Charles F. Porter, the actor and producer known for backing the 2025 film Finding Faith and playing the titular NASCAR phenom in ESPN’s Wendell Scott: A Race Story, died on Monday after a long battle with cancer. His passing was announced by his wife, Candice Tab-Porter. He was 47.
Porter was a multihyphenate in more ways than one. Born in the U.K., he went to college at Duke, where he played defensive end on the school’s football team. After a back injury derailed his NFL hopes, Porter dropped 65 pounds and became an actor.
In the early 2000s, he made appearances on The Parkers, Close to Home, Without a Trace, Bones and House.
In 2011, he landed the lead in Wendell Scott: A Race Story. The ESPN TV movie was based on the story of Wendell Scott, who in 1963 became the first and only African-American to ever win a NASCAR Cup race. Porter was the lead.
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He was also the lead and a producer on Image Entertainment’s 2006 horror thriller Nailed. Additionally, he had a small part in STX’s Jennifer Garner vehicle Peppermint.
Last year, Porter produced Lifetime’s Finding Faith starring Paula Patton, Stephen Bishop, Keith David and Nadine Velazquez. He also had a small part in the film as a bartender.
Porter is survived by his wife, Candice, and two daughters, Juliette and Layla.