Dion Graham is an American actor and narrator. As an actor, he has worked both on and off-Broadway, as well as in TV series and film. As of August 2022, he has narrated 249 audiobooks. He has earned a place on ''AudioFile'' magazine's list of Golden Voice Narrators, as well as

Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or ru ...

's Narrator Hall of Fame. Further, he has won 9

Audie Awards The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

, 71

Earphone Awards ''AudioFile'' is a print and online magazine whose mission is to review "unabridged and abridged audiobooks, original audio programs, commentary, and dramatizations in the spoken-word format. The focus of reviews is the audio presentation, not the ...

, 3 Listen-Up Awards, and 1

Odyssey Award The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production is an annual award conferred by the American Library Association upon the publisher of "the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United State ...

. ''Book Riot'' called Graham "the best of the best" in audiobook narration, saying, "His voice is rich and emotive, making even the driest bits of a long biography or history come alive. His ability to inhabit characters seems limitless; his myriad character accents are always flawless."

Biography

Graham grew up in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. His on-screen acting career began in 1992 when played a role in ''

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...

.'' Throughout the 1990s, he appeared in other shows, such as '' Law & Order'', and performed on- and off-Broadway. Graham highlights two key moments in his life as being influential to his career as an audiobook narrator. First, a roommate of his requested that he record

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

’s '' The Dead'' for a long road trip. Months later, Graham listened to the recording and found it "compelling;" he also remembered enjoying the process of recording the story. A few years later, Graham was performing a

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

play at the Royal National Theatre when an acquaintance encouraged him to consider audiobooks. His first audiobook narration was published in 2000. Since 2000, Graham has given voice to many Black characters and narrated classic works by African American authors, including Langston Hughes's ''

The Weary Blues "The Weary Blues" is a poem by American poet Langston Hughes. Written in 1925, "The Weary Blues" was first published in the Urban League magazine ''Opportunity''. It was awarded the magazine's prize for best poem of the year. The poem was includ ...

,''

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

's '' Letter from Birmingham Jail,'' James Baldwin's ''

Going to Meet the Man ''Going to Meet the Man'', published in 1965, is a collection of eight short stories by American writer James Baldwin. The book, dedicated "for Beauford Delaney", covers many topics related to anti-Black racism in American society, as well as ...

'', and

Chester Himes Chester Bomar Himes (July 29, 1909 – November 12, 1984) was an American writer. His works, some of which have been filmed, include '' If He Hollers Let Him Go'', published in 1945, and the Harlem Detective series of novels for which he is be ...

's ''The Big Gold Dream.'' Throughout his career as an audiobook narrator, Graham has continued to act both on- and off-screen, including television shows such as ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

'', ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal and political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in l ...

'', and '' Madam Secretary''.

Awards and honors

Graham has earned a place on ''AudioFile'' magazine's list of Golden Voice Narrators, as well as

's Narrator Hall of Fame. In 2012, ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'' honored him with a Voice of Choice award. He has been named ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'''s Narrator of the Year, and his narrations have landed on many "best of" lists. Further, he has won 9

, 71

, 3 Listen-Up Awards, and 1

2000s

Awards

Best of the Year Lists

2010s

Awards

Best of the Year lists

2020s

Awards

Best of the Year lists

Selected narration

2000s

2010s

2020s

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Dion 21st-century American actors Actors from Cincinnati Actors from New York City Year of birth missing (living people) Living people