Who is Allen Payne?

He’s an actor with nearly 30 acting credits to his name, however, Allen Payne is probably still known best for his role as C. J Payne in Tyler Perry’s sitcom “House of Payne”, which began airing back in 2006. The show had 37 award nominations, winning 20, including the Image Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

How Allen Payne became one of Tyler Perry’s favorite stars and all about his life and career, you’ll find out by reading this article.

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Early life, family, and education

Born Allen Roberts under the zodiac sign of Cancer on 7 July 1968, in Harlem, New York City USA, this 54-year-old actor holds American nationality and his ethnicity is African-American. Allen was raised by his parents, Barbara Reeves and Allen Roberts Senior, and is their eldest son, although he hasn’t shared how many siblings he has.

Allen had an interest in performing from an early age, and while the other boys played football and basketball, he enjoyed dancing. When it comes to his educational background, Allen attended Pennsauken High School, and upon matriculating in 1986, he enrolled in college, and although he hasn’t shared which facility he attended, it’s known that he studied dancing. In the early ‘90s, Allen moved to Los Angeles, California to launch his acting career.

Roles in movies

Allen made his acting debut as Kadim in the 1989 movie “Rooftops”, also starring Jason Gedrick and Troy Byer, and followed with an uncredited role in the movie “Cookie”, also in 1989. Two years later, he was cast to play Gee Money in the action crime-drama “New Jack City”, which was his first lead role, starring opposite Ice-T and Wesley Snipes, and the movie won numerous accolades and awards, including a nomination for the Image Award-Outstanding Motion Picture.

Allen was next seen as Euripides in another action movie hit, “CB4” in 1993, followed by his role as Jason Alexander in the 1994 romantic crime-drama “Jason’s Lyric”, playing the lead role opposite Jada Pinkett Smith and Bokeem Woodbine. The movie followed the story of two brothers who choose different paths in their lives, but reconnect when they least expect it.

In the following year, Allen portrayed Cole Evans in “The Walking Dead”, and later in 1995, he was seen in the TV movie “The Tuskegee Airmen”, followed by his role in “Vampire in Brooklyn”, also starring Eddie Murphy.

Allen was next cast to play Ramon Garcia in the 1998 romantic drama “A Price Above Rubies”, which had two award nominations, and was well-rated by the audience, who said that this movie ‘offers an intense experience for the viewer’.

The early 2000s saw Allen in “The Perfect Storm” (2000), “30 Years to Life” (2001), and “Blue Hill Avenue” also in 2001, which brought him a nomination for the Black Reel Award for Theatrical- Best Independent Actor. He played the lead role of Tristan, a boy from a middle-class family with moral values who gets involved with crime and corruption.

Allen was next seen in “Crossover” (2006) and “Playas Ball” (2007) while his most recent movie role was his portrayal of Leon Watkins in the TV drama “The Fight That Never Ends” in 2021.

He’s announced his upcoming movie entitled “Outlaw Posse”, which is currently in development.

Roles in series

Allen made his first television series appearance as Lance Rodman in the series “The Cosby Show” in 1990. Until 1992, he had a recurring role playing this energetic teenager with an incredible smile, which became Allen’s trademark. He was seen in just 10 episodes of the show, but he certainly left the mark.

In the following years, Allen guest-starred in “Roc” (1993), “Malcolm & Eddie” (1996), and “All of Us” (2004).

From 2006 through 2023, Allen played his most significant role as C. J. Payne in “House of Payne”, appearing in 261 episodes of this comedy-drama, which follows the story of a multi-generational family living together in one house. His co-stars are Cassi Davis and LaVan Davis, and the show created by Tyler Perry brought Allen international recognition.

Allen’s character, C.J. is a firefighter, he’s married to Janine and they have four children, Jazmine, Malik, and the twins Jayden and Hayden. C. J. is one of the favorite stars of the show, and most people say that this is because of the way how Allen brought this character to life.

Love life and relationships

Like many actors who are secretive about their personal matters, Allen also has been the subject of various rumors about his sexual orientation and his love life. Allen has no social media accounts, except Twitter, although he’s tweeted just once. There is an Instagram account run by his fans, so it’s hard to find more info about his private life.

He was romantically linked to Demetria McKinney, his co-star from “House of Payne”, who plays his on-screen wife Janine, however, the truth is that Demetria is engaged to Roger M. Bobb, her long-term boyfriend.

