Blair Underwood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blair Underwood | |
|---|---|
 Blair Underwood at the 41st Emmy Awards |
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| Born | August 25, 1964 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Years active | 1985 - |
| Spouse(s) | Desiree DaCosta |
| Official website | |
Blair Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American television and film actor.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Underwood was born in Tacoma, Washington, the son of Marilyn, an interior decorator, and Frank Underwood, a United States Army colonel.[1] As a result of his father's military career, Underwood lived on bases in the United States and Germany during his childhood.[2] 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, Inc.
[edit] Career
Blair Underwood has distinguished himself as an award-winning actor/director/producer who continues to showcase his multitude of talents in the world of film, television, theatre and literature.
Underwood recently shot his feature directorial debut in Pittsburgh, the independent drama Bridge to Nowhere. The film, which stars Danny Masterson, Bijou Phillips and Ving Rhames, is the story of four blue-collar twenty-something men from North Pittsburgh who team up with a destitute prostitute to create a high-priced escort service. The dark story follows their rise and inevitable spiraling descent.
Underwood will be seen in three high-profile television projects in the coming season. He will star opposite Donald Sutherland, Peter Krause and William Baldwin in ABC’s highly-anticipated drama Dirty Sexy Money – as Simon Elder, a billionaire who tangles with the fictional Darling family. He will also star as a navy fighter pilot opposite Gabriel Byrne in HBO’s new drama series In Treatment. Additionally, he will reprise his recurring role of Mr. Harris opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the CBS’ award-winning comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine. Additionally, he is producing the TLC series Easy Money with his partner Tommy Morgan Jr. for their new Intrepid Inc. television production company. The first order of the series will follow a group of lottery winners in St. Louis, Missouri – coworkers at a social services office – who went from modest lifestyles to multimillionaire status. The viewer will see how their newfound fortune is affecting their lives for better or worse. Intrepid Inc. has several projects in development. He’s also co-executive producing the upcoming reality competition Stage Black for TV One.
This July he recently returned to the literary world – co-authoring the erotic detective novel Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Story with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes. The Atria fiction book has already been named the Essence Book of the Month pick and has been getting rave reviews from readers and critics.
Last year, Underwood starred in two films. He played an abusive boyfriend in Madea’s Family Reunion (Lion’s Gate) -- the smash sequel to Tyler Perry’s hit Diary of a Mad Black Woman and the ‘IBM’ (Ideal Black Man) in Something New (Focus Features) – the romantic comedy costarring Sanaa Lathan.
Underwood recently portrayed Jesus in the audio book The Bible Experience. Since its release in October 2006 it has become the No. 1 audio Bible in history.
In five episodes of the last season of HBO’s hit series Sex & the City, Underwood played Robert Leeds, the NY Knicks team doctor who romanced his neighbor Miranda. His portrayal earned him two NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
In the independent film world, Underwood starred in and produced the independent drama How Did It Feel? He also starred in the independent films G and Truth Be Told. Additionally, Underwood is in pre-production on My Soul To Keep, a supernatural thriller based on the novel by Tananarive Due (Fox Searchlight), that he will star in and produce. He also starred in amazon.com’s short film Do Geese See God.
In 2004, Underwood had a workshop/tour of his one-man show IM4: From the Mountaintop to Hip Hop. The play, which he created and conceived and was written by his brother, was the story of a rap mogul who gets gunned down. During his heavenly journey, the mogul meets the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Underwood played eight characters in all.
He co-starred in the Warner Bros. comedy Malibu's Most Wanted and was the male lead opposite Julia Roberts in Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal. Underwood starred as a Marine captain in William Friedkin's Rules of Engagement, for which he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Film. That same year he won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his starring role in Steven Bochco's City of Angels. In 2000, People magazine named him one of its “50 Most Beautiful People” and in 2004 named him one of the “Sexiest Men Alive.”
Underwood's other film credits include his portrayals of a space shuttle flight navigator in the Paramount/DreamWorks hit Deep Impact, a death row inmate in Warner Bros.' Just Cause, a geneticist in Columbia’s Gattaca, a sheriff in Posse, and a corporate banker in New Line’s Set It Off. He received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a motion picture for the latter role.
As director, executive producer, writer and star of the dramatic short The Second Coming, Underwood played Jesus Christ returning to earth. In addition, he produced and starred in the independent thriller Asunder and the short film Sister, I’m Sorry. He also has five music videos to his directing credit.
Underwood grew up an “Army brat,” living in cities all over the world, but he calls Virginia his home. He burst into the national spotlight with his confident and passionate portrayal of lawyer Jonathan Rollins in the NBC hit series L.A. Law. The role also earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Additionally, TV Guide singled him out as one of “The Top Stars of the 90s.” Underwood starred in CBS’ top-rated 1998 dramatic miniseries, Mama Flora’s Family, which was based on Alex Haley’s last book. The performance earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie/Miniseries. Underwood won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Television Movie for NBC's Murder in Mississippi and starred as Jackie Robinson in HBO’s Soul of the Game, for which he received another NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie/Miniseries. Underwood also starred in Showtime's The Wishing Tree and TNT’s award-winning Heat Wave. He also starred in a recent powerful episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as an abusive husband who sets his wife on fire, opposite Heather Locklear in the NBC drama LAX and the CBS miniseries The Hades Factor.
