Clifton Collins, Jr., stars as Thomas, a mysterious figure who is intimately connected to Sophia (Laura Innes) and the detainees at Inostranka in NBC’s new high-octane conspiracy thriller “The Event.”

From an early age, Collins was encouraged to pursue his artistic talents by his actor-grandfather who allowed him the opportunity to surround himself in the acting community. Born to a Mexican mother and a German father, Collins realized his diverse background coupled with strong intellect would provide for a unique quality rarely seen on screen.

No stranger to the small screen, Collins received an Emmy Award nomination for his role in the highly acclaimed miniseries “Thief,” in which he starred alongside Andre Braugher. He has also recurred on some of primetime’s highest-rated shows, including “24,” “The Shield” and “Alias.”

Collins’ passion for the art of acting keeps him drawn to both studio and independent features. As one of Hollywood’s busiest actors, he has starred in a variety of films including the Sundance hit “Sunshine Cleaning” with Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. He next starred alongside an all-star cast in the J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster “Star Trek,” in which he plays the Romulan, Ayel. He could also be seen in the action-packed film “Crank 2: High Voltage” as well as “Extract” (alongside Ben Affleck), the highly anticipated cult sequel “Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day,” and in Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers” (with Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman).

Collins’ other notable film credits include “Traffic” (directed by Steven Soderbergh), “Rules of Attraction” (directed by Roger Avary), “Tigerland” (directed by Joel Schumacher) and the Academy Award-nominated film “Capote,” for which he received an Alma Award nomination for Best Actor.

Collins next will appear alongside Oscar-winning actors Forest Whitaker and Adrien Brody in the Paul Scheuring-directed feature “The Experiment."