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Some reports said that Allen was in a relationship with Brandy Norwood, an American singer, model and actress, perhaps known best for her role in the series “Moesha”, however, neither Allen nor Brandy commented about their alleged romance.

There have been rumors that Allen is gay, and some tabloids published photos featuring Allen and an unnamed man, which backed the rumors, but Allen hasn’t commented on them.

As of April 2023, it appears that Allen is single, there’s no record of his dating history, and it’s assumed that he hasn’t been married or engaged, and doesn’t have children.

Net worth

Starring in several hit movies and making appearances in popular TV series, Allen has accumulated decent wealth. However, it’s believed that most of the income he’s earned is thanks to his role as C.J. Payne in “House of Payne”. According to sources, as of early 2023, Allen has a net worth estimated at over $5 million.

Who is Apryl Jones?

An actress who rose to fame appearing in the reality TV show “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood”, Apryl Jones was seen in 48 episodes of the series from 2014 through 2019. However, she again came into the spotlight because of her relationship with Taye Diggs, a famed actor, perhaps known best for his role as Billy Baker in the series “All American”.

The two were often in the headlines because of their turbulent romance, and if you want to know more about their love story, as well as about Apryl Jones, keep on scrolling.

Early life, family, and education

Born Apryl Shantell Jones under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius on 15 December 1986, she hails from Chicago, Illinois USA, holds American nationality, and her ethnicity is of mixed African-American, Taiwanese and Chinese descent. According to records, her mother’s name is Mei Hsiang Jones, while her father’s name hasn’t been revealed, but it’s known that he’s a businessman – Apryl is their only child.

Not much is known about Apryl’s childhood, except that she had an interest in music from an early age. When it comes to her educational background, Apryl attended a local high school, and upon matriculating in 2004, enrolled at Butler University, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Science (Biology), in 2008.

Apryl worked at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, before she moved to Los Angeles, California US, to launch her music career.

Rise to prominence

In 2014, Apryl joined the cast of the reality show “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood”, as the aspiring musician and the girlfriend of the singer, Omarion, whose full name is Omari Ishmael Grandberry. The show chronicled Apryl’s pregnancy with their son, named Megaa Omari Grandberry, who was born in 2014, and two years later, Apryl gave birth to their daughter, A’mei Kazuko Grandberry. A few months after the birth of their daughter, Apryl and Omarion separated; all these events were covered in the aforementioned show.

When Apryl returned to the show’s sixth season, viewers could follow her and Omarion’s custody battle. However, the subject of speculation was Apryl’s relationship with Lil’ Fizz, an American rapper. During the sixth season, the two admitted that they were romantically involved.

After leaving “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood”, Apryl launched her acting career, debuting as Mona in the 2019 TV mini-series “You Hittin Dat”. Later that year, Apryl made her big-screen debut as Nikki in the comedy “I Got the Hook Up 2”, followed by her role as Sugar Puss in the movie “Angel”, also in 2019.

In the following year, Apryl was cast to play Sharice in the TV series “Casting the Net”, in which she starred opposite Linara Washington and Siena Goines. The show followed the story of three talented actresses, who struggle to catch their big breakthrough role.

Most recently, Apryl was seen as Mona in the 2022 movie “You Married Dat”, and made an appearance playing Champagne in two episodes of the series “The Oval”, also in 2022.

Relationship with Taye Diggs-the ups and downs

According to them, Apryl and Taye met via Instagram. They publicized their relationship in 2022, Taye admitting that he was the one who sent the first message. He thought that Apryl was funny, after seeing her lip-sync video, and despite being afraid that he was out of her league, he sent the message.

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The two often share their intimate moments on their social media accounts, and what most people comment on about their relationship is the age gap – Taye is 51 years old, while Apryl is 35. Apryl stated that they didn’t touch each other for months, not even a kiss, since they wanted to nurture a friendship, and get to know each other better before they start a relationship.

Although there have been some rumors saying that the two broke up, Taye denied these assumptions, and revealed that they are working on a movie together.

As of April 2023, the two seemingly enjoy their love story, and now the rumors are saying that soon might be heard the sound of wedding bells.

Briefly about Taye Diggs

Born Scott Leo Berry under the zodiac sign of Capricorn on 2 January 1971, Taye hails from Newark, New Jersey USA, and holds American nationality. He’s the son of a visual artist, Andre Young, and his ex-wife Marcia Berry, who was a teacher and former actress. The two divorced, Marcia remarried Jeffries Diggs, and Taye took his surname. Taye is the eldest, and has four siblings, namely Michael, Gabriel, Shalom and Christian.

