Cleo Anthony is an American model and actor who broke out in 2017 when he began appearing as one of the male leads in Spike Lee's 10-part Netflix series "She's Gotta Have It" (Netflix, 2017).
Anthony went to high school in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he was a star athlete, excelling in football, basketball, and track and field. After graduating, he eventfully found himself in Miami, where for a brief time he was homeless. His dire situation would change, however, when a fashion talent scout discovered him on the street. Anthony was soon signed by a top South Florida modeling agency, and before long was appearing in fashion shows all across the world, thus lifting him out of poverty.
After a number of years as a professional model, Anthony started auditioning for screen acting roles. He appeared in a few short films in the early 2010s, before landing a small part in the blockbuster action film "Divergent" (2014) in 2014. 2014 was also the year Anthony nabbed guest spots on such notable shows as "Trophy Wife" (ABC, 2013-14) and "Mistresses" (ABC, 2013-16), as well as recurring role on the Emmy Award-winning Amazon series "Transparent" (Amazon, 2014- ). Then in 2015 Anthony landed his first big break when he joined the cast of the science-fiction series "Extant" (CBS, 2014-15).
In 2017 it was announced that Anthony was cast as one of two male leads in Spike Lee's 10-part Netflix series "She's Gotta Have It." The series, which is based on Lee's landmark 1986 film, premiered on the streaming service in late 2017.