Michael Evans Behling

{{Infobox person

| name = Michael Evans Behling

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|03|05}}

| birth_place = Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

| nationality = American

| citizenship = United States

| education = {{Unbulleted list

|Columbus North High School

|Indiana State University

}}

| other_names =

| known_for = All American

| height = 1.88m

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 2017–present

| spouse(s) = Madison Stanton (2021-2022)

| parents = {{Unbulleted list

|Mike Behling

|Carol Behling

}}

Michael Evans Behling (born March 5, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jordan Baker on All American.{{cite web|title=All American's Michael Evans Behling Talks About His Character, the Dramatic Season 2, And Of Course Football|url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/2020/02/all-americans-michael-evans-behling-talks-about-his-character-th/|website=TV Fanatic|date=February 26, 2020|accessdate=27 March 2020}}{{cite web|title=Michael Evans Behling's Jordan Is Making Big Sacrifices in Season Two Of "All American"|url=https://cwseattle.cbslocal.com/2020/03/02/michael-evans-behlings-jordan-is-making-big-sacrifices-in-season-two-of-all-american/|website=CW11 KSTW|date=March 2, 2020|accessdate=21 March 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Lemke |first1=Brett |title='All American' star Michael Evans Behling teases tonight's season finale, talks being Jordan Baker |url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2020/3/9/all-american-star-michael-evans-behling-teases-tonights-seas.html |website=ABC News Radio |accessdate=21 March 2020}}{{cite web |date=March 2, 2020|title=Taye Diggs Coaches Michael Evans Behling On And Off The Set Of "All American" |url=https://cwatlanta.cbslocal.com/2020/03/02/taye-diggs-coaches-michael-evans-behling-on-and-off-the-set-of-all-american/ |website=CW Atlanta |accessdate=21 March 2020}}

Early life

Behling was born in Columbus, Ohio and adopted by Mike and Carol Behling, but grew up in Columbus, Indiana.{{cite news |last1=Blair |first1=Brian |title=Columbus native has lead role in new CW series |url=http://www.therepublic.com/2018/10/02/columbus-native-has-lead-role-in-new-cw-series/ |accessdate=24 March 2020 |work=The Republic}}{{cite web |last1=Blair |first1=Brian |date=2018-10-03|title=Fast-track TV career: Columbus actor looks to score in football-based TV show |url=http://www.therepublic.com/2018/10/03/fasttrack_tv_career_columbus_actor_looks_to_score_in_footballbased_tv_show/ |website=The Republic |accessdate=21 March 2020}} He is biracial and was adopted by a white family.{{cite web |last1=Narsinghani |first1=Krishan |title=Michael Evans Behling |url=https://www.the360mag.com/michael-evans-behling/ |website=360 Magazine |date=March 12, 2019 |accessdate=21 March 2020}} In a March 2020 YouTube video, he stated that his father is of Nigerian descent and his mother is of German descent and that his last name is German.{{cite web |title=Answering Your Questions! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V52VNxVbRRs |website=YouTube |accessdate=24 March 2020}} He has three siblings, Matt, Adam, and Andrea. Behling's family owned ten acres of land, several dogs and cats and a chicken coop. Sports were a big part of his life growing up, and Behling played baseball, soccer, and volleyball.{{cite web |last1=Swep |first1=Tone |title=He Left Pre-Med School in Middle America for a Breakout Role in "All American", Hollywood's Hottest New Show |url=http://www.lootriot.mobi/meb/ |website=Loot & Riot |date=September 24, 2018 |accessdate=23 March 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Blackmon |first1=Victoria |date=Dec 26, 2018 |title=CW Insider: Get to know Michael Evans Behling from All-American |url=https://www.wkrg.com/gulf-coast-cw/cw-insider-get-to-know-michael-evans-behling-from-all-american/ |website=WKRG Gulf Coast CW |accessdate=21 March 2020}}

