Biography - Khary Payton

Who is Khary Payton?

Khary Payton is an actor by profession and an American national. He is well known for starring in The Walking Dead as King Ezekiel and voiced Cyborg in DC comics and Kaldur'ahm / Aqualad in Young Justice.

Khary Payton – Age, Parents, Siblings

Khary Payton was born on May 16, 1972, in Augusta, Georgia, USA. His mother Gwendolyn Middleton Payton works as an artist while his father Victor Payton profession is not known. His parents raised him alongside a sibling- a younger sister. In a December 2015 Twitter post, Payton revealed that his sister is engaged to a guy.

Education, Ethnicity

Following high school graduation, Khary Payton went on to study at Southern Methodist University. He graduated from the same with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts.

His ethnicity is African-American.

Khary Payton – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Payton married his girlfriend Linda Braddock in 2001. After years of divorce, they divorced in 2009. They did not have any children together.

He married Stacy Reed Payton on 8 August 2010. With his wife, he has two children – a son named Karter (born as a female in 2010) and a daughter named Maya (born in 2012). In March 2019, Stacy filed for divorce, exiting nine years of marriage.

Khary Payton went on to date Tracy Swiatly, who is a makeup artist for film and television including The Walking Dead. The pair welcomed a baby boy named Eli Nkrumah in late 2021.

Khary Payton – Career

Early Days

Payton began his career in 1986 in the Texas theatre scene. After over a decade in theatre, a Los Angeles casting director convinced him to come to Hollywood.

His debut screen role was in the 2001 episode of the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger. This was followed by appearances in the TV series The Shield (2004), Emily's Reasons Why Not (2006-2008), Criminal Minds (2009), and General Hospital (2011) as Dr. Terrell Jackson which gained him wide recognition.

Khary Payton’s portrayal of King Ezekiel in the TV series The Walking Dead is considered his breakthrough role. He has been portraying the character since 2016 and will be starring in season 11 of the series.

Films, TV Series

Over the years he has worked in the films Dracula II: Ascension (2003), Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005), Astronaut: The Last Push (2012), etc. In the last few years, Khary Payton has appeared in the series Hand of God (2017), and Critical Role (2018), among others.

Aside from his screen role, his work as a voice actor is extensive. He has lent his voice in the animated TV series Teen Titans (2003-2007), Justice League (2003), Ben 10 (2006-20107), G.I. Joe: Renegades (2010-2011), Teen Titans Go! (2013-present), The Lion Guard (2015-2019), Big Hero 6: The Series (2017-2021), and Invincible (2021), to name a few.

In addition, Payton has voiced characters in many DC superhero animated films such as Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo (2006), Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015), Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015), Lego DC Comics Super Heroes (2016), among others.

Co-stars

On the set of The Walking Dead, Khary Payton has worked with Josh McDermitt, Seth Gilliam, Steven Yeun, Margot Bingham, Jacob Young, and Ross Marquand.

Khary Payton – Awards, Nominations

Khary Payton has been nominated for two BTVA Voice Acting Awards (2014, 2015) and two Saturn Awards (2018, 2019).

Khary Payton – Net Worth, Salary

The net worth of Payton is estimated to be around $4 million while the figure on his annual salary/income is not known.

Khary Payton – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Khary Payton is followed by thousands of followers on Instagram and Twitter but seems to be absent from Facebook.

List of The Walking Dead cast: