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Laurence Fishburne

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Laurence Fishburne
Fishburne in 2017
Born
Laurence John Fishburne III

(1961-07-30) July 30, 1961 (age 63)
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
Years active1972–present
Spouses
Hajna O. Moss
​
​
(m. 1985, divorced)​
​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2018)​
Children3, including Langston Fishburne

Laurence John Fishburne III[1] (born July 30, 1961; usually credited as Larry Fishburne until 1993) is an American actor. He is a three-time Emmy Award and Tony Award winner known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative characters in his films.[2] He is known for playing Morpheus in The Matrix series (1999–2003), Jason "Furious" Styles in the John Singleton drama film Boyz n the Hood (1991), Tyrone "Mr. Clean" Miller in Francis Ford Coppola's war film Apocalypse Now (1979), and "The Bowery King" in the John Wick film series (2017–present).

For his portrayal of Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Fishburne was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in Two Trains Running (1992), and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in TriBeCa (1993). Fishburne became the first African American to portray Othello on film when he appeared in Oliver Parker's 1995 film adaptation of the Shakespeare play. He has also received five Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. He received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead nomination for his performance in Deep Cover (1992).

Other film credits of Fishburne include Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple (1985), Spike Lee's School Daze (1988), Abel Ferrara's King of New York (1990), Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Steven Soderbergh's Contagion (2011), and Richard Linklater's Last Flag Flying (2017). He has also gained a wider audience with the blockbuster films Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). On television, he starred as Dr. Raymond Langston on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2008–2011), and as Special Agent Jack Crawford in the NBC thriller series Hannibal (2013–2015), as well as having a recurring role as Earl "Pops" Johnson in the ABC sitcom Black-ish (2014–2022). He is currently starring in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's play American Buffalo alongside Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss.

Early life

Fishburne was born in Augusta, Georgia, the son of Hattie Bell (née Crawford), a junior high school mathematics and science teacher, and Laurence John Fishburne, Jr., a juvenile corrections officer.[3] After his parents divorced during his childhood, he moved with his mother to Brooklyn, New York, where he was raised. His father saw him once a month.[4][5] Fishburne is a graduate of Lincoln Square Academy in New York, which closed in the 1980s.[6]

Career

1972–1989

For most of his early career, he was credited as Larry Fishburne. In 1972, at the age of 11, Fishburne received positive reviews for his first acting role[7] in the initial ABC Theater teleplay If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band.[8][9][10] Soon after, Fishburne portrayed Joshua Hall on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.[11] His most memorable childhood role was in Cornbread, Earl and Me,[12] in which he played a young boy who witnessed the police shooting of a popular high school basketball star. He later earned a supporting role in Apocalypse Now, in which he played Tyrone Miller, a cocky 17-year-old Gunner's Mate 3rd Class from the Bronx, nicknamed Mr. Clean. When production began in March 1976, he was just 14 years old, having lied about his age to get the part. Filming took so long that he actually was 17 years old upon its completion.[11][13]

Fishburne spent much of the 1980s in and out of television and periodically on stage. In the early 1980s, he worked as a bouncer at punk rock clubs, such as Cathay de Grande.[14] He appeared in the early 1980s movies Band of the Hand, Death Wish 2 and The Cotton Club, and had a minor role in the critically acclaimed Steven Spielberg film The Color Purple.[15] Fishburne had a recurring role as Cowboy Curtis on Paul Reubens' CBS children's television series Pee-wee's Playhouse.[11] He also appeared in the M*A*S*H episode "The Tooth Shall Set You Free". In Spenser: For Hire, he was a guest star for the second-season episode "Personal Demons". He also appeared alongside Kevin Bacon in Quicksilver.[16] His stage work during the 1980s included Short Eyes (1984), and Loose Ends (1987), both produced at Second Stage Theatre in New York City. Also in 1987 he played a part in the third A Nightmare on Elm Street film as a hospital orderly.[11] Fishburne featured in Red Heat (1988) beside Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi.[17] Fishburne also starred as "Dap" in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988). Fishburne's character was a depiction of an African American, culturally inclined college student at a historically black college.[18]