He first thought about being an actor when he was a freshman in high school and was inspired by Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight.{{cite web |title=MICHAEL EVANS BEHLING |date=October 2018|url=https://www.avant-magazine.com/michael-evans |website=Avant |accessdate=21 March 2020}} Behling attended Columbus North High School, where he played football for two years and ran track.{{cite web |title=IN Track and Field |url=https://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/Athlete.aspx?AID=5595246 |website=Athletic.net |accessdate=24 March 2020}}{{cite web |last1=PIX11 Web Team |date=Mar 2, 2020|title='All American' star Michael Evans Behling talks new season of hit CW series |url=https://www.pix11.com/news/morning/all-american-star-michael-evans-behling-talks-new-season-of-hit-cw-series |website=PIX 11 News |accessdate=21 March 2020}} He was on the honor roll and graduated in 2015. Behling continued to run track in college, competing in the 400-meter hurdles. He stopped competing in track after breaking his foot twice, which required two surgeries. He attended Indiana State University for two years as a pre-med student before dropping out to pursue modeling and acting.{{cite web |title=Michael Evans Behling |url=https://www.viacomcbspressexpress.com/the-cw/shows/all-american/bios?id=michael-evans-behling |website=The CW Press |accessdate=24 March 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Dawkins |first1=McKenzie |title=Fresh on the Scene: Michael Evans Behling |url=https://www.bleumag.com/2020/03/23/michael-evans-behling/ |website=Bleu Magazine |date=March 23, 2020 |accessdate=23 March 2020}}{{cite web |last1=Borders |first1=Lindsay |date=October 31, 2019|title=MICHAEL EVANS BEHLING |url=https://www.euphoriazine.com/blog/2019/10/interviews-michael-evans-behling/ |website=Euphoria Magazine |accessdate=21 March 2020}} Prior to beginning his acting career, he worked as an assistant director at the Donner Aquatic Center in Columbus, Indiana.

Career

While in college, Behling began modeling, and eventually his team convinced him to audition for acting roles.{{cite web |last1=Boadu |first1=Edwin |title=interview michael evans behling |url=https://schonmagazine.com/interview-michael-evans-behling/ |website=Schon! |date=December 16, 2019 |accessdate=23 March 2020}} He did several advertising campaigns with Adidas and White Castle. Behling began his career in television in 2017 with a role as "Handsome Dude" on Empire. In March 2018, he was cast as Jordan Baker on All American,{{cite web |last1=Falcone |first1=Dana Rose |title=Set It Up 2? Taye Diggs Teases a Sequel to Hit Netflix Romantic Comedy: 'I'm All for Doing More' |url=https://people.com/movies/taye-diggs-set-it-up-sequel/ |website=People |accessdate=24 March 2020}} and filming for the pilot began two weeks later. Behling moved to Los Angeles in January 2018 when filming began, and after his finances ran low he began sleeping on a friend's floor. He has said that he identifies with his character because they are both biracial and looking for the place where they fit in.{{cite web |title=All American star Michael Evans Behling teases tonight's season finale, talks being Jordan Baker |url=https://kblx.com/entertainment-news/all-american-star-michael-evans-behling-teases-tonights-season-finale-talks-being-jordan-baker/ |website=KBLX |date=March 9, 2020 |accessdate=30 March 2020}} His role as Jordan Baker is his breakout role.{{ cite web |last1=Peters|first1=Fletcher|date=20 March 2020|title='All American' Cast Guide: Who's Who In The Hit Football Drama|url=https://decider.com/2020/03/20/all-american-cast-guide-netflix-the-cw/|website=Decider|accessdate=27 March 2020}} He is currently represented by HRI Talent and Management 101.{{cite web |last1=Petski |first1=Denise |date=March 16, 2018 |title=Monet Mazur & Michael Evans Behling Cast in April Blair/Spencer Paysinger CW Pilot |url=https://deadline.com/2018/03/monet-mazur-michael-evans-behling-cast-april-blair-spencer-paysinger-cw-pilot-1202339465/ |website=Deadline |accessdate=21 March 2020}}

Behling has a clothing line, DesignedAt5AM, which he started with three friends from high school (Nicholas Stevens, Drew Thompson, and Floyd Athaide).{{cite web |title=FAQ |url=http://designedat5am.com/index.php/faq/ |website=DesignedAt5AM |accessdate=24 March 2020}} The clothing line was inspired by his desire to start his day early to accomplish his goals and by his high school friends' early morning swim practices.

Personal life

Behling lives in Los Angeles. He actively advocates for animal rights and mental health awareness.{{cite web |last1=Alvarez |first1=Armand |date=December 23, 2019|title=Interview With MICHAEL EVANS BEHLING {{!}} Passion Is My Fuel To Create The Life I Want |url=https://thehedonistmagazine.com/2019/12/23/interview-with-michael-evans-behling-passion-is-my-fuel-to-create-the-life-i-want/ |website=The Hedonist |accessdate=22 March 2020}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Film

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2021

|A Cinderella Story: Starstruck

|Jackson Stone{{cite web |last1=Piester |first1=Lauren |title=Bailee Madison Goes Full Cowboy in the Trailer For A Cinderella Story: Starstruck |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1258034/bailee-madison-goes-full-cowboy-in-the-trailer-for-a-cinderella-story-starstruck |website=E! Online |date=April 13, 2021}}

|Direct-to-video

2022

|The Manny

|Morgan Washington

|Tubi Original{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RwZ21_y1mc | title=The Manny | Official Trailer | A Tubi Original | website=YouTube | date=November 11, 2022 }}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Television

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

2017

|Empire

|Handsome Dude

|Episode: "The Lady Doth Protest"

2018–present

|All American