Martin Lyriq Bent (born January 3, 1979) is a Canadian actor of Jamaican descent best known for his roles in the Saw franchise, Rookie Blue, and The Book of Negroes.
He played Officer Daniel Rigg in Saw II, Saw III, and Saw IV.
Early Life[]
Martin Lyriq Bent was born in Kingston, Jamaica. At the age of 6, he and his family moved to Canada. He grew up in Toronto and later attended Seneca College in North York. After graduating with high honors, Bent began his career as a computer graphic technician. However, his plans were short-lived as he decided to take up acting on a dare.
Career[]
Since beginning his acting career in the early 2000s, Bent has starred in various lead and supporting roles in film and television. Before landing a co-starring role in the drama series Angela's Eyes, he guest-starred on the UPN series Kevin Hill opposite Taye Diggs and USA Network's Kojak opposite Ving Rhames. After appearing on several television shows, Playback Magazine listed him as one of Canada's top rising stars.
Bent attracted further attention when he co-starred as Officer Daniel Rigg in the horror films Saw II and Saw III. He later starred as one of the central characters in Saw IV.
From 2010 to 2014, he co-starred in the Canadian television series Rookie Blue, portraying Staff Sergeant Frank Best. Later, he portrayed Chekura Tiano in the television miniseries The Book of Negroes, based on the best-selling novel by Lawrence Hill. Bent won Best Actor in a Leading Dramatic Role for this role at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards.
He was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Lead Performance in a Web Program or Series at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022 for the web series For the Record.
Filmography[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Caveman's Valentine | Seraph Dancer |
| 2002 | Superbob | Lepke |
| Damaged Goods | Eddie Barrel | |
| 2003 | Crime Spree | Ellwood |
| Honey | Barber | |
| 2005 | The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico | Mr. Stuff |
| Four Brothers | Damian | |
| Saw II | Officer Daniel Rigg | |
| 2006 | Take the Lead | Easy |
| Skinwalkers | Doak | |
| Saw III | Officer Daniel Rigg | |
| 2007 | Saw IV | Officer Daniel Rigg |
| 2009 | Defendor | Wayne |
| 2010 | Mother's Day | Treshawn |
| Perception | Father | |
| 2012 | Home Again | Dunston Williams |
| 2013 | Queen City | Takiri |
| 2015 | Pay the Ghost | Jordan |
| 2016 | The Choir | Husband |
| 2018 | Love Jacked | Tyrell |
| Acrimony | Robert | |
| Nappily Ever After | Will | |
| 2019 | Benjamin | Greg |
| Astronaut | Jim Williams |
Television Series[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Relic Hunter | Quelch's Guard #2 |
| 2001 | Tracker | Bartender |
| 2002 | Street Time | Sergeant Danny Blackstone |
| 2001-2003 | Blue Murder | Keith Rose / Twist Ballard |
| 2003 | Platinum | Devon |
| Playmakers | ||
| 2003-2004 | Mutant X | Randall Blake / Harris |
| 2004 | 1-800-Missing | Dante |
| 2005 | Kojak | Billy Harris |
| 2004-2005 | Kevin Hill | Jack Johnson |
| 2006 | North/South | Joss Colley |
| Angela's Eyes | Leo Jetson | |
| 2007 | The Dresden Files | Jake |
| 2008 | CSI: Miami | Colin Madison |
| 2008-2009 | Sophie | Andre |
| 2009 | Guns | Ford Saunders |
| 2010 | Haven | Ray McBreen |
| 2013 | Rookie Blue Webisodes | Frank Best |
| 2010-2014 | Rookie Blue | Frank Best |
| 2015 | 12 Monkeys | Dr. Henri Toussaint |
| The Book of Negroes | Chekura Tiano | |
| 2016 | Coconut Hut | Desmond Kilpatrick |
| Shoot the Messenger | Kevin Lutz | |
| 2017 | Mary Kills People | Frank |
| 2018 | The Man in the High Castle | Mingus Jones |
| 2017-2019 | She's Gotta Have It | Jamie Overstreet |
| 2019 | The Affair | Paul |
| Carter | Joyce Boyle | |
| 2020 | For the Record | Stefan |
| 2021 | Delilah | Gordon Leighton |
| 2022 | Long Slow Exhale | Garrett Carter |
| Kid's Crew | Principal Drayton | |
| 2023 | The Rookie: Feds | Congressman Damien Roberts |
| Law & Order | Pastor Mike Butler |
Television Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Jane Doe | Rawlins |
| 2002 | Pretend You Don't See Her | Detective |
| 10,000 Black Men Named George | Disgruntled Man | |
| 2014 | A Day Late and a Dollar Short | Randall |
| The Good Sister | Investigator | |
| Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B | Barry Hankerson | |
| 2016 | Ladies Book Club | Carlyle |
| Group Home | Winnie | |
| 2021 | An Ice Wine Christmas | Declan Monroe |
| Our Christmas Journey | Rick |
Video Games[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Mafia III | Emmanuel Lazare |
Trivia[]
- Originally, Lyriq Bent auditioned for the role of drug dealer Xavier Chavez in Saw II. However, he was ultimately cast as Officer Rigg because the filmmakers wanted to avoid the racist stereotype of an African American drug dealer.
Gallery[]
External Links[]
Lyriq Bent on Wikipedia
Lyriq Bent at the Internet Movie Database
Lyriq Bent on Twitter
Lyriq Bent on Instagram