1990–2007

Fishburne at the National Memorial Day Concert in 2017

In 1990, Fishburne played Jimmy Jump in the controversial King of New York,[19] and in 1991, starred in Boyz n the Hood.[20] The following year, in 1992, he won a Tony Award for his stage performance in the August Wilson play Two Trains Running[21] and an Emmy Award[22] for his performance in the opening episode, "The Box", of the short-lived anthology series television drama TriBeCa.[23] He also starred in Deep Cover alongside Jeff Goldblum.[24] In 1993, he received his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It.[21][25] Fishburne won an Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture" for his performance as West Indian Professor Maurice Phipps in the 1995 American drama ensemble film, Higher Learning. He played the title role in Othello, the second African-American actor, after Paul Robeson,[26] to perform the role.[27][28] In 1995, Fishburne wrote, directed, and starred in the play Riff-Raff at the now defunct Off-Broadway Circle Rep Theater. The cast included Titus Welliver and Heavy D, who performed a nine-minute live-rap on stage.[29] In 1997, Fishburne starred in the science fiction horror Event Horizon alongside Sam Neill. Fishburne is perhaps best known for his role as Morpheus, the hacker-mentor of Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, in the 1999 blockbuster science fiction film The Matrix.[21]

Fishburne provided the voice of Thrax in Osmosis Jones in 2001. He reprised his role as Morpheus in the Matrix sequels The Matrix Reloaded,[30] and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003.[31] He briefly featured as a stretcher-bearer in one version of the video for The Spooks' song "Things I've Seen" (2000) and appeared with Tom Cruise as Theodore Brassell, IMF superior of Cruise's character in Mission: Impossible III.[32] Fishburne has worked with actress Angela Bassett on four projects. He said that "An electrifying thing happens when the two of us work together. I haven't experienced it with anyone else. A freedom happens when we work together."[33] In 2006, they appeared onstage in a Pasadena Playhouse production of August Wilson's Fences.[34] Fishburne also played a gay high school teacher in a Los Angeles production of Alfred Uhry's Without Walls in the same year.[35] He played terrorist leader, Ahmat who was revealed to be CIA in the 2006 film Five Fingers.[36]

He provided the voice of the narrator in the 2007 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, TMNT, which was a commercial success.[37] The same year, he provided the voice of the Silver Surfer in 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.[38] On February 24, 2007, Fishburne was honored with the Harvard Foundation's Artist of the Year award at the annual show Cultural Rhythms.[39] He received this honor for his achievements as an actor and entertainer and for his humanitarian pursuits. Fishburne is a UNICEF ambassador.[40]

2008–present

In April 2008, Fishburne returned to the stage in the Broadway production of Thurgood, a new play by George Stevens, Jr. Thurgood opened at the Booth Theatre on April 30, 2008.[41] He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show for his performance. On February 24, 2011, HBO screened a filmed version of the play performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[42] On February 16, 2011, the White House hosted a screening of the film as part of its celebrations of Black History Month.[43]

On August 18, 2008, it was reported that Laurence Fishburne would join the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation after William Petersen, who played Gil Grissom, left the series. John Malkovich was also considered for the role prior to the announcement.[44] Fishburne joined the show on the ninth episode of the 9th season as a college professor and former pathologist whose area of expertise involves some criminals' predisposition to commit acts of violence.[45] The character was introduced as a consultant on a case ("19 Down"), who winds up joining the CSI team ("One to Go"). In May 2009, Fishburne performed on-stage in the National Memorial Day Concert on the Mall in Washington, D.C.[46]

Fishburne starred in Predators in 2010[47] and Contagion in 2011.[48] On June 7, 2011, Fishburne announced that he was leaving CSI to return to movies and theatre, opting not to renew his contract and would not appear in Season 12. Fishburne played Perry White in the Zack Snyder-directed Superman reboot Man of Steel (2013).[49] In 2013, Fishburne joined the cast of Hannibal, as Dr. Jack Crawford, head of Behavioral Sciences at the FBI. In 2014, Fishburne reprised his role as Morpheus in a series of Kia K900 commercials.[50] In 2015, Fishburne joined the ABC sitcom Black-ish in the recurring role of Pops; Fishburne is also an executive producer on the show.[51] Fishburne also serves as an executive producer for the Freeform sitcom Grown-ish, a spin-off series to Black-ish.[52]

In 2016, Fishburne reprised his role as White in the sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice[53] and appeared in the science fiction/romance movie Passengers.

In June 2017, Fishburne's production company, Cinema Gypsy Productions, signed a two-year overall deal at ABC Studios.[54]

In 2017, he appeared in the neo-noir action thriller film John Wick: Chapter 2 as The Bowery King, in his first collaboration with Keanu Reeves since The Matrix trilogy. Also in 2017, Fishburne starred in the comedy-drama Last Flag Flying, as the character Rev. Richard Mueller. In 2018, Fishburne played Bill Foster in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp, directed by Peyton Reed. The film was released July 6.[55] Fishburne served as co-creator and executive producer in the Marvel Animation/Disney Television Animation series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.[56][57] He also appeared in the series as the Beyonder[58] and reprised his role as Bill Foster from Ant-Man and the Wasp.

In January 2023, it was announced that Fishburne had been cast as Regis in the fourth season of The Witcher.[59] He will also be starring in the American espionage thriller, The Amateur, set for debut in 2025.[60]

Personal life

Fishburne married actress Hajna O. Moss in 1985,[3] in New York. They have two children, son Langston (born 1987)[3] and daughter Montana Fishburne (born 1991).[3][61][62] Hajna and Laurence divorced in the 1990s.[6]

Fishburne dated actress Victoria Dillard from 1992 to 1995.[63]

Fishburne met actress Gina Torres and they were engaged in February 2001 and married on September 22, 2002,[64] at The Cloisters museum in New York City. On January 8, 2007, Fishburne's spokesman Alan Nierob announced the couple were expecting their first child together.[65][66] A daughter, Delilah, was born to the couple in June 2007.[67]

On September 20, 2017, it was confirmed that Torres and Fishburne were separated and had been keeping the separation private for the last year.[68] Fishburne filed for divorce on November 2, 2017,[69] and the divorce was finalized effective May 11, 2018, after Torres and Fishburne reached a final settlement on April 16, 2018.[70]

Fishburne lives in Hollywood, and also maintains a residence in New York City, in the Castle Village Co-Op in the Hudson Heights section of Washington Heights.[71] He is a fan of Brazilian author Paulo Coelho and plans to produce a movie based on his novel The Alchemist.[72]

