Blair Underwood
Encyclopedia
Blair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law
, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award
nominations, three NAACP Image Awards and 1 Grammy Award
. In recent years, he has appeared on The New Adventures of Old Christine
, Dirty Sexy Money
and In Treatment
and was in NBC's The Event.
, Washington, the son of Marilyn Ann, an interior decorator, and Frank E. Underwood, Sr., a United States Army
colonel
. As a result of his father's military career, Underwood lived on bases
in the United States and Stuttgart, Germany, during his childhood. Blair attended Petersburg High School in Petersburg
, Virginia. He went on to attend the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania, and is an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma
fraternity.
Underwood's feature film debut was the 1985 movie Krush Groove
. His 1985 appearance on The Cosby Show
landed him a short stint on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live
, which eventually led to his performance on the TV series L.A. Law
, where he appeared from 1987 to 1994. In 1996 Underwood was featured in the July issue of Playgirl
.
Underwood broke into film with roles in Just Cause
(1995), Set It Off
(1996) and Deep Impact
(1998). He also had a supporting role as a geneticist in Gattaca
. In 2000, he played the lead role in the short-lived television series City of Angels. In 2003, he guest starred in four episodes on the HBO series Sex and the City
playing Cynthia Nixon
's love interest. In 2004, he played the role of Roger De Souza opposite Heather Locklear
in NBC's LAX
. He gained acclaim as the sexy grade school teacher in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine
opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus
for two years. In 2007, he guest starred in an episode of the NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
. His latest role is as the recurring character Alex in the HBO series In Treatment
.
Underwood has received three NAACP Image Awards, for his film work in Rules of Engagement
, and his television work in L.A. Law
, City of Angels, Murder in Mississippi
and Mama Flora's Family
.
Underwood was voted one of People
's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2000, and one of TV Guide
's "Most Influential Faces of the 90s".
In 2007, Underwood co-authored the novel Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel with husband-and-wife team Steven Barnes
and Tananarive Due
.
In 2010–2011, Underwood portrayed United States President Elias Martinez in the NBC
drama series The Event, which premiered in Fall 2010.
Underwood portrays the role of "Mark" in "The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible," a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatized audio New Testament which uses the RSV-CE translation.
Underwood is a part of several charitable organizations. He won the 1993 Humanitarian Award for his work with the Los Angeles chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association
. In 2003, along with Ashley Judd
, he served as the spokesperson for YouthAIDS. Underwood also appeared in a 2004 public service announcement
for The Fulfillment Fund. He is a Trustee for the Robey Theatre Company
in Los Angeles, a non-profit theatre group founded by Danny Glover
, focusing on plays about the Black
experience.
He supported President Barack Obama
's candidacy and spoke at campaign rallies for Obama. Underwood got to know Obama while researching his L.A. Law role at Harvard Law School
, while Obama was president of the Harvard Law Review
.
Underwood had also taken a DNA test from African Ancestry.com and found out that he is a descendant of the Igbo people
of southeastern Nigeria.
On September 17, 1994, he married Desiree DaCosta, with whom he has three children, Paris, 14, Brielle, 12, and Blake, 10.
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nominations, three NAACP Image Awards and 1 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. In recent years, he has appeared on The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
, Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money
Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment...
and In Treatment
In Treatment
In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
and was in NBC's The Event.
Early life
Underwood was born in TacomaTacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, Washington, the son of Marilyn Ann, an interior decorator, and Frank E. Underwood, Sr., a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. As a result of his father's military career, Underwood lived on bases
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
in the United States and Stuttgart, Germany, during his childhood. Blair attended Petersburg High School in Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, Virginia. He went on to attend the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
The Carnegie Mellon School of Drama is the oldest degree-granting drama program in the United States, founded in 1914 as a division of the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania, and is an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
fraternity.
Career
Krush Groove
Krush Groove is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz . This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons , portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut...
. His 1985 appearance on The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
landed him a short stint on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, which eventually led to his performance on the TV series L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, where he appeared from 1987 to 1994. In 1996 Underwood was featured in the July issue of Playgirl
Playgirl
Playgirl is a print quarterly adult magazine published in the United States that is marketed mainly to heterosexual women, but has also gained a considerable gay following...
.
Underwood broke into film with roles in Just Cause
Just Cause (film)
Just Cause is a 1995 film directed by Arne Glimcher and starring Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne. It is based on John Katzenbach's novel of the same name.-Plot:...
