Brian Michael Smith was born in Ann Arbor, MI. He is an actor known for roles in 9-1-1 Lone Star, Queen Sugar and The L Word: Generation Q. After appearances on TV shows such as NBC's Chicago P.D., HBO's Girls, and Showtime's Homeland, Smith rose to prominence for his ground-breaking performances on television and advocacy for better trans representation in media. His role as Toine Wilkins, a transgender police officer, in Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar (2017) on OWN launched him into a series of high-profile roles including political strategist Pierce Williams in Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q (2019) and, most notably, firefighter Paul Strickland in Ryan Murphy's 9-1-1 Lone Star (2020). With Lone Star, Smith became the first out Black trans man in a series regular role. Smith studied theatre and film production at Kent State University. Upon graduating, he began teaching and mentoring youth in filmmaking which he continued in New York through Tribeca Film Institute's Tribeca Teaches Program. He discovered the importance of community and visibility while he worked with queer youth at the Manhattan LGBT Center which led him to pursue his passion for acting, moving to Los Angeles. Since Queen Sugar, Brian Michael has leveraged his visibility and platform to advocate for better trans representation in TV and film, empowering youth to create their own media and storytelling.