Demetrius Grosse

Demetrius Grosse is an American actor born on February 26, 1981, in Washington, D.C. He is widely recognized for playing Rock in the biographical film Straight Outta Compton, Deputy Emmett Yawners in the television series Banshee, Errol Butler in the drama Justified, and Baron Samedi in the series Heroes. He was also cast as Eric Williams in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Wonder Man for Disney+.

Growing up in Washington, D.C., Grosse began performing as a child in stage shows at the Summer Musical Theater Workshop, developing skills as an actor, singer, and dancer. He attended Gonzaga College High School before studying at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, where he was awarded the Andrew Carnegie Undergraduate Grant. In 2002, he completed a two-semester visiting program at the Howard University College of Fine Arts. Early in his career, he also worked cutting hair at the Legends barber shop in Los Angeles.

Grosse made his screen debut in 2005 on the series Numbers. Over the following years, he built a screen career across a range of genres. His feature film credits include Hollywood and The Inheritance in 2011, Saving Mr. Banks and This Is Martin Bonner in 2013, Straight Outta Compton in 2015, and Michael Bay's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi in 2016.

In television, Grosse secured several recurring and main roles. He starred as Deputy Emmett Yawners as a main cast member during the first two seasons of Banshee. On Justified, he played Errol Butler, who serves as Ellstin Limehouse's right-hand man in Noble's Holler. He also portrayed Baron Samedi on Heroes and Detective Kevin Wolfe as a recurring guest on the drama series The Rookie.

His additional television appearances include roles on ER, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Bones, Dexter, CSI: Miami, Frontier, and Westworld, a series based on the 1973 film of the same name. In addition to acting, Grosse has producing credits on the projects A Quiet Fire in 2009, Last Cry for Katrina in 2013, and Moonshiners.

In 2019, Grosse was involved in a workplace investigation following claims made by actress Afton Williamson regarding her experience on The Rookie. Williamson alleged that she faced racial discrimination and harassment involving Grosse and another crew member. All accused parties denied the claims. An inquiry conducted by the law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp alongside EXTTI reviewed video evidence and carried out nearly 400 hours of interviews. Published on September 17, 2019, the findings stated that the claims lacked merit and could not be proven. Williamson maintained her assertions following the inquiry, and Grosse did not return to the show.