The young star defied all expectations as Dixon Wilson, a Kansas City-raised teen who moves to opulent Beverly Hills with his adopted family, doing his part to make "90210" the network's highest-rated series debut in its short history. For an actor who grew up as far away as one could from palm trees, palatial estates and Rodeo Drive, the feat was nothing less than astounding.
The son of African-American and Dominican parents, Tristan Paul Mack Wilds was born on July 15, 1989 in Staten Island, NY and discovered a love for acting at the age of four. Known by his friends as "Macky T," he landed his first big role in ninth grade, playing Lysander in a school production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It was not until 2003, however, when the J. Petrides High School alum began acting professionally, after landing a role in the miniseries "Miracle's Boys" (Noggin, 2005) as a bully who tormented a character played by his future "The Wire" co-star, Julito McCullum. Theater became Wilds next calling, where he was able to workshop with the versatile and talented Phylicia Rashad for The Roundabout Theater Company's production of "Stockholm Brooklyn," which played at the Cherry Lane Theater.
Three years after making his screen debut, Wilds played Jamal in the critically acclaimed feature, "Half Nelson" (2006), alongside Ryan Gosling (who nabbed a Best Actor Oscar nomination that year for his performance). The film focused on an inner-city teacher with a drug habit and was based on a short film by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who also wrote the movie's screenplay. That same year, Wilds appeared as Michael Lee, a young man left to take care of himself and his little brother in the critically lauded "The Wire" (2002- ), HBO's gritty drama about the Baltimore drug world.
Apart from acting, music played an integral part in Wilds' Hollywood career. The star appeared in three music videos in 2008 that included rapper Jay Z's "Roc Boys" (as "the nephew"), Lil' Flip's "Ghetto Mindstate," and Alicia Keys' "Teenage Love Affair." When asked whether he would pursue a music career, Wilds responded, "I sing and rap a little bit. I definitely write. I'm just seeing how (acting) g s and where it takes me, first."
The next destination for Wilds was truly a career-making role. "90210" centered on the Wilsons, a family who moves from Kansas City, KS to Beverly Hills and find themselves fishes out of water - much like the Walsh family from Minnesota in the first incarnation. The creators needed an actor who exuded the same lovable charm and teen idol looks as Priestley. Wilds and Canadian actress Shenae Grimes played the transplanted siblings and both helped make "90210" the CW networks highest-rated show ever, following its premiere in September 2008. Trumping even that network's other big hit, "Gossip Girl" (CW, 2007- ), the zip code series reclaimed its homecoming crown in primetime television and each cast member began to receive their own individual recognition.
Having already conquered the small screen, the versatile actor set his sights on film projects. In 2008, he acted in the film "Indelible," where he played a teen who showed signs of a deadly disease that also killed his father. That same year, Wilds was cast in "The Secret Life of Bees," a big screen adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's bestselling novel. Wilds' all-star cast mates included Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Sophie Okonedo, and singer Alicia Keys.