Lionel was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended Howard University in Washington DC. Aside from appearing in various films and televisions shows. Lionel has appeared in dozens of commercials, some include - UPS, State Farm, Jennie-O, Buffalo Wild Wings, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Georgia State Lottery, Toyota to name a few. Lionel has also appeared in print campaigns for Mini Cooper, Massimo, Pool Safely and Wells Fargo to name a few.
Played semi-pro football. As a star wide receiver he was offered pro contracts by The World League which is the now defunct NFL Europe, CFL and NFL when he decided to pursue acting.