Dijon Talton

Dijon Talton
Talton in 2009
Born (1989-09-17) September 17, 1989 (age 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
RelativesLa'Myia Good (cousin)
Meagan Good (cousin)

Dijon Hendra Talton (born September 17, 1989) is an American producer, actor, singer and director. He won several awards as part of the cast of Glee, and has since continued to play small roles on television and film, as well as producing through his company The Talton Company. In his projects, he typically works with his cousin Meagan Good.

Early and personal life

Dijon Hendra Talton was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 17, 1989,[1] to Len and Gina Talton. He has said that his older cousin Meagan Good is his "best friend" and was "like a second mother growing up".[2]

In 2016, he was part of the Artistic Alliance for Justice campaign video encouraging black people to vote in the 2016 United States presidential election.[3]

His partner, NYC club promoter Frank Watson, died in 2022.[4]

Career

After playing the young fisherman who catches Tyra Banks in a McDonald's commercial in 1996, Talton had his first acting role in 1998, portraying the kid in L.A. Without a Map.[5][6] In 2009, Talton played Matt Rutherford, a member of the glee club in the first season of Glee.[7] He described his character as a fun person who always wanted to join the glee club but, as a member of the football team, felt this was unacceptable until quarterback Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) did.[8] He was a dancer on the show but never sang a solo on screen.[9] As part of the main ensemble cast, he received a Screen Actors Guild Award[10] and Peabody Award.[11] He also toured with the cast in 2010.[12] His next appearances on the show were in its final two episodes in 2015.[13][14][15]

After Glee, Talton starred as Raven in I Will Follow, directed by Ava DuVernay, with Omari Hardwick, which was released in 2011.[16][17] He released his debut music single "Wild Out" in 2012, with a music video directed by Meagan Good and starring Logan Browning,[2][18] and "Shorty She Bad" with Jay Blaze in 2014.[19] The "Shorty She Bad" music video premiered on Vibe before receiving airtime on MTV VOD.[20] Talton starred as Kendall, a gay black man, in the Lena Waithe-produced television pilot Bros, which was picked up for development by HBO in 2014.[21][22]

He took a supporting role, starring alongside Hardwick and Good in the 2018 Sundance Film Festival-premiered A Boy. A Girl. A Dream..[23][24] Talton then played Diggy in the 2018 movie Never Heard[25][26] and Nate in 2021's Take Out Girl.[27][28] He was also a producer of Take Out Girl, which was in competition for the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2020 American Black Film Festival.[29] In July 2020, Talton launched a talk show, Cousins, with Meagan and La'Myia Good.[30][31]

He started a production company, The Talton Company, as he wanted to see stories of black and brown people that are not stereotypical and that are more diverse.[32] For the company, he is executive producer and director of the 2022 Allblk show À la carte with Meagan Good.[33][34] The pilot episode was originally screened in 2019. The show is Talton's directorial debut, and he has said that "[he] wanted to direct Á La Carte because it's a good story. It's a story about human beings and how we're all flawed but still nuanced, graceful, and beautiful in the midst of it".[35]

References

  1. ^ a b "Dijon Talton". TVGuide. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Meagan Good Spills Tea on New Shows, Marriage and Dijon Talton!. C Nikky. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Meagan Good, Russell Simmons, Keisha Epps, Tisha Campbell Martin And More Urge Black Voters To Hit The Polls". Essence. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  4. ^ "Dijon Talton on Instagram: "Gone too soon. But never forgotten my King..."". Instagram.
  5. ^ "LA without a Map (1998)". Sight & Sound. BFI. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Cute Catch". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. September 30, 1996. p. 36. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  7. ^ Martin, Denise (September 8, 2010). "Seen and Heard at the Glee Premiere: A Surprise Boob Job and Finn's Rocky Horror Mankini". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  8. ^ Steinberg, Lisa (December 2009). "Dijon Talton". Starry Constellation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  9. ^ Bentley, Jean. "'Glee' Season Two Had Better Answer Some Questions". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "Glee". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "Glee". The Peabody Awards. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "Glee cast to make Toronto debut". CBC News. June 10, 2011. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  13. ^ Swift, Andy (February 21, 2015). "Glee Cast Says Goodbye: Photos from Their Final Days of Filming". TVLine. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  14. ^ Paris Barclay (director), Ryan Murphy (writer), Brad Falchuk (writer), Ian Brennan (writer) (March 20, 2015). "2009". Glee. Season 6. Episode 12. Fox.
  15. ^ Bradley Buecker (director), Ryan Murphy (writer), Brad Falchuk (writer), Ian Brennan (writer) (March 20, 2015). "Dreams Come True". Glee. Season 6. Episode 13. Fox.
  16. ^ "I Will Follow: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. March 10, 2011. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Ebert, Roger (December 6, 2011). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2012. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 298–299. ISBN 978-1-4494-0813-8. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  18. ^ "Meagan Good-Franklin 's Directorial Debut for Dijon Talton's New Music Video "Wild Out" - RnB". RnB magazine. September 2, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  19. ^ "Glee's Dijon Talton Joins Jay Blaze For New Single, "Shorty She Bad"". PopWrapped. July 21, 2014. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "New Video Alert: Jay Blaze "Shorty She Bad"". HipHopEnquirer. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  21. ^ "HBO Orders Family Dramedy About a Gay Black Man". Out. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 3, 2014). "HBO Developing 'Bros' Black Brothers Comedy From 'Red Tails' Director & 'Dear White People' Producer". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  23. ^ Hipes, Patrick (January 12, 2018). "'A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.' Sundance Clip: Omari Hardwick, Meagan Good & Election Night 2016". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  24. ^ Kay, Jeremy. "Samuel Goldwyn Films picks up 'A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.'". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  25. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (November 8, 2018). "Robin Givens Set For ABC Legal Drama 'The Fix' In Major Recurring Role". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  26. ^ "Clifton Davis hosts Brian White and Dijon Talton from Los Angeles, CA". TBN. October 31, 2018. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  27. ^ Powell, Jeanne (November 2, 2020). "'Take Out Girl' Film Review: Hedy Wong literally lights up the screen". Stark Insider. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  28. ^ "Hedy Wong & Hisonni Johnson Talk New Film 'TAKE OUT GIRL'". blackfilm. May 17, 2021. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  29. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 23, 2020). "American Black Film Festival Sets 'Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn', 'Farewell' And More For Virtual Edition". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  30. ^ "Exclusive: Meagan Good & Cast Of 'Cousins' Spill On New Talkshow". That Grape Juice. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  31. ^ Drew Discovers Meagan Good and Her Cousin Dijon Are in Her Favorite Dance Class. The Drew Barrymore Show. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ "ALLBLK RELEASES TRAILER FOR À LA CARTE – TVMEG.COM". Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  33. ^ White, Peter (November 8, 2021). "Millenial Dramedy 'À La Carte' From Breanna Hogan, Dijon Talton & Meagan Good Gets AllBlk Series Order". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  34. ^ "ALLBLK Releases Trailer For New Millennial Dating Dramedy, 'À La Carte'". blackfilm. April 21, 2022. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  35. ^ "Fresh, Young, Black Comedy Series Premieres in Hollywood". Los Angeles Sentinel. June 13, 2019. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.