(1995), Set It Off
Set It Off
Set It Off is a 1996 action and crime film directed by F. Gary Gray, and stars Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise , as four close friends in Los Angeles, California who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery...
(1996) and Deep Impact
Deep Impact (film)
Deep Impact is a 1998 science-fiction disaster-drama film released by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks in the United States on May 8, 1998. The film was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Téa Leoni, and Morgan Freeman...
(1998). He also had a supporting role as a geneticist in Gattaca
Gattaca
Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law with supporting roles played by Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin....
. In 2000, he played the lead role in the short-lived television series City of Angels. In 2003, he guest starred in four episodes on the HBO series Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
playing Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Ellen Nixon is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series Sex and the City . She has received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award....
's love interest. In 2004, he played the role of Roger De Souza opposite Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
in NBC's LAX
LAX (TV series)
LAX is a television drama set at the Los Angeles International Airport and draws its name from the airport's IATA airport code, "LAX".-Synopsis:...
. He gained acclaim as the sexy grade school teacher in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
for two years. In 2007, he guest starred in an episode of the NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
. His latest role is as the recurring character Alex in the HBO series In Treatment
In Treatment
In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on...
.
Underwood has received three NAACP Image Awards, for his film work in Rules of Engagement
Rules of Engagement (film)
Rules of Engagement is a 2000 American film directed by William Friedkin and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson plays Marine Colonel Terry Childers, who is brought to court-martial on charges of disobeying the rules of engagement in a military incident at an American embassy...
, and his television work in L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, City of Angels, Murder in Mississippi
Murder in Mississippi
Murder in Mississippi is a 1990 television movie which dramatized the last weeks of civil rights activists Michael "Mickey" Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney, and the events leading up to their disappearance and subsequent murder in the summer of 1964. It starred Tom Hulce as Schwerner,...
and Mama Flora's Family
Mama Flora's Family
Mama Flora's Family is a novel by Alex Haley. The story begins with Flora, a daughter of poor black sharecroppers at her home in Mississippi...
.
Underwood was voted one of People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2000, and one of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
's "Most Influential Faces of the 90s".
In 2007, Underwood co-authored the novel Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel with husband-and-wife team Steven Barnes
Steven Barnes
Steven Barnes is an African American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician....
and Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due is an American author.-Biography:Tananarive Priscilla Due was born in Tallahassee, Florida, the oldest of three daughters of civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due and civil rights lawyer John D. Due Jr...
.
In 2010–2011, Underwood portrayed United States President Elias Martinez in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
drama series The Event, which premiered in Fall 2010.
Underwood portrays the role of "Mark" in "The Truth & Life Dramatized audio New Testament Bible," a 22-hour, celebrity-voiced, fully dramatized audio New Testament which uses the RSV-CE translation.
Personal life
In 1989, Underwood co-founded Artists for a New South Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to democracy and equality in South Africa.Underwood is a part of several charitable organizations. He won the 1993 Humanitarian Award for his work with the Los Angeles chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is an American organization which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public...
. In 2003, along with Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
, he served as the spokesperson for YouthAIDS. Underwood also appeared in a 2004 public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
for The Fulfillment Fund. He is a Trustee for the Robey Theatre Company
Robey Theatre Company
Robey Theatre Company is a Los Angeles-based non-profit theatre company.- History :Robey Theatre Company was founded in 1994 by Danny Glover and Ben Guillory. It takes its name from the pioneering Black actor and activist, Paul Robeson...
in Los Angeles, a non-profit theatre group founded by Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
, focusing on plays about the Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
experience.
He supported President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's candidacy and spoke at campaign rallies for Obama. Underwood got to know Obama while researching his L.A. Law role at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, while Obama was president of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
.
Underwood had also taken a DNA test from African Ancestry.com and found out that he is a descendant of the Igbo people
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
of southeastern Nigeria.
On September 17, 1994, he married Desiree DaCosta, with whom he has three children, Paris, 14, Brielle, 12, and Blake, 10.
