AARON SPEARS STORY FROM THE GRIDIRON TO HOLLYWOOD

This week’s episode of Hollywood in Conversation ACTORS ON ACTORS LIVE ON HOTTOPICSCELEBTV.COM SUNDAY SERVICE WITH DTEFLON is special guest Aaron Darnell Spears who is an American actor best known for his portrayals of Justin Barber on The Bold and the Beautiful and Mark Bradley on Being Mary Jane. He is also known for his guest roles on: Bones, Criminal Minds, Shark, and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Aaron was born and raised in Washington DC. He was a gifted athlete, excelling in football, and was even considering a career in the NFL while studying at the Delaware State University. All that changed when he didn’t turn in a speech assignment and was forced to make it up by participating in live theater. He was bitten by the acting bug!

Aaron has 20 years of working in Hollywood, but it was his controversial role as Mark Bradley on Being Mary Jane, that caught the attention of millions of viewers. And Spears’ double-duty on The Bold and the Beautiful as Justin Barber and Days of Our Lives as Commissioner Raines for a few years made him a familiar face internationally.

He was aware that he was fortunate to have both parents in the home because that was not the reality for many of his friends. From the beginning, his parents instilled a sense of pride in him. “My childhood was geared very much towards me succeeding. Getting a C was like getting an F. Nobody wanted to get a C because a C was like you’re just average. Nobody wants to be average,” says Spears. “When I played football, my parents were like, ‘I’m going to make sure you get everything you need to excel at football. We are going to make sure that you have all the fundamentals.’”

Spears attended Delaware State University. He was a double major in computer science and mathematics and was a standout collegiate football player. In fact, he was so good that he was offered an opportunity to play in the NFL; but after missing an assignment in a speech class, and being forced to make it up by participating in one of the university’s theater productions, Spears discovered his passion for acting. “I loved it so much,” says Spears. “I felt like I had found something that I could immerse myself into. So at that point, the light bulb switched and I was like, ‘Man I’m about to stop playing football. Acting is something that I can make as much money doing and I’m not destroying my body.’”

Spears made the decision to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career as a full-time actor.

In the beginning of his career, there were three incidents that convinced him that he made the right decision. The first was remembering that he has always been an overcomer. He arrived in California with no necessities and only $77 to his name. “I thought to myself, ‘Man, everything you’ve tried to accomplish as a kid, you’ve accomplished. You were the underdog. You were always the kid that no one was paying attention to, but this drive that you had in you would allow you to excel.’ My mentality was, ‘I don’t know what you are going to do, but I’m going to make it. I don’t know-how. I just know I’m going to make it.’”

The second was the decision to ignore his own apprehensions and the naysayers that criticized him for turning down NFL contracts. Playing professional football had always been a life-long dream of his, but all of the appreciations or second-guessing were quickly put to bed after booking the first four roles that he auditioned for, including a major motion picture role.

The third and final incident occurred while working as a substitute teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Initially, he did not take the job seriously. After overhearing how Spears regarded the children, his wife strongly urged him to reevaluate his approach to teaching. After doing so, he recognized that a significant change was needed and he began to engross himself in all things education. He later would be laid off, but he recalls the relief he felt on that day. “I remember calling home and being like, ’Yo! Crack open a bottle of wine. I just graduated.’ I did what the higher power wanted me to do. I put my heart and soul into these kids and now I’m getting laid off and I will never have to go back into the classroom again.’ I didn’t move to California to be a substitute teacher. I moved to L.A. to become an actor. Two weeks later I got The Bold and the Beautiful and I have never had to step back into the classroom again.”

After a record-breaking season finale, it was announced that BET ordered a second season of Being Mary Jane. Spears understands the significance of the role he plays in making the show so successful, but he refuses to buy into the hype. Spears explains how he stays grounded, “Whoever is touched and or inspired by this particular character, much love to you, but that’s not why I’m doing this character. I’m doing it because he’s a human being. I cannot play this guy if I’m not cool with it. I cannot play someone I’m judging. He has feelings and emotions. He just so happens to be gay.”

