Abner Genece is an award-winning actor of Haitian descent

Biography

Genece was born in Waltham, Massachusetts

Waltham, Massachusetts

Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...

, but was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

 and Miami, Florida

Miami, Florida

Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

. He studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts

American Academy of Dramatic Arts

The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...

 and has made numerous appearances on television in such series as "Malcolm & Eddie" and "The District." However, he has received his most acclaim for his work in the theatre. He received an NAACP Theatre Award for his portrayal of Haitian leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was a leader of the Haitian Revolution and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1801 constitution. Initially regarded as Governor-General, Dessalines later named himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti...

 in the first installment of "For the Love of Freedom," playwright Levy Lee Simon's

Levy Lee Simon

Levy Lee Simon is an award-winning American playwright perhaps best known for his trilogy about the struggle for Haitian independence, For the Love of Freedom.-Biography:...

trilogy about the Haitian revolt. Genece was also honored with a Maddy Award for his lead performance in "Othello."