Actor Edi Gathegi was born on March 10, 1979 in Neirobi, Kenya. He grew up, however, in Albany, California, where he took an interest in basketball. He played for the University of California–Santa Barbara, although he was sidelined by injury. He discovered his love for acting when he decided to take drama classes as a way, he claims, to ease him through the depression. He then decided to pursue an acting career full time, taking postgraduate studies at the Tisch School of the Arts at the New York University, and began appearing in several stage productions.
Gathegi began his film career in 2006, when he appeared in the action flick Crank. From there, he began appearing both on the silver screen and the small screen; one of his most memorable television roles came in 2007, when he starred as Jeffrey “Big Love” Cole, an unsuccessful fellowship applicant, in the medical series House. He also became a guest on Veronica Mars, CSI and Life on Mars. He was soon cast as Laurent on the Twilight saga, taking on the role for the sequel New Moon.
The actor was next seen on My Bloody Valentine 3D as Deputy Martin, before he was chosen for roles in 2011's X-Men: First Class. He has also been booked for the part of Eddie Willers on the film adaptation of Ayn Rand's novel, Atlas Shrugged.