Ashton Durrand Sanders (born October 24, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Teen Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight (2016).

Life and career

Sanders was born in Carson, California. He made his film debut in The Retrieval, directed by Chris Eska. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2013. It was released in a limited release on April 2, 2014 by Variance Films.

In 2015, Sanders had a small role in Straight Outta Compton. In 2016, he appeared in an episode of Refinery29's web series The Skinny.

The same year, Sanders appeared in the drama film Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins. The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016, and began a limited release on October 21, 2016 by A24. Moonlight received massive critical acclaim as well dozens of accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture – Drama. The film also won three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali. Sanders' role in the film was praised by critics; Benjamin Lee of The Guardian called his performance "powerful".

Sanders co-starred in The Equalizer 2, a sequel to the hit action film The Equalizer, opposite Denzel Washington. In December 2016, Sanders was cast in Rupert Wyatt's forthcoming film Captive State, opposite Vera Farmiga and John Goodman.

Sanders was studying towards a BFA at The Theatre School at DePaul University, before dropping out in 2016 to focus on his acting career.

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