Algee Smith bio, age, height, girlfriend, family, career path 2025

The Biography of Algee Smith

Algee Smith is a talented American actor and singer who broke through in 2017 with his portrayal of Ralph Tresvant in the miniseries "The New Edition Story." His standout credits include "Army Wives," "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Detroit," "Euphoria," and "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams." Known for taking on roles that tackle police misconduct, Smith uses his platform to highlight ongoing racial discrimination in America.

Childhood

Algee Smith was born in Saginaw, Michigan, on November 7th, 1994. Though he shares a last name with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, there's no family connection—but creativity definitely runs in his family. His father, Algee Smith III, is a musician, while his mother, Tanesha, is a designer.

At the age of eight, Smith's family relocated to Atlanta. From early childhood, he began writing rap music. Seeing their son's musical gifts, his father encouraged his talent while his mother took care of the business side of his artistic career.

While Algee keeps his personal life private, sources suggest Tanesha later divorced and married music producer John Aley, who became a positive presence in Algee's life. In a 2018 interview with Wonderland magazine, Algee stated, "Without my parents, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Cinema and Music

After recording his first rap track at nine, Smith landed his TV acting debut in 2012 as Spencer on Nickelodeon's "How to Rock."

Following his role in "How to Rock," Algee appeared in Disney's musical film "Let It Shine." This led to roles in various projects, including the drama "Army Wives" (2012), the sci-fi mockumentary "Earth to Echo" (2014), and the thriller "Complications" (2015).

Algee Smith at the preimer of Let It Shine

In 2016, the talented young man starred in the drama "Saints & Sinners," the comedy "Here We Go Again," and the film "The Infamous."

While building his film career, Algee never stopped making music. In June 2017, he released the hip-hop and R&B EP "Listen" and starred as lead vocalist Ralph Tresvant from New Edition in Chris Robinson's miniseries "The New Edition Story," which helped establish him as a recording artist.

That same year, he recorded the song "Grow" for the soundtrack of Kathryn Bigelow's film "Detroit," in which he portrayed a character named Larry Reed. Reed was a real person who witnessed the tragic 1967 events at a Detroit hotel where police officers fatally shot several African Americans.

Algee Smith & Larry Reed – Grow

Making the film and hearing Bigelow's storytelling deeply impacted Algee, inspiring him to use his work for social change, as he told Vanity Fair. After wrapping the film, Algee met the real Larry Reed, who survived the tragedy and became a church choir director. Reed told Smith he was happy to have Algee portray him.

In 2018, Smith continued exploring racial injustice themes, playing Khalil, a young man killed by police, in George Tillman Jr.'s crime drama "The Hate U Give." In a conversation with Wonderland magazine, Algee said:

I felt a responsibility because it needed to be played right for the families who have actually gone through these things, for the people who had to endure this. I wasn't focusing on how good I would look on screen. I just thought, 'It's important for me to speak on behalf of these people through the screen.'

Smith admitted the film's situation hit close to home, since it could be his reality as an African American facing police misconduct.

2018 also brought his album "24," the film "The Bobby Brown Story" where he reprised Ralph Tresvant, and the sci-fi series "Electric Dreams" with actors like Steve Buscemi, Terrence Howard, and Richard Madden.

Algee Smith Reads Fan Theories for Season 2 of HBO's Euphoria | ELLE

In 2019, Algee joined the drama "Euphoria," tackling issues facing American teens, from drug addiction to school violence. Smith also participated in the comedy series "A Black Lady Sketch Show."

On the music front, Smith released his 2019 album "ATL" and performed it live at The Mint in Los Angeles.

In 2020, he returned to police misconduct themes, playing nineteen-year-old Jake Winters, a Black Panther member killed by police, in Shaka King's "Judas and the Black Messiah."

Algee Smith in Judas and the Black Messiah

Algee Smith's Personal Life

Actor and singer Algee Smith keeps his personal life pretty private. He is not married. Since 2021, he's been rumored to be dating actress Dalia Kaissi.

Algee Smith Talks Intro To Acting, Role In New Edition Story, Black Love + More

Smith has a dog named Boss who he absolutely adores.

Algee Smith Now

In 2021, Algee Smith played Sam, one of the main characters in the sci-fi thriller "Mother/Android," which centers on an artificial intelligence uprising. In this film, his pregnant wife Georgia is played by Chloë Grace Moretz.

That same year, Smith appeared in Tembi Banks' film "Young Wild Free." He has several more films coming out, including "Part One" and "Part Two," where he reprises his role as Ralph Tresvant. When "Euphoria" season two premiered in January 2022, Smith continued his role in the series.