Inspired at a young age by Sidney Poitier Evan Cleaver had the ambition to become a phenomenal actor With roots in Kansas City MO he went south to Dillard University of New Orleans on a basketball scholarship where he became the first student on a basketball scholarship to graduate with a degree in Acting After narrowly eluding the waters of Katrina he journeyed to California to earn his MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts CalArts IMDb Mini Biography