Omar Benson Miller

Birth Date:

October 7, 1978

Birth Name:

Omar Benson Miller

Birth Place:

Anaheim, California, USA

Nick Name:

Unconfirmed

Film Debut:

Sorority Boys 2002

Breakthrough Film:

8 Mile 2002

Biography

Omar Benson Miller is an American actor, producer, writer, and director who has built a career across film and television. He was born on October 7, 1978, in Anaheim, California, and was raised in Southern California. His birth name is Omar Benson Miller, and “Omar Benson” is also sometimes used as an alternative professional name. There is no widely documented official nickname for him, although he has sometimes been described in the media as a “gentle giant” because of his impressive 6-foot-6-inch height. Miller attended San Jose State University, where he studied Radio, Television, Film and Theatre Arts and also took African-American Studies. His interest in acting developed while he was in college, after professors encouraged him to pursue the profession and helped connect him with an agent.

Miller made his film debut in Sorority Boys (2002), a comedy in which he was credited as Big Johnson. He also appeared in television productions, including an episode of The West Wing, before landing the role that significantly changed his career. In 2002, Miller was cast as Sol George, a friend of Eminem’s character, Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith Jr., in the film 8 Mile. Released in 2002, the movie became a major success and introduced Miller to a much wider audience. Miller himself has described 8 Mile as his “big break,” explaining that after the movie became successful, his acting career began moving forward steadily.

Following 8 Mile, Miller continued appearing in movies such as Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Shall We Dance?, Transformers, The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, and Miracle at St. Anna. His performance as Private First Class Sam Train in Miracle at St. Anna became one of his notable film roles. On television, he gained recognition as Walter Simmons on CSI: Miami from 2009 to 2012 and later played Charles Greane on HBO’s Ballers from 2015 to 2019. He also voiced Raphael in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and appeared in The Unicorn and True Lies. More recently, Miller appeared as Cornbread in the 2025 film Sinners.

Movie Portfolio