Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and its sequel, Friday After Next, and also appearing in The Hangover as "Black Doug". He was the voice of Boog in Open Season 2 (replacing Martin Lawrence). As of 2010, Epps was the executive producer on a documentary about the life story of a former member of Tupac Shakur's Outlawz, Napoleon: Life of an Outlaw. He is also known for playing Lloyd Jefferson "L.J." Wade in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) respectively.
Epps was born at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of Mary Reed and Tommy Epps. Epps and his family later moved to Roosevelt Island, New York. Epps' natural comedic ability was encouraged at an early age, and he began performing stand-up as a teenager at comedy clubs in Hollis, Queens. Epps moved to Atlanta where he worked at the Comedy Act Theater, before moving to Brooklyn to star in Def Comedy Jam in 1995. Epps ended up on the Def Comedy Jam tour and starred in two of HBO's Def Comedy Jam broadcasts.