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

When asked what he is most proud of, Spears replies, “I’m proud that I’ve evolved to the point of being able to look at myself objectively. If I can look at myself objectively, then I can apply that to every area of my life. Whether it be the acting, the father-hat or the financier; or whether it is helping the dude that’s broken down on the side of the road, just think if we all did that, it would be a better world.”

Spears understands that he has not accomplished anything alone. He says, “Every person that came before me, whether it’s in my profession, or in the lineage of blood that makes up me, is with me. If they had not come along, I wouldn’t be able to be who I am. So there is definitely an understanding of paying homage to my ancestors, as well as a higher power. A lot of times we forget that in order for us to exist, we had to come through all of those people. The least I can do is honor them by trying to live my life the best that I can.”

Other credits include Pacific Blue, The District, The X Files, Crossing Jordan, CSI: Miami, Everybody Loves Raymond, General Hospital, The Division, Criminal Minds, Angel, Babel, Bones, Shark, The Mansfield 12, Boston Legal, Castle, NCIS, This is Us, For the Love of Christmas, In The Shadows, and Christmas For Sale. When he’s not acting, Aaron likes producing and composing.

Aaron currently resides in Los Angeles and is married to Estela Lopez-Spears. They have four daughters and a son.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Cappuccino Jack
2000 2 G’s & a Key Sad Dogg
2001 Blue Hill Avenue Money
2002 Makin’ Baby Michael
2003 Pretty Lady Benjamin
2003 Black Ball Travis
2006 Babel Officer #2
2007 Traci Townsend Dante
2007 The Mannsfield 12 Ali
2008 Extra Ordinary Barry Ray
2009 I Love You, Man Terrell Uncredited
2010 Cartel War Andre Rhodes
2011 35 and Ticking Officer Jones
2012 Back Then Gavin Miller
2015 If Not for His Grace Pastor Fort
2016 For the Love of Christmas Langston Simms
2019 London Mitchell’s Christmas London Mitchell
2020 White People Money Darryl, Executive Producer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1997 Sunset Beach Officer Washington 10 episodes
1999 Pacific Blue Roger Franklin Episode: “Swimming in the Dead Pool”
2000 Arrest & Trial Bruce Milsap Episode: “Armored Car Murder”
2001 The District Thief #1 / Undercover Cop Episode: “Don’t Fence Me In”
2001 Crossing Jordan Seamus Episode: “You Can’t Go Home Again”
2002 The X-Files Guard Episode: “Underneath”
2002 Everybody Loves Raymond Rick Episode: “She’s the One”
2002 CSI: Miami Jerry, Police Diver Episode: “A Horrible Mind”
2003 A.U.S.A. Court Clerk Episode: “Pilot”
2003 Half & Half Hamilton Brooks 2 episodes
2003 Coupling Waiter Episode: “Check/Mate”
2003 Angel Security Guard #1 Episode: “Destiny”
2004 The Division Calvin Morse Episode: “That’s Them”
2004 General Hospital Officer Watkins Episode dated 20 April 2004
2004 Dirty and Dirtier Jake Miniseries
2006 Criminal Minds Gerald Dupree Episode: “The Fisher King: Part 1”
2006 Shark Detective Episode: “Russo”
2006 Bones Agent Walt Sugarman Episode: “The Woman in the Sand”
2008 Boston Legal Terrence Maxwell Episode: “Roe vs Wade: The Musical”
2008 Lincoln Heights Rahsaan Episode: “The New Wild Ones”
2009–present The Bold and the Beautiful Justin Barber 366 episodes
2010 Castle Ike Thornton Episode: “Den of Thieves”
2011 NCIS Marine Major Michael Strickland Episode: “Freedom”
2013–2015 Being Mary Jane Mark Bradley 20 episodes
2016 This Is Us Ray Episode: “The Trip”
2016–2017 Days of Our Lives Commissioner Raines 33 episodes
2017 Greenleaf Alonzo Episode: “A House Divided”
2017 NCIS: Los Angeles FBI Special Agent Mark Monroe Episode: “The Silo”
2018 Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce Leon 2 episodes
2018 The Rookie Mr. Campbell Episode: “The Hawke”
2020 Two Degrees Aaron Episode: “Cigar Cave