Local actor to appear with SC native Viola Davis in ‘How to Get Away with Murder’

You may recognize him from his recurring role as Coach Velazquez on the Starz television series “Crash,” or a number of guest starring roles on such shows as “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” or “Parenthood.”

But on Feb. 8, you’ll be able to catch Columbia native Nate Bynum when he guest stars on ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder,” alongside another South Carolina native, Viola Davis. Bynum is cast as Judge Maxwell Salinas in the episode entitled “Ask Him About Stella.”

Bynum said Davis was easy to work with and that “she takes her job very seriously.”

A graduate of Columbia High School, Bynum grew up in Columbia’s Roosevelt Village before moving to St. Andrews. His mom, brothers and sisters, as well as “hundreds of cousins” still live in the Columbia area.

He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting degree from Southern Illinois University, and has classical training as a Shakespearean actor. Bynum is an associate professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where he created the screen-acting program at UNLV.

After “How to Get Away With Murder,” Bynum says he hopes to get production started on a couple of scripts he’s written, and has read for parts in other television series, including “Nashville,” “The Resident,” and several pilots.