Life & Work with Tony Hale III

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Hale III.

Hi Tony, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My name is Tony Hale III, and I am a professional actor based out of Nashville, TN. I was born and raised by both my great-grandparents in Memphis, TN.

As a kid, I watched a variety of movies and TV shows with my great-grandfather. This included comedy, action, drama, etc. I saw myself as most of the characters I saw on TV, especially characters like Will Smith. It was then I knew I wanted to be an actor, but did not know where to start and later became discouraged about pursuing it. In high school, I took my very first theater class and was instructed by Dr. Niambi Webster, who was an amazing actor.

She told me that she wanted me to think about pursuing acting because she saw my potential. I auditioned for one of the biggest anticipated plays at my school called “The Pool of Life” and earned the lead role. After my performance, I became the biggest talker in the school and earned the nickname “Denzel.” Dr. Webster mentored me and molded me into an amazing young actor. I participated in more stage plays and acting competitions and continued to develop a love for the art.

Today, I have acted in two commercials, and a total of fourteen short films with much more upcoming. One of these films will be starring Eric Roberts, Ciara Hanna, Vincent M. Ward, Mike Finn, and Joe Dugan. My goal is to become the best actor I can be, in addition to networking with individuals in Nashville, Los Angeles, and so on.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So far, it has been a pretty smooth road for me personally. I will say, I have received a lot of no’s, which is normal in this industry, but I just continue to learn and grow. I have received more yes and no.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, I work as an AI consultant for one of the largest tech companies in the world and I am also a professional actor as well, which is the area I love the most. I earned my bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Tennessee in 2019, and am currently a student at Georgetown University and am about to graduate with my master’s in technology, in the fall of 2023. I am proud of these accomplishments because I am the first person in my family to ever earn a bachelor’s in business from a top business School and am the first to be accepted into a private University such as Georgetown.

The thing I am most proud of about my acting career is the amount of progression in such little time. I met some amazing filmmakers and actors in this industry and have completed a total of 14 short films in just 9 months as well as two commercials, with a lot more in progress as we speak. The thing that set me apart from others is my ability to always strive towards greatness and my ability to never give up on myself when things get difficult. Have I experienced hardships? Yes. Has this journey been difficult? Yes, but I keep my head high and trust in myself every single day.

What were you like growing up?
As a kid, it was tough growing up in the city of Memphis. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money, I didn’t grow up with a good foundation, and I didn’t fit in too well in my environment. I was always the kid that was deemed lame and not very bright. I was told by most of my peers, including most of my teachers, that I would never amount to anything in life. I actually believed that for a while. Despite that, I knew what I wanted in life, so what others thought didn’t mean much to me because I knew I was going to be better than everyone that doubted me. I always wanted a better life, however, I didn’t know what that was because I was so used to always seeing struggle. That changed when I was offered a life-changing opportunity at age 17.

The University of Tennessee offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embark on an experience very few get to have from my environment. I was able to see a different world, I knew absolutely nothing about. I was surrounded around bright individuals, business professionals, and great food, and even had the chance to learn about different areas of business, in addition to going into my very sky box, all at age 17. That is when it hit me. This is how I wanted to live my life when I grew up, and it has been exactly that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm14139913?s=eac38031-f6ba-fc00-4d9d-b00c0a7f018c&site_preference=normal
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/nZL09T-J2m0