Denny Love Explained

Denny Love
Birth Name:	Denzel Irby
Birth Date:	30 December 1992
Birth Place:	Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Education:	DePaul University
Occupation:	Actor

Denzel Irby (born December 30, 1992),^{[1] [2]} known professionally as Denny Love, is an American actor. His biggest roles were Barry on Empire and Chip "the Colonel" Martin in the miniseries Looking for Alaska. He also had minor roles on Chicago P.D. and Lucifer,^{[3] [4]} and appeared in the 2020 film Unpregnant.^[5]

Early life and education

Love is from Madison, Wisconsin. He was raised by his grandmother, and belonged to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.^[6] He attended Madison West High School, then studied theater at DePaul University, graduating in 2015.^[7]

Career

Empire

Love appeared in three episodes of Empire as Barry.^{[8] [9]}

Looking for Alaska

Though Love was unfamiliar with John Green's work he read the novel Looking for Alaska in preparation, and for his audition he recited a monologue from the book.^[10] He received a phone call of congratulations from him upon getting the role.

Love appeared in all eight episodes of Looking for Alaska as Chip "the Colonel" Martin, a Black scholarship student at the fictional Culver Creek Academy. In the novel, the Colonel's race is not specified but is assumed to be white.^{[11] [12] [13]} Nasim Mansuri, writing for Hypable, says, "In no part of the novel does it say that the Colonel is Black, and being Black doesn’t particularly change his character… but [...] his race brings a lot more meaning to every interaction. It also makes the Colonel’s rage a lot more understandable, even if his actions aren’t always justified.

Filmography

Film

!Year!Title!Role!Notes

2019	Slasher Party	Dre
2020	Unpregnant	Jarrod
TBA	Dyad	Jake

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2015	Chicago P.D.	Marcus	Episode: "Get Back to Even"
2016–2017	Empire	Barry	3 episodes
2018	The Neighborhood	Young Man	Episode: "Welcome to the Housewarming"
2019	Lucifer	Caleb Mayfield	Episode: "Super Bad Boyfriend"
2019	L.A.'s Finest	Dakari Adams	Episode: "Dangerous Minds"
2019	Looking for Alaska	Chip 'The Colonel' Martin	8 episodes
2021	Kenan	Jordan	Episode: "Christmas Show"
2024	Mayor of Kingstown	Kevin Jackson	6 Episodes

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chappell. Robert. Madison South Sider Lands Role in Major Hulu Series. 2021-11-29. Madison365. en-US.
2. Web site: 2020-09-11. Who Is the Actor Behind Jarrod in 'Unpregnant'? Meet 27-Year-Old Denny Love. 2021-11-30. Distractify. en-US.
3. Web site: Who Plays The Colonel On 'Looking For Alaska'? Denny Love Manifested The Role. 2021-11-29. Bustle. en.
4. Web site: Flappers Comedy Club and Restaurant :: Burbank :: Claremont :: Comedy Workshops. 2021-11-30. flapperscomedy.com.
5. Web site: Unpregnant Is a Spirited Comedy About a Woman's Right to Choose. 2021-11-30. Time. en.
6. Web site: Chappell. Robert. "He's a star": Madison West Grad Heads to Hollywood. 2021-11-29. Madison365. en-US.
7. Web site: DePaul’s Theatre School presents Awards for Excellence in the Arts. 2021-11-30. wdat.is.depaul.edu.
8. Web site: Of Course Cookie Shouldn't Have Accepted Angelo's Proposal On Empire. 2021-11-29. www.yahoo.com. en-US.
9. Web site: 2016-10-13. Who Plays Barry On Empire? Denzel Love. 2021-11-30. Empire BBK. en-US.
10. Web site: 2019-10-22. A Conversation With Looking For Alaska Breakout Denny Love. 2021-11-29. Den of Geek. en-US.
11. Web site: 2019-10-24. Looking for Alaska episode 2: The Colonel makes this adaptation great. 2021-11-29. Hypable. en-US.
12. Web site: Sepinwall. Alan. 2019-10-09. 'Looking for Alaska' Review: High-School Melodrama Done Right. 2021-11-29. Rolling Stone. en-US.
13. Web site: How Hulu's Looking for Alaska Updates the Book for 2019. 2021-11-29. Time. en.