Renell was born in New Orleans, LA and spent most of his childhood and teenage years living in the Calliope Housing Project. Growing up, Renell valued the important role that male family members played in his life and as he got older he felt a sense of responsibility to help other young men in his community, providing them with guidance and support they may not be getting at home. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Renell joined a New Orleans-based non-profit organization that mentored youth and he spent several years connecting displaced youth and their families living in Texas to school and community-based resources. Renell continued his work as a youth advocate upon his return to New Orleans and he helped under-served young people and their families to transition back home. Renell was always an artist at heart as he started writing and recording rap music when he was 14. His first exposure to acting, however, didn't come until 2007 when a non-profit colleague introduced him to the profession. Later that year, Renell stepped onto his first set and knew that he had found his life-long passion. Over the past 11 years, Renell has learned from various teachers and studied an array of acting techniques that have contributed to his love character development. Renell is best known for his roles in Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The TLC Story, Barbershop: The Next Cut, The Case for Christ and various co-star appearances in multiple television series. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Renell Gibbs