Mekhi Phifer was born on December 29, 1974 in Harlem, New York. He began his entertainment career by staring in the film Clockers. This was followed by several screen appearances like High School High, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Brian's Song and Subway Stories. Apart from this, he actively participates in charity work as he is the chairman of the board of trustees of The Vine Group USA, a non-profit organization that aims to give educational resources to schools in Africa. Moreover, he is part of the television series ER as DR. Gregory Pratt. Dr. Gregory Pratt is the African-American attending physician in ER. His character is generally confrontational and is often irritable. He has a "know it all" attitude and is haunted by his hazy past. Later, he discovers that his brother is gay and initially trances to a denial phase. Ultimately, he learns to accept this as he values his close relationship more than anything else.