Filmography

Main article: Laurence Fishburne filmography

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Laurence Fishburne

References

  1. ^ "Laurence Fishburne". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  2. ^ "Laurence Fishburne". IMDb. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Laurence Fishburne- Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  4. ^ "Laurence Fishbourne: Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  5. ^ Paul Chutkow. "Laurence Fishbourne: Flying Fish". Cigar Aficionado. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Laurence Fishburne". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  7. ^ Steven Gaydos (December 10, 2014). "Laurence Fishburne Looks Back on Childhood Acting Days". Variety. Retrieved December 27, 2021. Straight out of the gate, when he was 11, Variety was singing his praises in the TV pic "If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band," on Dec. 19, 1972.
  8. ^ "Tuesday [television listings]". The Bryan Times. Bryan, Ohio. December 19, 1972. Retrieved December 27, 2021. 90-minute dramatic special
  9. ^ Monica Haynes (August 19, 2008). "DeGeneres, de Rossi wed; Barr goes ballistic; the story of Stanley Gray". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 27, 2021. Quick, what was Laurence Fishburne's first movie gig? If you said it was a 1972 television film called "If Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band," you're right.
  10. ^ "Larry Fishburne, 11, Expands To ABC Teleplay". Jet. Vol. XLIV, no. 11. June 7, 1973. p. 66.
  11. ^ a b c d "Laurence Fishburne". metacritic.com. November 7, 2005. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  12. ^ Hal Erickson (2014). "Cornbread, Earl & Me (1975)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  13. ^ "The Little Lie That Launched Laurence Fishburne's Career". youtube. April 22, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  14. ^ "Documentarian Chris Metzler on Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone". Weekly Alibi. December 8, 2011.
  15. ^ "The Color Purple (1985)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  16. ^ Brad Slager (August 23, 2012). "Bad Movies We Love, Bike Messenger Edition: Kevin Bacon in Quicksilver". movieline.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  17. ^ "Red Heat". laurence-fishburne.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014.
  18. ^ "School Daze (1988) Trailer (Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Tisha Campbell-Martin)". youtube. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  19. ^ "Diddy to Remake '90s Cult Classic 'King of New York'". essence.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  20. ^ "Best Men: The Top 10 Movie Dads We'd Use To Build the Perfect Father". Time. June 14, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  21. ^ a b c "Laurence Fishburne Biography". biography.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  22. ^ "Laurence Fishburne". Television Academy. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  23. ^ "Laurence Fishburne". .movieactors.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  24. ^ "Deep Cover (1992) trailer". youtube. June 30, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  25. ^ "Laurence Fishburne Will Headline Alfred Uhry's Without Walls in CA". Broadway.com. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  26. ^ Tucker, Ken (December 22, 1995). "Othello (1995)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  27. ^ "Othello (1995) FILM REVIEW;Fishburne and Branagh Meet Their Fate in Venice". nytimes.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  28. ^ Ebert, Roger (December 29, 1995). "Othello". rogerebert.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  29. ^ Marks, Peter (October 29, 1995). "THEATER;Laurence Fishburne's Does-It-All Performance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  30. ^ "The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Trailer (Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Keanu Reeves)". youtube.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  31. ^ "The Matrix Revolution : An Interview with Laurence Fishburne and Keanu Reeves". blackfilm.com. October 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  32. ^ Angie Han (July 9, 2014). "Alec Baldwin in Talks for 'Mission: Impossible 5′ [Updated]". slashfilm.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  33. ^ SimzBrazil (November 22, 2006). "Angie B News". angiebnews.blogspot.com. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  34. ^ "Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne to Reunite for Pasadena Playhouse's Fences". TheaterMania.com. July 7, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  35. ^ "Without Walls". TheaterMania.com. June 13, 2006. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  36. ^ Terri Roberts (September 2006). "Fences". TheaterMania. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  37. ^ Heather Newgen (January 25, 2007). "TMNT Studio Visit". ComingSoon. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  38. ^ "Laurence Fishburne voicing the Silver Surfer". totalfilm.com. April 19, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  39. ^ "Harvard Foundation names Laurence Fishburne the 2007 Artist of the Year". harvard.edu. February 22, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  40. ^ "Harvard Foundation names UNICEF Ambassador Laurence Fishburne 2007 Artist of the Year". UNICEF USA. February 20, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