Films
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Krush Groove Krush Groove Krush Groove is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz . This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons , portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut... |
Russell Walker | |
| 1992 | Jesus | Also director | |
| 1993 | Posse Posse (1993 film) Posse is a 1993 American Western film directed by and starring Mario Van Peebles. Featuring a large ensemble cast of mostly African-American actors, the film is about a posse of black soldiers and one ostracized white soldier, who are all betrayed by a corrupt colonel. The title of the film refers... |
Carver | |
| 1995 | Just Cause Just Cause (film) Just Cause is a 1995 film directed by Arne Glimcher and starring Sean Connery and Laurence Fishburne. It is based on John Katzenbach's novel of the same name.-Plot:... |
Bobby Earl | |
| 1996 | Mistrial | Lieutenant C. Hodges | |
| 1996 | Set It Off Set It Off Set It Off is a 1996 action and crime film directed by F. Gary Gray, and stars Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise , as four close friends in Los Angeles, California who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery... |
Keith Weston | |
| 1997 | Gattaca Gattaca Gattaca is a 1997 science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law with supporting roles played by Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin.... |
Geneticist | |
| 1998 | Asunder | Chance Williams | |
| 1998 | Deep Impact Deep Impact (film) Deep Impact is a 1998 science-fiction disaster-drama film released by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks in the United States on May 8, 1998. The film was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Téa Leoni, and Morgan Freeman... |
Mark Simon | |
| 1999 | Magic Man | ||
| 2000 | Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement (film) Rules of Engagement is a 2000 American film directed by William Friedkin and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson plays Marine Colonel Terry Childers, who is brought to court-martial on charges of disobeying the rules of engagement in a military incident at an American embassy... |
Capt. Lee | |
| 2002 | Truth Be Told | Det. Harris | |
| 2002 | G G (2002 film) G is a film released in 2002 by Christopher Scott Cherot. It made its worldwide premiere on May 10, 2002 at the Tribeca Film Festival in USA. It made its theatrical premiere on October 28, 2005 in the US, more than 3 years from its initial premiere. Since then, it has been released on DVD in Spain,... |
Chip Hightower | |
| 2002 | Full Frontal Full Frontal (film) Full Frontal is a 2002 film by Steven Soderbergh, about a day in the life of people in Hollywood. The film, starring Catherine Keener, David Duchovny, Julia Roberts, Mary McCormack and David Hyde Pierce was shot on digital video in under a month using the Canon XL-1s... |
Nicholas/Calvin | |
| 2003 | Malibu's Most Wanted Malibu's Most Wanted Malibu's Most Wanted is a 2003 comedic feature film written by and starring Jamie Kennedy and co-starring Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, and Regina Hall.... |
Tom Gibbons | |
| 2004 | Fronterz | (unknown role) | |
| 2004 | Do Geese See God? | Man | |
| 2005 | Straight Out of Compton 2 | Hen | Also producer |
| 2005 | Gregory Fletcher/The Golden Blaze | Animated | |
| 2006 | Something New Something New (film) Something New is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri. The screenplay by Kriss Turner focuses on interracial relationships and traditional African American family values and social customs.-Plot:... |
Mark Harper | |
| 2006 | Madea's Family Reunion Madea's Family Reunion Madea's Family Reunion is a 2006 comedy-drama film adaptation of the stage production of the same name written by Tyler Perry and sequel to Diary of a Mad Black Woman. It was written and directed by Perry, who also played several characters, including Mabel "Madea" Simmons... |
Carlos | |
| 2007 | Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience is a 2007 American documentary film directed by Richard E. Robbins, which portrays the lives and experiences of American combat soldiers who have been to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.-Production:... |
Voice role | |
| 2007 | Hen | ||
| 2011 | Principal Bill Martinson |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Knight Rider | Potts | |
| 1985 | Robert (Denise's Friend) | Uncredited | |
| 1985 | Mark | ||
| 1985–86 | One Life to Live One Life to Live One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social... |
Bobby Blue | |
| 1987 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King Scarecrow and Mrs. King Scarecrow and Mrs. King is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987 on CBS. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner as divorced housewife Amanda King and top-level "Agency" operative Lee Stetson who begin a strange association, and eventual romance,... |
Stillman | |
| 1987 | 21 Jump Street 21 Jump Street 21 Jump Street is an American police procedural crime drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focused on a squad of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating crimes in high schools,... |
Reginald Brooks | |
| 1987–94 | L.A. Law L.A. Law L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,... |
Jonathan Rollins | |
