Gaius Charles

Gaius (born May 2, 1983) is an American actor known for his portrayal of Brian "Smash" Williams in the television drama, "Friday Night Lights". He also played Dr. Shane Ross on the ABC medical drama series "Grey's Anatomy" and a recurring role on the NBC historical-drama series "Aquarius", as Black Panther leader Bunchy Carter.
Early life.
Charles was born on May 2, 1983 in Manhattan, New York. He was raised in New York City and Teaneck, New Jersey. 
Charles graduated from Teaneck High School in 2001. He attended Carnegie Mellon University's College of Fine Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama. He also studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Drew University.
Career.
In 2017, Charles starred in the first season of NBC's television drama series "Taken", based on the "Taken" film franchise. 
He has appeared in multiple television series, including "Friday Night Lights, Grey's Anatomy", and "Aquarius", in which he portrayed Civil Rights Activist and Black Panther Bunchy Carter, and "Necessary Roughness."
Charles made guest appearances on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Blindspot", Comedy Central's "Drunk History", in which he portrayed Muhammad Ali, "NCIS, Pan Am," and "Law & Order: SVU."
His film credits include the independent features "The Stanford Prison Experiment," "Toe To Toe", and "The Messenger". He's also worked on studio films like "Salt", with Angelina Jolie, and "Takers."
In addition to film and television, Charles starred in the Labyrinth Theater Company's production of "Othello", co-produced with the Public Theater, alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz. He received positive reviews for originating the roles of “EZ” in Beau Willimon's play "Lower Ninth" and “Malcolm” in "Broke-ology", directed by Tony Award winner Thomas Kail.