  41. ^ "Laurence Fishburne is 'Thurgood' on Broadway Spring 2008". Broadway World. October 24, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  42. ^ Zurawik, David (February 18, 2011). "HBO's 'Thurgood' is an exceptional look at race and the law". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
  43. ^ White House (February 24, 2011). "White House Screening of "Thurgood"". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved January 2, 2012 – via National Archives.
  44. ^ "Laurence Fishburne & John Malkovich Investigated For 'CSI' Role". World Entertainment News Network. July 16, 2008. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2011 – via Starpulse Entertainment News Blog.
  45. ^ "Fishburne joining 'CSI'". CNN. August 18, 2008. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008.
  46. ^ "PBS Memorial Day Concert". PBS. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  47. ^ "Meet Laurence Fishburne as the Unstoppable Noland in New 'Predators' Character Profile". BloodyDisgusting. May 5, 2010.
  48. ^ "Jude Law Drops some hints about his Contagion Character". DreadCentral. August 11, 2012.
  49. ^ Adam B., Vary (August 2, 2011). "Laurence Fishburne cast as Perry White in 'Man of Steel' – EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 2, 2011. Lois Lane and Clark Kent just got their boss: Laurence Fishburne will play Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White in Man of Steel, EW has learned exclusively. White has traditionally been a hard-charging, old fashioned newspaperman, who relies on his ace reporters, Clark and Lois, to get the big scoop.
  50. ^ Estrada, Zac (January 28, 2014). "Kia's The Matrix Super Bowl Ad Sells A K900 With Morpheus And Two Keys". Jalopnik. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  51. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 9, 2013). "Anthony Anderson Toplines ABC Comedy Written By Kenya Barris & Produced By Laurence Fishburne Who May Guest Star". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  52. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 19, 2017). "'Black-ish' Spinoff 'College-ish' Starring Yara Shahidi Gets Freeform Series Order". Deadline. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  53. ^ "'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' Pics". Access Hollywood. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  54. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 22, 2017). "Laurence Fishburne's Cinema Gypsy Prods. Re-Ups ABC Studios Overall Deal, Taps Melissa Gelineau As Head Of TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  55. ^ Breznican, Anthony (July 22, 2017). "Michelle Pfeiffer will play Janet Van Dyne in Ant-Man and The Wasp". Entertainment Weekly.
  56. ^ "Marvel's 'Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur' Cartoon Headed To Disney Channel". The Hollywood Report. August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  57. ^ The first @Marvel & @DisneyTVA collaboration and from people on #BigHero6TheSeries & #KimPossible will make you want a Dinosaur for Pet/BFF!
  58. ^ "Disney Channel Announces 'Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur' Cast". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  59. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 12, 2024). "'Witcher' Season 4 Casts Laurence Fishburne". Variety.
  60. ^ The Amateur (2025) | Action, Thriller. Retrieved November 16, 2024 – via m.imdb.com.
  61. ^ "ID10T with Chris Hardwick: Laurence Fishburne". acast. November 3, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2018. Fishburne states he has 4 children, the oldest having just turned 40 (at the 50:52 mark).
  62. ^ "Episode 915: Interview with Laurence Fishburne". The Nerdist Podcast. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  63. ^ "'Cause' & Effect With Three Films Showing, Actor Laurence Fishburne A Hot Hollywood Property". tribunedigital-mcall.
  64. ^ Barron, James (September 24, 2002). Boldface Names: An Amicable Merger. The New York Times, Section B; Column 3; Metropolitan Desk; Pg. 2.
  65. ^ "LA Daily News – Laurence Fishburne and wife Gina Torres are expecting their first child, his publicist says". Dailynews.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  66. ^ "abc7.com: Southern California news leader -Laurence Fishburne And Wife Gina Torres Are Expecting Their First Child 1/08/07". Abclocal.go.com. January 8, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  67. ^ "Update: Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres welcome first child; spotted out in Hollywood". People. November 14, 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  68. ^ Deerwester, Jayme. "Laurence Fishburne and Gina Torres split last year and nobody noticed". USA Today. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  69. ^ "Laurence Fishburne files for divorce from wife Gina Torres". NY Daily News. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  70. ^ "It's Over! Laurence Fishburne & Gina Torres Finally Sign Off On Divorce Settlement". Radar Online. Radar Online, LLC. April 17, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  71. ^ "Hudson Heights delivers". New York Daily News. March 7, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
  72. ^ Singh, Anita (May 18, 2008). "Cannes Film Festival: Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist to be filmed by Laurence Fishburne – Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009.
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