Actor you didn't know was from Philly

Philly Fun Fact: Do you remember Gary Dourdan?

- Yanina Carter

Born Gary Robert Durdin, Gary is an African American actor. He is known for portraying Warrick Brown on the television series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and Shazza Zulu on the television series, "A Different World" and Mickey Monroe in the crime thriller "Righteous Villains." If you don't remember him in those hits, you will recall he played Janet Jackson's love interest in the video for her 1993 hit "Again."

But what I didn't know was he is from South Philly. That's right!!!

Dourdan was born Gary Robert Durdin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Sandy, a teacher and fashion designer, and Robert Durdin, an entrepreneur and agent for jazz musicians. Gary is the fourth of five children--when he was six, his 21-year-old brother Darryl died after falling from a balcony in Haiti while doing research on the family lineage. The case remains unsolved.

In his youth Gary and his family moved to Willingboro Township, New Jersey--around that time, Gary's interests included acting, music, and martial arts. Later, he moved to New York City and worked as a doorman at a rehearsal studio, and the rest is history.

Hats off to you Gary, a Philadelphian.