Get the scoop on Melvin Boomer, one of the stars of The Cage on Netflix.
Netflix’s latest drama series, The Cage, an import from France (subtitled in English), follows Taylor, a fresh-faced mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter with his sights set on the big time. Melvin Boomer stars as Taylor in all five episodes of the program.
Meet Melvin Boomer - Actor Biography Details
Melvin Boomer Discovered His Passion for Dance at Age 12
21-year-old Melvin Boomer, a native of Vincennes, France, grew up surrounded by talent. His mom was a figure skater, and his father is an accomplished MMA fighter, much like the one Boomer plays in The Cage.
According to Marie Claire, when he was just 12, Boomer fell in love with breakdancing. He is also well-versed in classical, jazz, and hip-hop styles of dance, as well as parkour.
Melvin Is Dyslexic
As a boy, Boomer was diagnosed with dyslexia, dysorthography, and ADHD (via AlloCiné). When he was in school, this made things challenging for him, but he was also determined to overcome these particular struggles. And as he explained to Marie Claire, overcome them, he did:
"I was ashamed for a long time because I kept getting zeros, twos, and fours... I almost failed my brevet, then my baccalaureate, but I stuck with it, and I got them."
Nowadays, it is reported that the actor is able to learn all of his lines with speed and efficiency.
Melvin Trained at Dance Schools
Melvin Boomer received training in breakdancing and hip-hop dance from choreographer Delphine Schoevaert and was taught classical and jazz dancing by Candice Alekan at a French dance school called Arts en Mouvements.
From there, Boomer continued his studies at the Paris-based Académie Internationale de la Danse, which instructs in a wide variety of dance and movement disciplines.
Melvin’s First Major Role Was in Reign Supreme
Boomer’s previous acting experience consists of credits earned in his home country of France. These include the television series Reign Supreme, which centered on the French hip-hop movement in the ‘80s. In Reign Supreme, Boomer played real-life rapper Didier Morville, also known as JoeyStarr.
For the part, Melvin Boomer "completely embraced JoeyStarr's dance style," . Boomer remarked to Le Parisien (via BFM TV) that while in the role, he aspired to take on Morville’s qualities off the set:
"I started wanting to be like him. I was always on edge, on the lookout for the slightest detail to beat my friends."
How To Follow Melvin Online
Melvin Boomer can be found on Instagram at the handle @melvin_boomer.
The Cage is now streaming on Netflix.
