Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Canada. His father worked as a drummer for the legendary musician Jerry Lee Lewis, and his mother, Sandy Graham, was an English teacher and floral designer.
His parents separated when he was five years old, and his mother took him to Toronto while his father returned to the US and settled in Memphis. Drake would occasionally visit him there.
He spent his childhood near Weston Road in a working-class neighborhood of the city. After sixth grade, his family moved to Forest Hill, a wealthier neighborhood in the city. Drake later dropped out of school but eventually earned his high school diploma in 2012.
In 2001, Drake began acting after a friend's father, who was an agent, got him a role in the Canadian drama series "Degrassi: The Next Generation." He played the role of Jimmy Brooks, a basketball player who becomes wheelchair-bound. The series ran for 145 episodes.
Over the years, he appeared in several other TV series, including "Soul Food," "Being Erica," and "Sophie." He also made guest appearances on "Beyond the Break," "Saturday Night Live," and "Punk'd." Additionally, he worked as a voice actor in the film "Ice Age: Continental Drift."
