Charles F. Porter, the British-born actor and producer known for the ESPN film Wendell Scott: A Race Story and the 2025 drama Finding Faith, has died at 47. His family said he died on Monday at his home in Calabasas, California, after living with Hodgkin lymphoma for 17 and a half years.
Porter’s death was shared by his family with The Hollywood Reporter and announced on Instagram by his wife, Candice Tab-Porter. Over two decades, he moved from guest spots on network television to producing faith-centred and holiday films for BET and BET+.
What We Know
According to The Hollywood Reporter and Forbes, Porter died at home in Calabasas on Monday. The cause was Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer he had been fighting for more than 17 years.
In her Instagram post, quoted by Forbes, Candice Tab-Porter wrote: “With a very heavy heart I wanted to share the passing of my husband Charles Frederick Porter.” She added that “he found beauty in the little things and never complained about his battle.” The Hollywood Reporter said the motto that guided him and his family was “Never Quit.”
Background
Born Charles Frederick Porter II on March 13, 1979, in Oxford, England, he moved with his family to Washington Depot, Connecticut, when he was three. He went on to play defensive tackle at Duke University, but a back injury ended his hopes of a professional football career and pushed him toward entertainment.
His screen career began in 2003 with a guest role on the UPN sitcom The Parkers. Guest appearances followed on several well-known network dramas, including House, Without a Trace and Bones. His film credits as an actor include Holla, Johnny Was and Peppermint.
His biggest role in front of the camera came in 2011, when he played the title part in Wendell Scott: A Race Story, an ESPN film about the pioneering Black NASCAR driver. Scott, who won a race in NASCAR’s top series in 1963, broke barriers in a sport that had long been closed to Black competitors, and the film gave Porter a lead role that drew on his own athletic background.
Over time, producing became the centre of his work. Rather than chasing bigger acting parts, he focused on building smaller, message-driven films and holiday movies for cable and streaming audiences, many of them for BET and BET+.
Behind the camera, Porter produced close to a dozen projects. Among them:
- Nailed (2006)
- Battered (2014)
- A Miracle Before Christmas (2022)
- Christmas Angel (2023)
- Grace Point (2023)
- Finding Faith (2025)
Finding Faith, written and directed by LazRael Lison, starred Paula Patton, Loretta Devine and Keith David. Porter produced the film and also took a supporting role, making it his last completed project.
What’s Next
Porter’s work is not quite finished. The Hollywood Reporter reports that he served as an executive producer and early investor on the upcoming feature Last Meals, which has yet to be released. No memorial details had been made public at the time of writing, and the family has not said whether a public service is planned. Friends and collaborators are expected to share tributes in the coming days as news of his death spreads.
Porter shared the small screen with many familiar faces during his guest-starring years. Read more about House star Jennifer Morrison, and our profiles of actors Brian Austin Green and Cole Hauser.