On this day in comedy on July 16, 1965 Daryl “Chill” Mitchell was born in The Bronx, New York.
Mitchell had early hip hop success in the 1980s with Groove B. Chill then moved into acting. He appeared in the films House Party 1 & 2, Galaxy Quest, Sgt. Bilko, 10 Things I Hate About You and others. He TV work included The John Larroquette Show as Dexter Walker and Veronica’s Closet in the part of Leo Michaels.
In 2001, a motorcycle accident in South Carolina left Daryl Mitchell paralyzed from the waist down. As he lay in the hospital it was a close friend who kept his spirits up and discussed with him the possibilities of Mitchell’s new life in a wheelchair. That support, along with industry friends such as Denzel Washington and Chris Tucker convinced Mitchell to resume his career. In 2002 he took on the role of Eli Goggins in the sitcom, Ed. In 2009, Mitchell co-starred in the short-lived sitcom Brothers. He began a recurring role in NCIS: New Orleans in 2014.
The Daryl Mitchell Foundation was founded by him to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries. Mitchell is a Minority Outreach spokesperson for the Christopher Reeve Foundation and is also a strong advocate for employing actors with disabilities.
In 2010 Mitchell won an NAACP Image Award.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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