All hail the King! Khary Payton is happy to have survived another season on AMC’s The Walking Dead, returning as King Ezekiel, the benevolent leader of “The Kingdom.” King Ezekiel has instantly become Payton’s most challenging and favorite role to date.
Cyborg lives on! According to cartoon fans, Payton has become synonymous with one of DC’s hottest heroes, Cyborg, having voiced the character for 17 years in numerous series, DVM’s and games. And in the summer of 2018, the critically acclaimed theatrical release of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies based on the number one cartoon series Teen Titans Go!
All hail the King! Khary Payton is happy to have survived another season on AMC’s The Walking Dead, returning as King Ezekiel, the benevolent leader of “The Kingdom.” King Ezekiel has instantly become Payton’s most challenging and favorite role to date.
Cyborg lives on! According to cartoon fans, Payton has become synonymous with one of DC’s hottest heroes, Cyborg, having voiced the character for 17 years in numerous series, DVM’s and games. And in the summer of 2018, the critically acclaimed theatrical release of Teen Titans Go! To the Movies based on the number one cartoon series Teen Titans Go!
Payton is thrilled to be reprising his role of Aqualad and taking on the new role of Black Lightning/Jefferson Pierce in the fan and critically acclaimed series Young Justice: Outsiders that premiered on DCUniverse.com earlier this year. Other current voice-over roles include laser Specialist Wasabi in Disney’s Big Hero 6: The Series, Grimlock from Transformers: Robots in Disguise and Rafiki in Disney’s The Lion Guard.
He is known for many video game roles, including The Sims, Reigel in Starcraft, Drebin in Metal Gear Solid, Azrael & Killer Croc in the Batman: Arkham franchise, and Knox from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
Born in Augusta, Georgia, Payton caught the acting bug after seeing a production of Cyrano De Bergerac in the 1st grade. As a teenager, he developed a local rep as a rapper and stand-up comic, sharing the stage with such notables as Tom Kenney & Chris Rock. After spending his teenage years consoling comedians at the bar between sets, Payton opted for college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas to study acting and directing. He stayed in Texas for several years after that, honing his craft in classical and experimental theatre before finally making his way to Hollywood.
Payton co-wrote, produced & starred in the independent sci-fi feature, Astronaut: The Last Push. The film soared through festivals from London to LA, winning 13 awards, including Best In Show at the IFS & Fargo Film Festivals. Payton took home three awards for Best Actor.
