W. Earl Brown was born and raised in western Kentucky, where he quickly discovered that manual labor was not his forte. He spent his childhood days playing Cowboy or Soldier, jumping gullies, and climbing trees, but the thought of attending to chores was unbearable to him. His first exposure to theater was on his grandparents' front porch, where they would entertain themselves with songs and stories after a day's work. This was where he found his true calling, as it was a part of Kentucky farm life that he was much better suited for.
In high school, Earl was actively involved in forensic competition, where his coach instilled in him a competitive spirit and taught him the value of hard work and sacrifice. It was during those years that his love for movies blossomed, and he first had the dream of working in films. However, at that point in his life, such an idea seemed impossible to achieve.
Earl's first experience with acting was in an acting class at Murray State University, where he found his true passion. He began performing in numerous productions on campus, including a production of "That Championship Season" in 1984, which was his first experience of craft being elevated to art. This was a defining moment for him, and he was hooked.
After graduating with his MFA from DePaul University's Theatre School in 1989, Earl performed in numerous plays around Chicago. His first job on a film set was teaching dialect on Backdraft (1991). Not long after that, his performance in "A View From the Bridge" at the Steppenwolf Theatre catapulted his career as an actor into television and film. He landed numerous roles and within a couple of years had hit the proverbial glass ceiling.
In 1993, Earl relocated to Los Angeles and started over. Wes Craven was an early supporter, casting Earl in New Nightmare (1994),A Vampire in Brooklyn (1995),and the role of "Kenny" in the classic, Scream (1996). Two years after the success of Scream, Earl played "Warren", Cameron Diaz's mentally challenged brother, in There's Something About Mary (1998).
Among his many other film credits are the highly regarded films: Being John Malkovich (1999),The Master (2012),The Sessions (2012),Wild (2014),Black Mass (2015),and the Netflix hits - The Highwaymen (2019) and The Unforgivable (2021).
On television, Earl has guest-starred in many series, including: The Mandalorian (2019),Luck (2011),Seinfeld (1995),American Horror Story (2011),Justified (2009),X-Files (2002),Six Feet Under (2001),and NYPD Blue (2000 & 2005).