| 1988 | Mickey's 60th Birthday Mickey's 60th Birthday Mickey's 60th Birthday is the 1988 television special broadcast on the Walt Disney anthology television series on November 13, 1988 on NBC. As the title suggests, it was produced for the 60th anniversary of the Mickey Mouse character... |
Jonathan Rollins | Television special Television special A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular... |
| 1989 | Horace Bouchet | Television film | |
| 1990 | Murder in Mississippi Murder in Mississippi Murder in Mississippi is a 1990 television movie which dramatized the last weeks of civil rights activists Michael "Mickey" Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney, and the events leading up to their disappearance and subsequent murder in the summer of 1964. It starred Tom Hulce as Schwerner,... |
James Chaney | Television film |
| 1990 | Heat Wave Heat Wave (1990 film) Heat Wave is a 1990 American action-thriller television film directed by Kevin Hooks and starring Blair Underwood, Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones, Margaret Avery, and David Strathairn.-Cast:* Blair Underwood as Robert Richardson... |
Robert Richardson | Television film |
| 1991 | Zelmer Collier | ||
| 1993 | Story of a People | Host | Miniseries Miniseries A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term... |
| 1993 | Father & Son: Dangerous Relations | Jared Williams | Television film; also associate producer |
| 1996 | Soul of the Game Soul of the Game Soul of the Game is a 1996 made-for-television movie about Negro league baseball.It starred Blair Underwood as Jackie Robinson, Delroy Lindo as Satchel Paige and Mykelti Williamson as Josh Gibson. The film depicts Paige and Gibson as the pitching and hitting stars, respectively, of the Negro... |
Jackie Robinson | Television film |
| 1996–97 | High Incident High Incident High Incident is a police drama series produced by DreamWorks Television for the ABC network. The show was created by Steven Spielberg, Michael Pavone, Eric Bogosian and Dave Alan Johnson... |
Michael Rhoades | |
| 1998 | Mama Flora's Family Mama Flora's Family Mama Flora's Family is a novel by Alex Haley. The story begins with Flora, a daughter of poor black sharecroppers at her home in Mississippi... |
Willie | Miniseries |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Dr. Ben Turner | |
| 2003–04 | Sex and the City Sex and the City Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes... |
Dr. Robert Leeds | |
| 2004–05 | Fatherhood Fatherhood (TV series) Fatherhood is an American animated television series revolving around the Bindlebeep family and various happenings, inspired by the book of the same name by Bill Cosby. This was Nick at Nite's first original animated series. It has aired on Nick at Nite and Nickelodeon. It was canceled in... |
Dr. Arthur Bindlebeep | Animated |
| 2004–05 | LAX LAX (TV series) LAX is a television drama set at the Los Angeles International Airport and draws its name from the airport's IATA airport code, "LAX".-Synopsis:... |
Roger De Souza | |
| 2006 | Covert One: The Hades Factor Covert One: The Hades Factor Covert One: The Hades Factor is a made-for-TV thriller filmed in Toronto that first aired in 2006... |
Palmer Addison | Miniseries |
| 2006–08 | Mr. Harris | ||
| 2007 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Miles Sennett | |
| 2007 | Dirty Sexy Money Dirty Sexy Money Dirty Sexy Money is an American prime time drama series created by Craig Wright, which ran on the ABC from September 26, 2007 to August 8, 2009. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Bad Hat Harry Productions, Berlanti Television and Gross Entertainment... |
Simon Elder | |
| 2008 | In Treatment In Treatment In Treatment is an American HBO drama, produced and developed by Rodrigo Garcia, about a psychologist, 50-something Dr. Paul Weston, and his weekly sessions with patients, as well as those with his own therapist at the end of the week. The program, which stars Gabriel Byrne as Paul, debuted on... |
Alex | HBO series |
| 2010–11 | President Elias Martinez | Main cast |
Awards/nominations
- Golden Globes
- 2009, Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series or Mini-Series or Television Special: "In Treatment" (Nominated)
- 1991, Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series or Mini-Series or Television Special: "L.A. Law" (Nominated)
- Grammy Awards
- 2009, Best Spoken Word Album: "An Inconvenient Truth" (Winner)
- Image Awards
- 2011, Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: "The Event" (Nominated)
- 2009, Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: "In Treatment" (Nominated)
- 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: "Dirty, Sexy, Money" (Nominated)
- 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (Nominated)
- 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: "Dirty, Sexy, Money" (Nominated)
- 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (Nominated)
- 2005, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: "Sex & the City" (Nominated)
- 2004, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: "Sex & the City" (Nominated)
- 2001, Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: "City of Angels" (Winner)
- 2001, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Rules of Engagement (Winner)
- 1999, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Dramatic Special: Mamma's Flora's Family (Winner)
- 1997, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Dramatic Special: Soul of the Game" (Nominated)
- 1997, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Set It Off (Nominated)