When it comes to his educational background, he attended Allendale Columbia School and School of the Arts. Upon matriculating in 1989, he enrolled at Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts, from which he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts (Musical Theatre), in 1993.

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Taye launched his acting career on the stage, playing on Broadway, and is today a renowned actor, with nearly 70 acting credits to his name, 21 award nominations, and seven wins. He made his first television appearance as Stephon in an episode of the series “New York Undercover” in 1996, while Taye’s first movie role came in 1998, when he played Winston Shakespeare in the drama “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”.

Some of Taye’s notable roles have been in the series “Kevin Hill” (2004-2005), “Day Break” (2006-2007), “Private Practice” (2007-2013), and “Murder in the First” (2014-2016). However, to date, his most notable role is his portrayal of Billy Baker in the series “All American”.

Speaking of his personal life, Taye was married to actress Idina Menzel, with whom he has a son named Nathaniel Diggs, born on 3 September 2009. Taye and Idina were in marriage from January 2003 to December 2014. Taye then dated Amanza Smith, from 2014 through 2018, and was also romantically linked to one of the most famous American actresses, Angelina Jolie, as well as Kate Walsh and Sanaa Lathan.

As mentioned, in 2022, Taye began his relationship with Apryl Jones, and the two are now the most popular couple online since they love to share their story with their followers.

Who is Bill Skarsgård?

If you like supernatural horror movies, you’ve probably seen “It” (2017) and “It Chapter Two” (2019), and if you’ve ever wondered who became Hollywood’s most terrible villain whose smile is blood-curdling, let us introduce you to Bill Skarsgård. Bill received multiple prizes and acclaim for his work as the main antagonist of the mentioned movies, playing It also known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

He has nearly 40 acting credits on his record, but the aforementioned role was his breakout performance. Stay tuned to find out more about this young actor, his professional origins, and what he’s up to.

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Early life, family, and education

Born Bill Istvan Gunther Skarsgård under the zodiac sign of Leo on 9 August 1990, in Vällingby, Sweden, Bill holds Swedish nationality. He comes from a family of actors – Stellan Skarsgård, his father, and Bill’s brothers, Valter, Alexander and Gustaf, are also performers. Their mother, My, is a doctor, and their two other siblings, Eija and Sam, have chosen various careers.

Stellan, their father, remarried Megan Everett, with whom he had two children, Kolbjorn and Ossian, who prefer to live their lives away from the spotlight.

Bill had an interest in acting from an early age, and as a child, he would go into his room, get dressed, and come out as a different character – his parents had to call him by his character’s name, or he would get upset.

When it comes to his educational background, he attended a local high school, and upon matriculating in 2008, he didn’t go to college but pursued his acting career.

Roles in movies

Bill made his acting debut as Klasse in the 2000 movie “Järngänget”, a thriller in which his brother, Alexander starred. Seven years later, Bill was seen as Victor in the short drama “Myskväll”, which was nominated for the Berlin International Film Festival Award for Best European Short Film. He followed with his role as Unge Herr Svenzon in another short movie “Pigan Brinner!” in 2008.

Later that year, Bill co-starred with his father, Stellan, in the action drama “Arn: The Kingdom at the End of the Road”, then in the following year, Bill landed the lead role in the fantasy comedy “Kenny Begins”, the story of a hopeless student at the Hero Academy, which was poorly rated by the audience.

Bill’s first notable role came in 2010, when he was cast to play Simon in the romantic comedy-drama “I Rymden Finns Inga Känslor” (“In Space There are No Feelings” in English), which brought Bill a nomination for the Guldbagge Award for Best Actor and the Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in an International Feature Film – Leading Young Performer.

— Bill as Martin in "Behind Blue Skies", 2010. pic.twitter.com/JuiHTxB4Zf

— Bill Skarsgård Italy (@SkarsgardItaly) September 4, 2017

Also in 2010, Bill starred as Martin in the drama “Behind Blue Skies”, followed by his roles in “The Crown Jewels” and “Siomn Och Ekarna” in 2011, before he made his Hollywood debut as Makhotin in the 2012 Oscar-awarded romantic drama “Anna Karenina”, co-starring with Keira Knightley and Jude Law in this love story based on the novel of the same title by Lev Tolstoy. The movie had 53 award nominations and won 33, including the Oscar for Best Achievement in Costume Design.

