Lyriq Bent – Biography

Lyriq Bent – Biography
by Wyndham Wise

Lyriq Bent was born in Jamaica and moved to Toronto with his family at the age of six. He did well in high school, and later attended Seneca College, graduating with high honours. He began working as a computer graphic technician; his plans, however, were short lived as he decided to take up acting on a dare. From his first appearance as a non-speaking extra on the series Relic Hunter in 2000, this versatile actor has played an eclectic mix of roles and his multiple guest-starring television roles have kept him very busy.

His film credits include Crime Spree with Gerard Depardieu, Bille Woodruff’s 2003 dance saga Honey with Jessica Alba, Michael Mabbott’s award-winning faux documentary The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico, John Singleton’s Four Brothers with Mark Wahlberg, Skinwalkers, Take the Lead with Antonio Banderas, Peter Stebbings’s Defendor with Woody Harrelson, Darren Bousman’s Mother’s Day with Rebecca De Mornay and Shawn Ashmore, and Sudz Sutherland’s Home Again, about three Jamaicans who were deported from Canada, U.S. and U.K. and sent back to Jamaica. Bent plays the deportee from the U.S. On television, Bent has been featured in the 2002 made-for-television movie 10,000 Men Named George and Sutherland’s CBC mini-series Guns.

He has had episodic series appearances and recurring roles in Street Time, Blue Murder, Platinum, Mutant X, Kojak, Kevin Hill, 13 episodes of Angela’s Eyes, CSI Miami, Haven, seven episodes of Sophie and 45 episodes as Sgt. Frank Best in the hit Canadian cop drama Rookie Blue. He is pictured above in his role as Chekura in the CBC mini-series The Book of Negroes and might best known for his role as Lieutenant Daniel Rigg in the horror films Saw II Saw III and Saw IV, which were shot in Toronto. The Saw franchise has pulled in over a billion dollars in ticket sales worldwide.

Also see: Lyriq Bent’s filmography.