Who is Daren Dukes?

Daren Dukes is a skilled writer, producer and actor, born in the late ‘70s in the USA. Daren is also known for his long-lasting marriage to “Shameless” actress Shanola Hampton.

Acting Career

With Daren being a lowkey individual, his childhood and education remain a mystery to fans; the first time viewers ever heard of him was in 2007, when he played a blind man in the gritty thriller movie “The Hanged Man”. Interestingly, Daren also worked on the project as a line producer.

Five years later, the thespian had a cameo in the hilarious short “Hot & Bothered”, written and directed by Jake Greene and starring Daren’s wife Shanola, with Daren playing the role of Shanola’s brother.

From 2012 to 2013, Daren appeared in three episodes of “Static”; created by Brandon Gibson and Steven Samblis, the series was advertised as a “comedic, irreverent look at the world of modern entertainment”. The politically incorrect show featured original screenwriters and a diverse cast, but, perhaps sadly, was never renewed for a second season.

In 2013, eagle-eyed fans also spotted Daren in “Criminal Minds”. To date, the actor’s most regular role has been in 14 episodes of “The Marriage Tour”, a witty romcom in which a young couple decide to visit matrimonies in different stages of life.

Previously, Daren has also appeared in the famous videogame “Grand Theft Auto V”.

Fans also enjoyed seeing the actor in a 2014 episode of “Hell’s Kitchen” and on “Celebrity Game Face”. In the latter show, Daren appeared with Shanola, who was tasked with dancing blindfolded to TikTok dances in a humorous skit.

Personal Life

Daren and Shanola exchanged “I dos” on 11 March 2000, after years of being in a steady relationship. In September 2013, Daren and Shanola excitedly shared news of the actress’s first pregnancy. After years of struggling to get pregnant, the couple proclaimed in a joint statement to People magazine: “We are beyond excited to expand our family and begin this new chapter. Words can’t describe the joy our hearts feel”.

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Daughter Cai Myanna Dukes was born in 2014, and son Daren O.C Dukes on 9^th May 2020.

A family man and doting husband, Daren often appears in Shanola’s Instagram photos; he doesn’t have much social media access himself. To celebrate the couple’s 21^st anniversary, Shanola posted a snap of both, saying: “I love seeing the world with you and sharing this incredible life together!”.

From working to enjoying exotic locations, the lovebirds do practically everything together. Shanola has many times spoken about how loving and supportive her husband is, especially when it comes to her professional ventures.

The couple certainly have a lot in common apart from their profession: sharing the same family values and moral views, neither of them have ever been caught up in controversy.

Daren and Shanola are staunch social justice activists. Following the tragic death of police brutality victim Breonna Taylor, the actress shared a heartfelt social media post, and later a Martin Luther King quote.

Shanola’s Career

Born in 1977, in Charleston, South Carolina, Shanola’s passion for acting was fostered from an early age by her supportive parents. With a pastor for a father and an IRS agent for a mother, few people would’ve imagined that the vivacious beauty would be so successful in the acting profession.

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A gifted academic, the future star studied a theatre degree at Winthrop University, and later earned a Masters of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Shanola’s first theatre role came in 2000, when she appeared in “The Gift” in Hollywood’s Tiffany Theatre. From then on, she was seen in various series and TV movies, slowly but surely building up a solid curriculum.

Shanola landed her first recurring role In 2005, appearing in five episodes of “Related”, a romcom based on the lives of four sisters with a close relationship, living in Brooklyn.

Starring talents such as Jennifer Esposito and Kiele Sanchez, the series ran for 19 episodes, but for unknown reasons wasn’t renewed.

Five years later, Shanola enjoyed another regular role in “Miami Medical”, playing Nurse Graceffa. Just months later, she tasted fame after being cast as Veronica Fisher in “Shameless”. The Showtime production was a huge success with viewers, thanks to its realistic characters and, at times, heartbreaking plotlines.

In April 2021, Shanola officially said goodbye to the series after a decade of playing Veronica, the Gallagher family’s spunky neighbor with a heart of gold.

The actress lauded her time on set, and confirmed the close bond she’d built with her castmates over the years, calling them her family.

In an intimate confession, Shanola confided to fans that when her character was trying to get pregnant, she was going through the same struggle with Daren, adding: “People thought they wrote the pregnancy in the script because I was pregnant in real life… It was truly one of those art imitating life moments!”.

During the last season, Shanola was also given the opportunity to direct an episode, which she loved. Citing the birth of her son as the inspiration behind her creative journey, the actress confirmed that she wouldn’t rule out directing in the future.

Other achievements of Shanola’s include appearing on the cover of an issue of Sheen magazine in 2019, and winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Actress at the 2013 American Black Film Festival, for “Things Never Said”, undoubtedly the pinnacle of her lengthy career.

Trivia & Net Worth

An avid sports lover, Daren has a YouTube channel with hundreds of subscribers in which he uploads videos about the Dallas Cowboys, his favorite National Football League (NFL) team by far.

It’s believed that Daren and Shanola’s combined net worth is $1.3 million, thanks to their fruitful acting careers and other ventures, with Daren alone being worth $250,000. Shanola’s net worth will likely increase in 2022, thanks to her role in upcoming series “Dangerous Moms”.

