Description:
Versatile actor, Valence Thomas was born and raised an only child by a Caribbean mother in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. While summer interning at the front desk of a brokerage firm in Baltimore, Maryland, he was approached and asked to take on a small role as a football player in the feature film, "The Replacements." On the football field, it was then and there that he was bit by the acting bug and has been unable to shake it off ever since.After graduating from college in 2001, Valence returned home to New York City and worked as a consultant for a couple of years until the company downsized and he was out of work
Versatile actor, Valence Thomas was born and raised an only child by a Caribbean mother in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. While summer interning at the front desk of a brokerage firm in Baltimore, Maryland, he was approached and asked to take on a small role as a football player in the feature film, "The Replacements." On the football field, it was then and there that he was bit by the acting bug and has been unable to shake it off ever since.After graduating from college in 2001, Valence returned home to New York City and worked as a consultant for a couple of years until the company downsized and he was out of work. Still with a burning desire to pursue acting, he went head on and landed his first theater role as Othello at New York University in Shakespeare's "Othello" (2004). This standout performance enabled Valence to jump start his career, which lead to his first musical, "Zephyr's Pond", at Alvin Ailey (2005). Valence went on to work on the independent film, "Premium" (2006) and was also featured in numerous TV commercials and modeling campaign jobs (2005-2008); all while studying acting.Valence often portrays real people and is destined to become a house-hold name. In "Cadillac Records" (2008), written and directed by Darnell Martin, Valence portrayed the legendary blues harmonica player James Cotton, a high-energy 1970s bandleader who was Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) harp ace. Valence next landed the role of 50 Grand, Biggie Smalls' first DJ in "Notorious" (2009), directed by George Tillman.Following the advice of Denzel Washington, Valence returned to the theater. In Richard Etchison's "Force Majeure" (2008), he played an African émigré who escaped the genocide and fought as a boy soldier and was singled out for his raw, authentic and emotional performance.Valence next gave a dynamic dual performance in the play "Black Metropolis" (2009) based on an area in Tulsa, Oklahoma known as Black Wall St. He played Bubba Wilson, a strong willed street hustler who protected the people of the Greenville community. And also Kevin, the overly-sensitive grandson of Bubba Wilson who expressed his outlook on Black Wall St., which became a target for one of the worst race riots that history has recorded in America.In 2008, Valence formed Strong Arm Productions with a mission to create films that inspire people to consider the significant social issues of our time. With the confidence he exudes, his education and boundless enthusiasm for the art of acting, Valence is intrigued by the endless possibilities to come.
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