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Mehcad Brooks as Det. Jalen Shaw in season 24 of Law and Order © Getty

Law and Order star Mehcad Brooks has a famous father

The actor is known and loved for playing Jalen Shaw

Megan Bull
TV Writer
January 30, 2025
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Mehcad Brooks has made his mark as detective Jalen Shaw in the Law and Order universe. A rising star, the 44-year-old is busier than ever, having entered the post-production phase on Mortal Kombat 2 and the third season of And Just Like That…

Nowadays, it's hard to imagine Mehcad as anything other than a performer, but at one point, he had completely different ambitions. The son of former NFL player and Cincinnati Bengal Billy Brooks, Mehcad inherited his father's love of sport. 

Mehcad Brooks is the son of former NFL player and Cincinnati Bengal Billy Brooks
Mehcad Brooks is the son of former NFL player and Cincinnati Bengal Billy Brooks

Extremely private when it comes to his relationship with his dad, it's unclear if Mehcad is on good terms with Billy, 71. However, he has spoken widely about his mother – Austin American-Statesman writer, Alberta Phillips – and attorney stepfather, Gary Bledsoe. According to Mehcad, it was his beloved mom who helped him decide on a career in the arts.

During his teen years, the fledgling star had played for the varsity basketball team at Anderson High School, and by the time he was 15, Mehcad was attending top-tier camps. It wasn't until Alberta enrolled the teen and his brother, Billy, into civil pioneer, Ada Anderson's Leadership Enrichment Arts Program, that he discovered his true passion. 

Mehcad Brooks as Detective Jalen Shaw
© NBC
Mehcad as Detective Jalen Shaw

After learning about opera, musical theater, writing and performing, Mehcad became obsessed with acting. "I realized that one of the reasons I liked sports was because when the ball is in your hands, all eyes are on you," he told the Austin American-Statesman.

"I got that same sensation by being on stage. I absolutely loved it," he continued. "I loved that you were able to affect people through communication, and able to affect people through intellect, and able to affect people through your intuition, rather than your physical prowess."

After landing roles in professional theatre during his teen years, Mehcad studied film at the University of Southern California, turning down basketball scholarships and offers from Ivy League schools to do so. 

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Following his graduation, Mehcad scored early gigs in episodes of Desperate Housewives, Ghost Whisperer and True Blood. There's no doubt about it, the TV star is extremely grateful to his mom for introducing him to the arts, and he also has a lot of love for his stepfather, who has been the President of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1991. 

Opening up about his home life with Alberta and Gary, Mehcad said: "Dinner at our house was like being on the Senate floor. Social justice, politics, human rights: It was all on the table. "You had to cite your sources, too. … It was like watching the clash of the intellectual titans." 

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