Khary Payton is kind of like the everyman that can do so many things and yet seems so down to earth most of the time. He’s been instrumental in a lot of different ways in the projects he’s done and the things he’s accomplished and yet he’s not always as prominent on the radar as you might think is warranted. It could be that he wants it this way and doesn’t seek out the attention that other people might want or it could be that since he does so many voice roles that he’s not thought of as a live action person all that much. But what he has done has been so well-received that it would hard to accept that he’s not being selected more often for roles that might benefit from his type of flair and honesty.
Here are a few things you might not have known about him.
10. He plays King Ezekiel on The Walking Dead.
Not everyone is a fan of The Walking Dead so it feels safe to put this in there. Of course those of you that are fans of the show might be rolling your eyes and saying “I knew this” but hey, these lists are to benefit those that might want to learn more about a person too. Plus, the King didn’t come into the show until the later seasons and even then his kingly role only lasted so long before a serious reality check had force him to really look at what he was doing.
9. He’s had a lot of voice acting roles.
This is an understatement. All you’ve got to do is look at his resume and you’ll see that this guy has thrived on voice acting roles the same way that some actors thrive on live action and being front and center.
8. He played the part of cyborg on Teen Titans, the cartoon.
Cyborg is really one of the more animated members of the Teen Titans on this show and is also one of the funniest. He and Beast Boy, BFF’s for life, are constantly acting as the comic relief for the show so as to offset the character of Robin.
7. He used to have a part on General Hospital.
For a while he starred as Dr. Terrell Jackson on General Hospital. This kind of setting seems like it would have gelled well with Payton’s style of acting since he does have a flair for the type of melodramatic style that soap operas tend to utilize so often.
6. His career started in 2000.
You might like to think he’s been around longer than this but the truth is that 18 years in the business is a long time. He’s been hard at work that entire time as well. As one of the more prominent voice actors he’s been doing his best to cement a legacy of sorts.
5. His filmography is very extensive.
Just reading it is going to take a while if you try since there are so many roles that he’s accomplished in his career. It would almost seem as though the guy hasn’t taken a break in quite a while. But he’s amassed a very big list of roles that he’s been absolutely great at.
4. He’s pretty big on social media.
He has well over 200 thousand followers and you can easily imagine that a lot of them are fans of The Walking Dead since his inclusion into the show has made him a sudden success, even more so than he already was. If nothing else the role of King Ezekiel has made his popularity skyrocket in a way that he might not have anticipated.
3. He plays the character of Wasabi on Big Hero 6, the show.
The original actor for Wasabi in the movie was Damon Wayans Jr. but for the show Khary took over as film actors don’t tend to come over to TV all that often for minor parts. Wasabi is an integral part of the team but he’s not quite big enough as his own character to be honest. It’s not to say that Khary isn’t a big star, but more or less to say that he’s such a big hit as a voice actor that he was selected to take the role and run with it.
2. He’s in his forties.
He doesn’t look like a young man but he’s definitely not an old-timer just yet. Khary’s still got a lot of good years left to him and is making the most of the career that he’s got as he goes along. Hopefully we’ll be seeing him for a while to come.
1. He’s an average-sized man.
He’s not a small man but he’s not exactly imposing either. Yet his character on The Walking Dead is that of a man that at least tries to stand a bit taller with his words and deeds rather than his stature.
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