Who is Ryan Potter?

Born on 12^th September 1995, in Portland, Oregon, USA, Ryan Potter is a dynamic actor and martial artist of “Supah Ninjas” fame. Known for his charm and charisma, the multi-talented thespian of Japanese descent is 5ft 8in (1.72m) tall and weighs 140lbs (64kgs).

Childhood

Until the age of seven, Ryan was raised in Tokyo, Japan, by his single mother, the Jewish-American former actress Jordanna Potter-Lew. Little is known about when his parents separated or the relationship between Ryan and his father, who has always stayed out of the public eye, although it’s commonly believed that they aren’t on speaking terms.

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At eight years old, Ryan began studying White Tiger kung fu until his teenage years. A sporty and creative child, the future actor also played baseball and the drums, and enjoyed skateboarding. Despite his mother tongue being Japanese, the actor is no longer fluent, and only speaks English.

James Lew, Jordanna’s second husband, is a renowned stuntman and martial artist, who nurtured Ryan’s interest in kung fu, and supported him every step of the way.

Acting Debut

At 15 years old, Ryan received a leaflet in his kung fu class for a Nickelodeon casting, and attended the audition after a few days’ consideration.

The martial-arts themed show, “Supah Ninjas”, was immensely popular, and instantly shot the teenager to stardom almost as soon as he snagged the coveted main role.

The show, which premiered in January 2011, had a simple but effective plotline in which Ryan played Mike Fukanaga, a wholesome American adolescent who discovers he’s descended from an illustrious line of ninjas. Thanks to its success, Nickelodeon confirmed the second season in March 2012.

Putting in hard work to promote the series, Ryan was seen practically everywhere, from red carpets to the covers of teen magazines.

He also appeared in “Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play” and “Figure It Out”, and was seen at the 2011 TeenNick HALO Awards. During his time on “Supah Ninjas”, he developed a close bond with martial arts legend George Takei, who played Ryan’s grandfather in the series, and of whom Ryan has previously stated: “I would say that Asian American representation on camera in the last 60 years has been nothing but harmful, and if it wasn’t for people like George Takei, I don’t think we would have the voice that we do in the industry”.

Other roles include voiceover work in “Big Hero 6”, and a role as Beast Boy in the live-action Titans series produced by Warner Bros in the early 2010s.

Auditioning for the role of Tim Drake, Ryan sent the producers a concept fight scene.

To date, Ryan has been nominated for (jointly) Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film, Breakthrough Voice Actor of the Year, and Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film. Despite naysayers placing an expiry date on the actor’s career, the L.A.-based star has continued to flourish professionally, and is currently doing voiceover work on the animated series “Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous”.

Charity Work

An altruistic young man, Ryan founded “Toy Box of Hope” in 2011, at the peak of his adolescent fame.

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The charity’s good deeds include an annual holiday collection drive which benefits Los Angeles-based children in homeless shelters and transitional living facilities.

In 2012, Ryan explained: “What we want to do is provide bedsheets, jackets and toys to [homeless shelters], so these kids are like, ‘Wow, someone cares, there’s hope’”. He also expanded his charity to include “Birthday Party Box”, a separate program also for children.

In June of the same year, Ryan participated in the “No H8 Campaign”, and voiced his support for same-sex marriage. Just 16 years old at the time, and one of the youngest celebrities to endorse the campaign, he gave a poignant speech, saying: “…As we learn to embrace our diversity, we become stronger, more tolerant. The differences are beautiful. The differences matter. It’s what makes life an adventure”.

The early 2021 “Stop Asian Hate” movement personally affected Ryan, who uploaded a photo on his Instagram and captioned it: “It baffles me that we still have to educate a populace of this planet to love one another”. Previously, the director has also championed “The In-Betweens”, a new charity which aims to inspire unity and curb racism within Asian-American communities.

In the future, The In-Betweens aims to defund the police, demilitarize communities, remove police from schools, repeal certain laws, provide safe housing for all, and invest in programs to help the oppressed.

Personal Life

Following his support of the “No H8 Campaign”, rumors regarding Ryan’s sexuality plagued the actor for years.

The elusive Oregonian has always shied away from discussing his private life and hasn’t given interviews in years; in fact, the few times he’s spoken to the press, Ryan has tried to keep the conversation as professional as possible.

Ryan’s noble moral values mean that over the years, the director and actor has rejected projects which didn’t align with his personal beliefs, something that has possibly hindered his career. In 2016, he said of the DC Universe: “In terms of their inclusion of diversity and branching out in terms of where they find their talent, I think they’ve done a far better job in representing what humanity looks like in today’s world”.

A fan of travelling and photography, Ryan’s Instagram feed is full of artistic snaps in exotic locations around the world. The thespian also finds beauty in the simpler things in life, and enjoys watching movies and spending time with family and loved ones; it’s worth noting that the majority of the star’s friends are anonymous individuals.

Net Worth

As of late 2021, Ryan is reportedly worth a hefty $3 million, which he’s accumulated after years of grueling work in the acting industry. He hasn’t announced any projects for 2022 as of yet, but it’s thought that the actor will continue working with the crew of “Jurassic World”, and perhaps dabble in indie projects.