R.J. Cyler

Florida-based actor R.J. Cyler was boosted from obscurity to nascent stardom with his supporting turn in the bittersweet high school drama "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" (2015). Born Ronald Cyler II in Jacksonville, Florida, he was the youngest of three sons by Ronald Cyler, a truck driver, and his wife, Katina, and began performing in a dance team with his oldest brother at the age of 12. In 2012, he began auditioning for commercials in the Jacksonville area, and was encouraged to relocate to California to pursue a professional acting career. Cyler's family sold their home and possessions to make the movie in 2013, the same year he made his screen debut as R.J. Cyler in the independent comedy "Second Chances" (2013). He soon completed high school and won the part of Earl, an aspiring teenaged filmmaker, in Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's film adaptation of Jesse Andrews' novel Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2012). The 2015 feature earned rave reviews for its honest depiction of teenaged life, and earned Cyler a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the San Diego Film Critics Association. The acclaim afforded to "Me and Earl" led to Cyler's casting in two high-profile releases: David Michod's dark comedy "War Machine," opposite Brad Pitt, and Lionsgate's "Power Rangers" (2017), a reboot of the popular "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" (Fox/ABC Family, 1993-2010) franchise of science fiction-adventure for young audiences.