Derrek Peels is the son of the late Leon Peels, a songwriter and lead singer for the Blue Jays, a four-man group in the early 1960s. Derrek's own aspirations were more physically inclined, and he didn't stray far from his father's creative path. He played running back in the Canadian Football League for ten years before transitioning to live theater and film acting.
Derrek's early success in stunts led to collaborations with notable actors such as Mark Wahlberg, Jamie Foxx, Denzel Washington, Terrance Howard, Curtis Jackson (50 Cent),Ving Rhames, and Edward Norton. He has worked on various films and television shows, including The Big Hit, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Four Brothers, The Hulk, Max Payne, Tiger Claws II, Bite, Legion of Gator Face, Demolisher, Motives and Murders, and Defective.
Derrek grew up in Venice, California, and began his professional football career in 1980 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League. Two weeks before reporting to football camp, his cousin Rodney Evans was shot in a drive-by in South Central Los Angeles. Rodney later succumbed to his injuries at Martin Luther King Hospital. Derrek considered Rodney his biggest fan, as he was the only one who got to hear Derrek's dreams of becoming a professional football player come true.
Rodney's untimely death became a driving force for Derrek to succeed, as he believed Rodney was still cheering him on from above. Derrek made the team that year, and his passion for acting continues to this day, alongside the cherished memories he holds for his biggest fan, his cousin Rodney Evans.
