Tico Wells - 10 Facts You Didn't Know About The Actor

Tico Wells is an African American actor and T.V star who started his acting career in 1983 after featuring in The Passing (1983); a science fiction horror film that starred actors like James Caroll Plaster and John Huckert.

Even though the actor made his debut in the early 80s, he remained relatively unknown until about a decade later when he featured in John Hucket’s The Five Heartbeats (1991). Since then, Tico has remained evergreen in the entertainment industry, starring in dozens of movies such as Universal Soldier (1992), Trespass (1992), Forgiveness (2011), and over 24 TV series/shows.

Wells may be popularly identified as a professional T.V star whenever his name is mentioned, but the actor is also very much involved with diet, traditional medicine, and other interesting ventures that improve the quality of human health, habit, and lifestyle.

Everything To Know About The African-American Actor

1. Early life and background of Tico Wells

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Wells was born to the family of Neil Welliver and Josephine Wayne in the early 60s. His place of birth is the Columbian Hospital Washington DC and not Philadelphia as it is widely reported by many media outfits.

Tico had his high school education in the oldest school in Maryland called Laurel high school. The school was established in 1899 with an enrolment of 59 students and 4 teachers. He later graduated in 1979.

Similarly, the building of his alma mater was listed on the National Register of Historic places in 1979 and the school has prominent alumni like Alonzo T. Washington (Politician) Ray Vigliotti (Soccer player), and Gertrude Poe (Renown journalist and broadcaster).

The actor is also said to have attended Bowie State University in Maryland and later New York University where he bagged a degree in drama.

2. Tico became famous after The Five Heartbeats

Tico’s portrayal as a Choirboy in Robert Townsend’s classic film The Five Heartbeats helped the actor in rising to stardom. The film which was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox featured casts like Michael Wright, Diahann Caroll, and Harry J. Lennix. The movie cast made an impressive reunion at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival after 30 years.

Other movies such as Universal Soldier, Love & Other Four Letter Words, and Legend of the Mummy also contributed to making Wells a big name in the entertainment industry where he has remained evergreen active to date.

3. The actor initially wanted to be a football player

The Hollywood star has revealed that he initially wanted to be a sportsman and a scientist when he was much younger. According to him, he could not play American football because he was not very big and so decided to focus on film and music. Though he is still passionate about football, he has reservations about the game because of its health implications.

4. He is an advocate of natural and traditional medicine

Away from entertainment, Tico has over the years committed himself to pushing for traditional and natural medicine in the United States of America. He has said that he wants to be a part of the transformation of hospitals into health centers where people can be able to access effective western and traditional medicine concurrently as is the practice in China.

5. Wells has a company called Thriving Wellness

The actor doubles as a health enthusiast who has been developing his knowledge and experience in the course of health and wellness for a long time now. He became a plant-based vegan in 1984 and has been studying natural healing since 1981. His company is committed to helping people to live healthy through the consumption of organic. He also coaches people in the pursuit of peace and tranquility.

The actor has said that he is a devoted Christian who is committed to transforming the world by helping people live a powerful healthy and spiritual life. He has published a book titled 30 Days to Peace, Prosperity, and Power to complement the work he is doing in his Wellness Platform.

6. He is also a musician

Though not so much a professional, the actor is a musician. He has said that he plays the west African drum and guitar pretty well with a drum circle group he belongs to.

Wells has further been featured in a good number of David Talbert’s songs such as There is nothing better than love and What Goes Around Comes Around.

7. Tico is a pure vegetarian

Wells is a vegetarian. This means the actor’s diet excludes meat, poultry, game, fish, or other forms of animal by-products like eggs. According to him, he began this journey in the 80s and it has been great for him. He believes feeding on vegetables helps in living a good and healthy life.

Other celebrities that have also been identified as vegetarians are Jessica Chastain (Actress), Ariana Grande (Actress), and Erykah Badu (Singer).

8. How rich is he?

Though unconfirmed, it is believed that Tico is worth about $5 million. Wells who is a bit tight-lipped concerning his personal life makes his money from his over 3 decades successful movie career. Wells has also made money as an entrepreneur. He has revealed that he started selling nutritional products at the age of 20 and this has complemented his income.

9. Is He married?

Details about the marriage and family of Tico Wells have for a long time remained in the clouds. While many sources believe that Tico is still unmarried, others are of the opinion that he is only doing his best to keep his family away from the media.

At the moment, nothing much is really out in the public space concerning the actor’s marriage or dating history. It is however rumored that he has 3 children.

10. The movie star has an impressive career record

Sources have revealed that from his college days, Tico won several awards as an actor and director. In college, the actor was able to bag The Irene Ryan Acting Excellence Award among others.

Tico currently works not just as an actor but also as a producer, director, editor, and voice-over artist. His voice was used in documentaries like Dear America (1987) and was previously nominated for the NAACP Image Awards.

Here is a quick rundown of his appearances in movies and TV series/shows