Derek Morgan, son of a Caucasian mother and an African American father, grew up in Chicago. At the age of ten, he witnessed how his father was shot, which meant that Derek came off the rails and was brought in conflict with the law.

At that time, Derek visited a youth centre regularly, where Carl Buford took him as his protege and encouraged his talent for football. Years later, in the episode The Lost Children, it turns out that Carl was abusing the children. Yet Derek attended Northwestern University in Chicago on a football scholarship. After graduation, he started as a police officer at the Chicago Police Department.

In the course of his service there, he was also part of the bomb disposal squad. In addition, Morgan was operating undercover for a year and a half, which aids him in putting himself in the criminal’s shoes.

He later switched to the Behavioural Analysis Unit and worked there together with Hotchner. The athletic Derek has a black belt in Judo and teaches self-defence in Quantico, the FBI Academy training. Morgan was considered for head of the FBI office in New York but this fell through.

After Jason Gideon had built for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU unit) and Aaron Hotchner joined this unit, Morgan followed him. Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan (played by Shemar Moore) in the series Criminal Minds is an expert in compulsive personality disorders in the investigative team of the BAU. Morgan is very strongly engaged professionally, which means that he hardly ever has time for his personal life.

Like many of his colleagues, the handsome Derek does not succeed in maintaining steady relationships. The women usually end a relationship quickly because they have no desire to compete with Derek's work. Also, it is very difficult if the partner has irregular hours and constantly needs to leave on long business trips. Derek's colleagues are his family, and he has a close brotherly relationship with computer specialist Penelope Garcia.

He also has a close relationship with Dr. Reid, even though he often makes jokes at the expense of his colleague. This is not meant maliciously, and Reid is not always the targeted one. Nevertheless, the two get along very well and the profiler always has time for when Spencer wants to talk to him.

Derek Morgan is always ready to break down a door or jump off a balcony. The daredevil is also always willing to become involved in dangerous situations, for example, jumping out of a in order to capture a fleeting suspect.

After his boss had killed the serial killer Reaper in a duel, he focused on his private life to provide for his son, whose mother had been killed by the Reaper. As a result, Derek Morgan is offered the directorship of the BAU team. He accepts the offer with the condition that the management is transferred back to Aaron Hotchner, once he returns to the unit.

You may find all episodes of the series Criminal Minds here.