Andre Royo (Actor)

Actor Andre Royo attends the release party for Usher's album Confessions. (Photo: Peter Kramer / Getty Images)

A performer with a hip, street-smart mentality that he exhibited consistently from project to project, Andre Royo is perhaps best known for his multi-season portrayal of amiable junkie informant Bubbles on HBO's popular cop/crime drama series The Wire (2002-2008). Royo grew up in New York City, and was reportedly expelled from high school prematurely for a perceived overemphasis on acting and drama at the expense of his other studies. He scored his first major career break with a role in the TLC music video of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," then delved into feature performances beginning in 2000 with a bit part in John Singleton's Shaft, followed by a supporting contribution to director Christopher Scott Cherot's moody romantic drama G (2002). Thereafter, he appeared in numerous feature roles, albeit in films with somewhat limited exposure; these included supporting turns in the urban comedy Men Without Jobs (2004), Mark Banning's psychodrama Jellysmoke (2005), and Austin Chick's 9/11 drama August (2008). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide