Biography
Brooklyn native Collins Pennie's life changed when he was approached on the street by a New York City modeling scout. Soon after, he signed with the exclusive Ford Model Agency and became a part of Calvin Klein's ad campaign for CK One. Collins used his modeling money to pursue his passion for acting in earnest. He studied and trained tirelessly at Circle in the Square, HB Studio and the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Soon he found himself booking door-opening appearances on the CBS soap "As The World Turns" and legal drama "Law and Order," the holy grail of New York television gigs. In 2007, Pennie danced in the video for Beyoncé's "Get Me Bodied." After his appearance in the 2009 remake of Alan Parker's original high school musical, "Fame," Beyoncé asked him to star in the video for her 2011 hit "Run the World." In 2006, Pennie played Drey's older brother, Mike, in "Half Nelson," writer-director Ryan Fleck's understated portrait of a crack-addicted middle-school teacher's friendship with one of his students. His first starring role was as Chance Harris in "Stomp the Yard 2," the direct-to-DVD second installment in the successful step-dancing franchise from Rainforest Films. Pennie played futuristic law-enforcement agent Timekeeper Jaeger, the partner to Irish actor Cillian Murphy's Raymond Leon, in the 2011 sci-fi thriller "In Time."