His theater credits include the recent New York revival of the award-winning musical, Purlie, Measure for Measure, at the 1993 New York Shakespeare Festival, El Negro en Peru, The Game of Love and Chance, and Love Letters opposite Alfre Woodard.
Underwood is involved in numerous charitable organizations. His dedicated support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association won him the 1993 Humanitarian Award, presented by the Los Angeles Chapter of MDA. In 2003 Underwood, along with Ashley Judd, served as the spokesperson for YouthAIDS and in 2004 he appeared in a public service announcement for The Fulfillment Fund. He is also co-founder of Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA). Founded in 1989 with Alfre Woodard, Danny Glover, Mary Steenburgen, CCH Pounder and other friends in the arts and entertainment community, ANSA supports a democratic South Africa with equal rights and opportunities for all citizens.
In fall 2005, Underwood published a non-fiction bestseller called Before I Got Here (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, Inc.). The book is a collection of stories and anecdotes from parents that speak to the existence of a child’s soul prior to birth.
He recently returned from an African safari with his family.
[edit] 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. 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.[3] 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 supports Senator Barack Obama's presidential candidacy and has recently spoken at campaign rallies for Obama.
On September 17, 1994, he married Desiree DaCosta, with whom he has three children: sons Paris and Blake, and daughter Brielle.[4]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Krush Groove | Russell Walker | |
| 1992 | The Second Coming | Jesus | Also director |
| 1993 | Posse | Carver | |
| 1995 | Just Cause | Bobby Earl | |
| 1996 | Mistrial | Lieutenant C. Hodges | |
| Set It Off | Keith Weston | ||
| 1997 | Gattaca | Geneticist | |
| 1998 | Asunder | Chance Williams | |
| Deep Impact | Mark Simon | ||
| 1999 | The Wishing Tree | Magic Man | |
| 2000 | Rules of Engagement | Capt. Lee | |
| 2002 | Truth Be Told | Det. Harris | |
| G | Chip Hightower | ||
| Full Frontal | Nicholas/Calvin | ||
| 2003 | Malibu's Most Wanted | Tom Gibbons | |
| 2004 | Fronterz | (unknown role) | |
| Do Geese See God? | Man | ||
| 2005[5] | Straight Out of Compton 2 | Hen | Also producer |
| The Golden Blaze | Gregory Fletcher/The Golden Blaze | Animated | |
| 2006 | Something New | Mark Harper | |
| Madea's Family Reunion | Carlos | ||
| 2007 | Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience | (voice) | |
| 2008 | The Legend of Spyro:Dawn of the Dragon | Hunter of Avalar (Voice) |
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Knight Rider | Potts | |
| The Cosby Show | Denise's Friend | Uncredited | |
| The Cosby Show | Mark | ||
| 1985-1986 | One Life to Live | Bobby Blue | |
| 1987 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Stillman | |
| 21 Jump Street | Reginald Brooks | ||
| 1987-1994 | L.A. Law | Jonathan Rollins | |
| 1988 | Mickey's 60th Birthday | Jonathan Rollins | Television special |
| 1989 | The Cover Girl and the Cop | Horace Bouchet | Television movie |
| 1990 | Murder in Mississippi | James Chaney | Television movie |
| Heat Wave | Bob Richardson | Television movie | |
| 1991 | A Different World | Zelmer Collier | |
| 1993 | Story of a People | Host | Miniseries |
| Father & Son: Dangerous Relations | Jared Williams | Television movie Also associate producer |
|
| 1996 | Soul of the Game | Jackie Robinson | Television movie |
| 1996-1997 | High Incident | Michael Rhoades | |
| 1998 | Mama Flora's Family | Willie | Miniseries |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Dr. Ben Turner | |
| 2003-2004 | Sex and the City | Dr. Robert Leeds | |
| 2004-2005 | Fatherhood | Dr. Arthur Bindlebeep | Animated |
| LAX | Roger De Souza | ||
| 2006 | Covert One: The Hades Factor | Palmer Addison | Miniseries |
| 2006-2008 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Mr. Harris | |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Miles Sennett | |
| Dirty Sexy Money | Simon Elder | ||
| 2008 | In Treatment | Alex | HBO series |
[edit] References
- ^ Blair Underwood Biography (1964-)
- ^ NPR. A Conversation with Blair Underwood. Retrieved on 7 January 2007.
- ^ blairunderwood.com. Difference. Retrieved on 7 January 2007.
- ^ imdb.com. Biography for Blair Underwood. Retrieved on 7 January 2007.
- ^ imdb.com. The Golden Blaze (2005) (V). Retrieved on 20 January 2007.
Celtic FC
[edit] External links
- Blair Underwood at the Internet Movie Database
- Official Website
- ANSA: Artists For A New South Africa
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Underwood, Blair |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 25, 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
