Tristan Paul Mack Wilds (born July 15, 1989) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, The Wire, and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama series, 90210. He was also featured in the Adele music video for "Hello". As a recording artist, he signed with record producer Salaam Remi's Louder than Life Recordings, an imprint of Sony Music to release his debut studio album, New York: A Love Story (2013), which narrowly entered the Billboard 200 and received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Wilds' second album, AfterHours (2017), was released independently, and failed to chart.
Early life and education Wilds was born and grew up in Stapleton Heights, Staten Island, New York City. His mother, Monique Moncion, is of Afro-Dominican and Irish descent, and his father, Paul Wilds, is African-American. His mother was first a beautician and then a stockbroker. Wilds attended and graduated from the Michael J. Petrides School in Staten Island.
Acting career His acting debut came in Miracle's Boys, a drama mini-series produced by Spike Lee on The N (now called TeenNick). He also made guest appearances on television shows such as Cold Case and Law & Order. In 2006, Wilds made his film debut in a bit-role in the independent drama film Half Nelson alongside Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling. That same year, Wilds joined the cast of the HBO drama television series, The Wire (then into its fourth season) in a major recurring role as Michael Lee, a smart but troubled middle school student who lives in poverty and cares for his younger brother.
In 2007, Wilds appeared in the music videos for songs such as "Roc Boys", "Teenage Love Affair" and "Ghetto Mindstate", among others. In 2008, he appeared alongside Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Dakota Fanning in The Secret Life of Bees, the film adaptation of the novel of the same name. Soon after his run on The Wire, he attended an acting workshop at the Roundabout Theatre Company where he worked alongside actress, Phylicia Rashad in productions of Stockholm Brooklyn and Wool at the Cherry Lane Theatre.
In 2008, Wilds returned to television in The CW's teen drama series, 90210, a spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. He played Dixon Wilson, a teenage boy who is adopted and moves with his family to Beverly Hills. The show ran until 2013, with Wilds appearing in all but three of its 114 episodes. In March 2009, he secured a role in the George Lucas-produced war film Red Tails. The film follows the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American United States Army Air Force (USAAF) servicemen, during World War II. Wilds portrayed Ray "Ray Gun" Knight. The film, which also starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard, was eventually released in January 2012 after numerous push-backs.
In 2015, Wilds starred as Adele's love interest in the music video for her song, "Hello", directed by Xavier Dolan. In early 2016, he starred in the VH1 television movie, The Breaks about the hip-hop industry in the 1990s. On the heels of its successful January TV movie premiere, VH1 greenlighted a full first season for the hip-hop drama, which started airing in 2017.VH1's 'The Breaks' to Become a Full Series; First Season Ordered, theboombox.com; accessed December 1, 2016. That year, Wilds also played Officer Beck, the Black officer at the center of the controversial shooting of a young white male in a racially charged town in the TV show Shots Fired.
Music career Wilds met producer Salaam Remi in 2008 at the BMI Awards, which sparked Wilds' initial interest in becoming a music artist. In 2010, Wilds signed a recording contract with independent record label, Ten2one. He released several singles, including "2 Girlz" which was featured on the fourth season of his TV show, 90210. The song Fall 4 Her was produced by Rico Love. Wilds' debut EP, Remember Remember, was released toward the end of 2011.
Wilds began working with Salaam Remi on his debut studio album in 2012. He signed to Remi's Sony Music imprint, Louder than Life, that same year. He released the first single off the album, "Own It," in June 2013. The album, New York: A Love Story, was released in September 2013. It was well received by critics earning a Grammy nomination for the Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 56th Grammy Awards in 2014. The album would lose to Rihanna's Unapologetic. In November 2015, Wilds released the first single, "Love in the 90z", off his second album AfterHours. In March 2016, it was announced that Wilds had signed a management deal with Roc Nation.
Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions US USHip-Hop USR&B USIndie USHeat New York: A Love Story Released: September 30, 2013 Label: Louder Than Life, Sony RED Formats: CD, Digital Download 179 28 15 36 7 AfterHours Released: April 7, 2017 Label: The Ninety Five Percent, EMPIRE Formats: CD, Digital Download — — — 46 15 "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.
Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album US US R&B US Heat "Own It" 2013 — 35 18New York: A Love Story "Henny" 2014 — — — "Love in the 90z" 2016 — — — AfterHours "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Guest appearances + List of guest appearances Title Year Other performer(s) Album "Situationships" 2013 Fabolous, Tiara Thomas The Soul Tape 3 "Banned From Radio"2014 Maino, Bodega Bamz, Chinx, Troy Ave, City Boy Dee rowspan="2" "Debut" DJ Prostyle "Low" Mobb Deep The Infamous Mobb Deep "Henny (Remix)" Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes, French Montana "All About You" Maino King of Brooklyn 2 "Bottle Girl (Remix)" Consequence, Blue Gem Movies on Demand 5 "Good Money"2015 N.O.R.E., Troy Ave, Tweez, City Boy Dee Drinks "Act Like That" Bridget Kelly "50 Shots" Method Man, Streetlife, Cory Gunz The Meth Lab "Troubled Times"2016 Torae Entitled "Money Dance II" J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Rick Ross, Camp Lo
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2006 Half Nelson Jamal 2008 Zach Taylor 2012 Red Tails 2nd Lt. Ray "Ray Gun" Gannon 2020 Really Love Nick Wright2023Praise ThisPastor Nick "P.G." Goodman 2025Both Eyes OpenOwen
Television Year Title Role Notes 2005 Miracle's Boys A.J. 3 episodes 2006–08 Michael Lee 22 episodes 2007 Cold Case Skill Jones (2002) Episode: ""8:03 AM" 2008 Law & Order Will Manning Episode: "Driven" 2008–13 90210 Dixon Wilson 111 episodes 2016 The Breaks DeeVee Television film Dinner in America with Brett Gelman Himself Television special 2017 The Breaks DeeVee 8 episodes Shots Fired Deputy Joshua Beck 10 episodes 2018 Dinner for Two Chris Television film 2019 Tales Kayron Episode: "Deep Cover" 2021 Swagger Alonzo Powers 2022 Profiled: The Black Man Host 4-part documentary 2026 The Ms. Pat Show Professor Christian DeWalt 3 episodes
Music video Year Title Artist Director 2007"Teenage Love Affair" Alicia Keys Chris Robinson "Roc Boys" Jay-Z 2011 "How to Love" Lil Wayne 2015 "Hello" Adele Xavier Dolan
Web Year Title Role Notes 2013 Black Actress Jared Smith Episode 5
Awards and nominations Film Year Award Category Work Result 2008 Black Reel Awards Breakthrough Performance The Secret Life of Bees 2019 Newark International Film Festival Best Actor in a Narrative Short Fifteen
Television Year Award Category Work Result 2009Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Breakout Star: Male90210 2010 Choice TV Actor Drama 2011 ALMA Awards Favorite TV Actor – Supporting Role 2012Prism Award Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline – Substance Use Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline 2017 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited Series or Dramatic Special Shots Fired
Music Year Award Category Work Result 2014 Grammy Awards Best Urban Contemporary Album New York: A Love Story BET Awards Best New Artist Mack Wilds 2017 Soul Train Music Awards Soul Train Certified Award
See also List of Afro-Latinos
References
External links