Ashton Durrand Sanders (born October 24, 1995)^[2] is an American actor best known for his portrayal of teenage Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight (2016). He has since acted in films such as The Equalizer 2 (2017), All Day and a Night (2020), and Judas and the Black Messiah (2020). He portrayed Bigger Thomas in Native Son (2019) and Bobby Brown in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022).

Sanders was born in Carson, California. He attended Grand Arts High School in Downtown Los Angeles, from which he graduated in 2013.^[3] He was studying towards a BFA at The Theatre School at DePaul University, before leaving after three years in 2016 to focus on his acting career.^[4][5]

Sanders made his film debut in The Retrieval, directed by Chris Eska.^[6] The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2013.^[7] It was released in a limited release on April 2, 2014, by Variance Films.^[8][9]

In 2015, Sanders had a small role in Straight Outta Compton.^[10] In 2016, he appeared in an episode of Refinery29's web series The Skinny.^[11]

The same year, Sanders appeared in the drama film Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins.^[12] The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016, and began a limited release on October 21, 2016, by A24.^[13][14] Moonlight received massive critical acclaim as well dozens of accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture – Drama.^[15] The film also won three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali.^[16] Sanders' role in the film was praised by critics;^[17] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian called his performance "powerful".^[18]

Sanders co-starred in The Equalizer 2, a sequel to the hit action film The Equalizer, opposite Denzel Washington.^[19] In 2019, Sanders starred in Rupert Wyatt's science fiction thriller film Captive State, opposite John Goodman and Vera Farmiga.^[20] He also played the lead in HBO's adaptation of the novel Native Son. In November 2020, he was set to star in The Things They Carried, a Vietnam war movie featuring an ensemble cast.^[21]

In September 2021, Sanders was cast as Bobby Brown in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, a biopic feature on Whitney Houston.^[22]