Who Is Reggie Brown?

Some guys have all the luck. They’re born to be “tall and skinny with a funny name” and become president of the United States. Just like Reggie Brown from Chicago.

Ok, so this Reggie Brown doesn’t have a funny name, but in every other way he’s the spitting image of another guy who does--that other tall, skinny guy from Chicago-- the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama.

And therein lies the start of a lucrative new career for 6’2” Brown, whose first venture into “show” business was at the tender age of five when he appeared (ironically enough) as short-guy Dopey the Dwarf in a school presentation of Snow White. 

A Chicago native from the working class neighborhoods around Midway airport, Brown was raised in a loving and supportive family along with his four siblings. He suffered a significant loss in his early teens when his dad passed away as a result of complications from a 3 year battle with Leukemia. He ultimately found his “voice” (quite literally) when, in high school, he started mimicking celebrities ranging from Bobcat Goldthwait and Sean Connery to Bill Cosby and Notorious BIG to name a few. After high school Brown attended the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana, signed a modeling contract, and worked for seven years as a professional model.

Brown began honing his skills in acting and voiceover techniques at the Acting Studios Chicago. He then used those skills as a contributing voice for Fearless Radio (an independent, on-line station) and also voiced local business advertisements. In 2008, Reggie became the host of Akira TV for the fashion-forward Chicago retailer, emceeing both fashion events and runway shows at such prestigious local venues as Galleria Marchetti and the House of Blues. As a member of the NBC5 Street Team, Brown took home a 2008 Chicago/Midwest Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in New Media Interactivity for his correspondence coverage of Chicago’s second annual, all night Looptopia event. And then he got lucky.

Even before Barack Obama announced his bid to become president, people started staring at Brown, telling him he looked like this Obama guy. Between then and now, being “recognized” has become an all-day, every day phenomenon. Realizing he looked the part, Brown decided to put his other talent to good use and has learned to walk, talk and act like President Obama.

Brown has been featured on countless news shows since starting his presidential impression and has been traveling the country performing his comedic routine at corporate events and private bookings. He portrayed President Obama in Hollywood’s first feature film about the election starring Charles S. Dutton to be released in 2010. In the past months Reggie played president on television’s Hannah Montana and Lopez Tonight and has taken the stage in Las Vegas with both Louie Anderson and “Mr. Vegas” George Wallace. The rest, as they say, will be history in the making in more ways than one--for both the country’s newest president and “that other tall, skinny guy from Chicago,” Reggie Brown.

Updated April 2010