Next, Bill was seen as Otto in the 2013 Norwegian movie “Victoria”, in which he starred opposite Iben Akerlie and Jakob Oftebro, followed by his role as Matthew in the 2016 action adventure “Allegiant”, which was his return to Hollywood.

Bill was next cast to play Merkel in the 2017 action thriller “Atomic Blonde”, starring Charlize Theron and James McAvoy, which had 18 award nominations and won 10. Later that year, Bill was seen playing his most significant role to date, as Pennywise in the horror “It”. The movie, also starring Finn Wolfhard and Jaeden Martell, had 47 award nominations, winning 10, including Bill’s iHorror Award for Best Actor, the Fright Meter Award, and The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) Star-Meter Award- Fan Favorite.

He was also nominated for the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the MTV Movie + TV Award- Best Villain.

This role opened many doors for Bill, and later that year, he was cast to star as Henry in the romantic drama “Battlecreek”, the story of a loner and night owl, who has a rare skin illness and has spent his entire life under the strict supervision of his frustrated mother. A young lady’s car breaks down one night, and Henry’s life is permanently changed. The movie won the City of Angels Women’s Film Festival Award for Most Inspirational Feature Film.

In 2018, Bill was seen as Mark in “Assassination Nation” and as Zeitgeist in “Deadpool 2”, before he reprised his role as Pennywise in the 2019 movie “It Chapter Two”, which brought him the BAM Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Bill said that playing Pennywise was by far the most mentally and physically draining role, which caused him nightmares after the filming finished. He added that he had very vivid and strange Pennywise dreams. He shared that he came to the audition dressed as a clown with make-up to show his commitment, and almost immediately transformed into Pennywise. Bill said that he sees his connection to Pennywise as a toxic relationship, and stated that he won’t be seen as this character in the announced series “Welcome to Derry”, a prequel to “It”.

After his role in “It Chapter Two”, Bill was seen as Kane in the 2020 movie “Nine Days”, followed by his roles in “The Devil All the Time” (2020), “Naked Singularity” and “Eternals” both in 2021, and “Burn All My Letters” in 2022.

Most recently, he played Marquis in the popular action movie “John Wick: Chapter 4” in 2023. His fans will be happy to hear that he will be seen in four new projects, entitled “Nosferatu”, “Emperor”, “Boy Kills World”, and “The Crow”, all currently in development.

Roles in series

Bill made his first television appearance as Tony in the 2002 mini-series “Pappa Polis”, followed by his role as Marten in an episode of the Sweden series “Livet and Fagervik” in 2009. In the following year, Bill was seen as Erik in the TV mini-series “Arn”, however, the role that brought him international recognition was his portrayal of Roman Godfrey in the series “Hemlock Grove” – from 2013 through 2015, Bill was seen in 33 episodes of this fantasy horror-drama, starring opposite Lande Liboiron and Famke Janssen. The series was nominated for two Primetime Emmys.

Bill was next cast to play The Kid in the series “Castle Rock”, and during 2018 and 2019 he was seen in 12 episodes of this fantasy horror series. based on the stories written by Stephen King, which had 20 award nominations.

Most recently, television viewers saw Bill as Mateo in an episode of the 2020 series “Soulmates”, followed by his lead role as Clark Olofsson in the 2022 series “Clark”, which followed the story of Sweden’s most notorious mobster, Clark Olofsson, whose horrific crimes inspired the phrase ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. Although the series had no nominations, it was well-rated by the audience (7.4/10).

Love life and relationships

Bill is quite secretive when it comes to his personal matters and hasn’t spoken about his previous relationships before he met his now-partner Alida Morberg – she’s also Swedish and an actress. The two haven’t shared how and when they met or when they started their relationships, but according to sources, they’ve been a couple for at least a few years now.

They became parents in 2018, when Alida gave birth to their daughter, whose name hasn’t been disclosed, so as of April 2023, Bill is in a relationship and has one child.

Age, height, and net worth

Bill’s age is 32, known for his muscular build, and if you’re wondering how tall he is, he stands at 6ft 3ins (1.92m) and weighs roughly 185lbs (85kgs).

In terms of prosperity, he’s amassed a sizable fortune from his acting profession. According to sources as of early 2023, Bill’s net worth has been estimated at over $5 million.