Rising star Kelvin Harrison Jr. storms onto the screen in the historical biopic “Chevalier,” starring as violinist-composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the son of an African slave and French plantation owner who rose to the heights of French society in the 18th century. It’s a high-profile role for the 28-year-old actor who has been making his mark as a talented young star to watch in the past decade.
His first onscreen appearance was a small role in Steve McQueen’s Oscar-winning film “12 Years a Slave" (2013) (streaming on MGM+ or rent it elsewhere), and while he put in work over the next few years, Harrison’s breakout year was 2017, when he appeared in Dee Rees’ Netflix film “Mudbound,” about a Black soldier readjusting to the racism of rural Mississippi after World War II, and co-starred in the family horror-thriller “It Comes at Night,” opposite Joel Edgerton and Christopher Abbott (streaming on Showtime, Kanopy or rent).
“It Comes at Night” was Harrison’s first collaboration with filmmaker Trey Edward Shults, who also wrote and directed another breakout role for the young actor, with the edgy teen drama “Waves” in 2019. “Waves” starred Harrison as a star athlete pushed to the limit by his controlling father (Sterling K. Brown). “Bones and All” star Taylor Russell co-starred as his younger sister, who reckons with the family fallout after a shocking tragedy. Stream it on Tubi or rent it elsewhere.
