Born and raised in the village of Harlem, Roy's love for storytelling began as a child when his family purchased Stevie Wonder's magnum opus 'Songs in the Key of Life.' Moved by the lyrics and messages of its songs, it prompted a deep love for the power of words that first revealed itself in a desire to develop and hone skills as a public speaker.

It was those skills that he leveraged to become an actor before eventually seeking training. Roy's acting career began in 2007 at age 42 with a non-descriptive role in a regional commercial for a health care provider. Six months later, he was cast as a principal in a spot for 1 800 J LAW, a very popular commercial that ran for several years, primarily in the Northeast region of United States.