‘Chicago P.D.’: Who Is New Series Regular Cleveland Berto?
Chicago P.D. has a new officer in its Intelligence Unit. With the departure of Lisseth Chavez, who portrayed Officer Vanessa Rojas, the show was down one officer for the unit. Enter Cleveland Berto, playing Officer Jalen Walker, during this eighth season of the show.
Many Chicago fans may not be familiar with Berto. He is a relative newbie to television, although he has appeared in a few things. Here’s what we know about Berto.
Berto comes from a family of boxers and fighters
Berto was born and raised in Winter Haven, Florida. His parents were from Haiti, having moved to Florida in their 20s. His father, the late Dieuseul “Tiger” Berto, was a lover of martial arts. The senior Berto learned Shodokan and Jeet Kune Do, and became a professional wrestler, according to L’Union Suite.
Berto has six brothers and sisters. An older brother, Edison “Little Tiger,” is a Florida MMA veteran. Their younger sister, Rivelina Nana Berto, was a competitor of the Ultimate Reality show. Perhaps best-known is a younger brother, Andre, who competed for Haiti in the Olympics and is a Boxing World Champion, according to IMDb.
While Berto himself competed in high school wrestling, he broke away from the family tradition wanting to seek a career in acting. He graduated from San Francisco State University having studied theater arts and kinesiology.
According to his LinkedIn, his birthday is December 5, although no year is shared. CrossFit reveals some of Berto’s stats from 2012, at which time it had his age listed as 39. Being an older brother to Andre, who is currently 39, it makes sense that Cleveland Berto is in his 40s.
While there is little information on Berto’s relationship status, a post on his Instagram page alludes to a love interest. There is a photo posted on Valentine’s Day 2020, and he wrote, “It’s a Love Jones. Happy love day world. #ForeverValentine #Love ❤️” The woman in the photo with him is This is Us actor Jennifer C. Holmes.
Berto’s acting career to date
On the big screen, Berto portrayed T. Gill in Terminator: Dark Fate in 2019. He also appeared in the 2010 film, Mob Rules, and this year he will be seen in THE PREY: Legend of Karnoctus.
On television, he has had guest roles in Fresh Off the Boat, Shameless, and Lucifer. He had a recurring role in The Story of Miya, in which Holmes also appeared. In late January, he will appear as producer Hurby Azor in Salt-N-Pepa, an upcoming TV miniseries on the rap and hip-hop pair.
Berto has a new role coming up acting opposite Michael B. Jordan in A Journal for Jordan, based on the New York Times best-selling memoir of the same name. According to Variety, the film will be produced and directed by Denzel Washington. Based on the journal of author Dana Canedy who through a love affair with First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, had a son, Jordan. First Sergeant King was killed in Iraq in 2006. Berto is set to portray a member of King’s platoon, Mohammed.
Being cast on ‘Chicago P.D.’
It was announced in December that Berto was hired as a regular on Chicago P.D. around the same time as his role in A Journal for Jordan. As, Officer Walker, he will portray a “golden boy,” as a former athlete, scholar, and family man who turns down a job on Wall Street to go to work in Chicago P.D.‘s 21st District Intelligence Unit. He is quite different from Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and the other officers and detectives in the unit, having grown up on a silver spoon. He wants to make a difference and change what has been the status quo.
If Berto is game, it is expected that his character will be with the Chicago P.D. for seasons to come. Producer Dick Wolf generally seeks out actors who will sign a long-term contract. Just when he will first appear has not been disclosed, but we expect to see him very soon.
Chicago P.D. airs on NBC, Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. EST. The show follows Chicago Med and Chicago Fire, making up the Chicago trilogy.
