Cirroc Lofton was born on August 7, 1978, in Los Angeles, California. He began his acting career at the age of nine, appearing in minor roles before gaining recognition for his portrayal of Jake Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine from 1993 to 1999.

     Beyond Star Trek, Lofton starred in the Showtime drama The Hoop Life, playing professional basketball player Curtis Thorpe. He also had a recurring role as law student Anthony Carter in Soul Food and appeared in CSI: Miami in 2006. His film credits include Beethoven (1992) and Trekkies 2 (2004).

     Lofton is a distant relative of Major League Baseball player Kenny Lofton. His mother named him after the "Book of Cirroc," which means "genius" in Amharic. He was married to Sara Lofton from 2011 to 2015, and they have a daughter. In recent years, Lofton has been involved in podcasting, co-hosting The 7th Rule, a Star Trek-focused podcast.