Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor and former male fashion model with Irene Marie Models, best known for his role as Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless, which he originally played from 1994 to 2002, and as the third permanent host of the long-running Soul Train series, from 1999 to 2003. Currently, he plays FBI Special Agent Derek Morgan on CBS's hit drama, Criminal Minds. Moore was born in Oakland, California, the son of Marilyn Wilson, a business consultant, and Sherrod Moore. Shemar Moore's father is African American and his mother, who was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, is of Irish and French-Canadian descent. As a child, Moore lived in The Netherlands with his mother until he was 10 years old. His mother, who had a degree in mathematics, worked as a teacher in Bahrain and Denmark for several years. Moore lived for a short time in his mother's hometown of Boston when they returned to the U.S. They moved to Chico, California, in the late 1970s, where his mother worked at a clinic, before later moving to Palo Alto, California. Moore is a graduate of Gunn High School in Palo Alto, CA. He matriculated to Santa Clara University, where he majored in Communications. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he modeled to pay his bills. His first language is Dutch, he didn't learn English until he was five or six years old.
Moore played the role of Malcolm Winters on Y&R for eight years. In November 2004, he returned to The Young and the Restless after originally planning to leave the show, but after a few months he dropped back to recurring status and left in September 2005. In 2007, he said, "My time is done on Y&R. I did eight solid years as Malcolm." He was the host of the syndicated version of the series Soul Train from 1999 until 2003, and appeared in the 2000 feature film The Brothers. He also portrayed Detective Jesse Reese on the television series Birds of Prey from 2002 to 2003. Moore played the role of Emery Simms in the 2004 film Motives alongside VivicaFox and Golden Brooks, and had a supporting role in the film Diary of a Mad Black Woman. He has also appeared as the boyfriend of Kelly Rowland's character in the romantic comedy The Seat Filler. Criminal Minds was the seventh pilot Moore was cast in. He has won fans due to his high-profile modeling, often shirtless and in erotic shots. He is signed to DNA Model Management in New York City. In 1994, he was in Toni Braxton's music video, "How Many Ways." Moore appears on March 2009 issue of Men's Fitness magazine.
Moore has dated both Halle Berry and Toni Braxton in the past. His mother has Multiple Sclerosis, commonly known as MS. He and his fellow cast members from Criminal Minds compete in a MS Bike Tour each year to help raise money for research. Moore was arrested in June 2007 on suspicion of DUI. Shemar Moore addresses his nude photographs and alleged homosexuality in People Magazine and In Touch Weekly on July 20, 2007, saying:"Look, I had no problems ... What I have a problem with is their making such an issue out of me being gay. I'll say it right now: I'm not gay. Not even a little bit. I love women. Women are god's greatest creation.
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