divorced from Moore's mother c. 1972; remarried; reportedly lives in Japan with three other children
Mother: Marilyn Moore. originaly from the Boston, Massachusetts, area; Caucasian; divorced from Moore's father c. 1972

Significant Others:
Toni Braxton. Moore appeared in one of her music videos (How Many Ways)
and Halle Berry

Education:
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California, communications and theater arts, 1993

Milestones:
1970 Family settled in Denmark; learned Danish as a first language (dates approximate)
1994 Appeared in role of Malcolm Winters on "The Young and the Restless" (CBS); won Daytime Emmy in 2000
1995 Was featured in the music video for "How Many Ways" sung by Toni Braxton
1997 Film acting debut, "Hav Plenty"
1998 Cast in featured role in the CBS miniseries "Mama Flora's Family"
1998 Co-starred in "Butter"; debuted on HBO in lieu of a theatrical release
1999 Served as host of the syndicated music series "Soul Train"
2001 Co-starred in "The Brothers"
2001 Toured the USA in the musical play "The Fabric of a Man" by David E Talbert
2005 Starred in the feature adaption of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" based on a play of the same name written by Tyler Perry who also co-stares
2006 Played Special Agent Derek Morgan on the CBS drama "Criminal Minds"
After college, moved to NYC to pursue a modeling career when a shoulder injury derailed dreams of a pro baseball career
Appeared in GQ; spotted by agent who recommended him for role on "The Young and the Restless"
At age 18, while in college, launched a career as a model
Born in Northern California
Following parents' separation, moved to Bahrain with his mother; later traveled extensively before returning to USA c. 1976
Returned to California, eventually settling in Palo Alto in 1984

Moore now lives Los Angeles, CA