Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifeti ...

in ''

The Jesse Owens Story ''The Jesse Owens Story'' is a 1984 American two-part, four-hour made-for-television biographical film about the black athlete Jesse Owens. Dorian Harewood plays the Olympic gold-winning athlete. The drama won a 1985 Primetime Emmy Award and was ...

'' (1984), Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003).

Early years

Harewood was born on August 6, 1950 in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater ...

, the son of Emerson Macaulay and Estelle Olivia Harewood. His father was a high school teacher and post office clerk. Harewood has five siblings, Emerson M. Harewood Jr., Theolanda Harewood, Philip B. Harewood, Floranne E. Dunford and Lawanda G. Pitts. He graduated from the Conservatory of Music at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

in 1972.

Career

Harewood got his start in musical theater. On Broadway, he performed in ''

Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying ...

'', '' Streamers'', and ''The Mighty Gents''. For his role in ''Don't Call Back'', Harewood received a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre s ...

for Most Promising Actor. While in a stage production with

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

, she encouraged Harewood to continue acting in dramatic roles, and credits her as his mentor. He made his film debut in ''Foster and Laurie'' (1975). Harewood portrayed Simon Haley (father of author Alex Haley) in the ABC miniseries '' Roots: The Next Generations''. He is known for starring as

in ''

'', and for his co-starring role as police psychologist Paul Strobber in the ABC Television series '' Strike Force'' (starring

Robert Stack Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...

). He appeared regularly on ''

Trauma Center A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma center may also refer to an emer ...

'' alongside

Wendie Malick Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom '' Dream On'', and as Nina Van Horn in the NBC sit ...

and Lou Ferrigno, had a recurring role on ''

China Beach ''China Beach'' is an American war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by American and Austral ...

'' and was Hank Mitchell in ''

The Trials of Rosie O'Neill ''The Trials of Rosie O'Neill'' is an American drama television series which aired on CBS from September 17, 1990 to May 30, 1992. The show stars Sharon Gless as Fiona Rose "Rosie" O'Neill, a lawyer working in the public defender's office for the ...

''. Some of his film work includes disaster movie '' Gray Lady Down'' (1978), action drama ''

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

'' (1984), and sci-fi flick '' Solar Crisis'' (1990). In '' Against All Odds'' (1984), he appeared as a football player, and was Timothy Hutton (

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama '' Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televis ...

)'s alcoholic coworker in ''

The Falcon and the Snowman ''The Falcon and the Snowman'' is a 1985 American spy drama film directed by John Schlesinger. The screenplay by Steven Zaillian is based on the 1979 book ''The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship and Espionage'' by Robert Lin ...

'' (1985). Harewood then portrayed a combat veteran in

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's ''

Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 novel '' The Short-Timers'' and stars Matt ...

'' (1987). He appeared in two films in 2003: portraying Mackie Whitaker in '' Levity'' and Teddy Howard in '' Gothika''. In 1994, he was awarded the

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, for his recurring role as jazz/blues saxophonist Clarence "Cool Papa" Charleston on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

drama series ''

I'll Fly Away "I'll Fly Away" is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled ''Wonderful Message''.Richard Matteson, Jr.''The Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book'' Mel Bay Publications, 200 ...

''. The following year, Harewood voiced

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. One of the gre ...

in ''Hank Aaron: Chasing a Dream'', narrating the television movie. He earned an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination for the special. He also played Dr. Julian Wilkes in the

(later syndicated) TV series ''

Viper The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs th ...

'', and had a recurring role as Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven''. Harewood appeared as Eliot Pierce in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

series ''

The Hoop Life ''The Hoop Life'' is an American drama series depicting the lives of a team of basketball players in the fictional UBA (United Basketball Association) that aired on Showtime from July 4, 1999 until March 19, 2000. starring Rick Peters as Greg Marr ...

''. For his work on this series, Harewood received his second NAACP Image Award nomination, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2000. He has also dabbled in music, having sung the national anthem at the

1994 Orange Bowl The 1994 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1994. The contest was the Bowl Coalition National Championship Game for the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. This 60th edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Nebrask ...

and releasing an album, ''Love Will Stop Calling'', in 1988. As a voice actor, Harewood began playing characters in animation during the 1980s. He voiced A.C. in ''

The California Raisin Show ''The California Raisin Show'' is a 1989 American animated television series based on the claymation advertising characters '' The California Raisins''. The show is based on the claymation special, ''Meet the Raisins!'', which originally aire ...

'', portrayed Riley in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', gave voice to Tombstone in '' Spider-Man'' and voiced

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

in Saturday morning cartoon '' ProStars''. He later returned to the ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

'' franchise as Jim Tate in ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...

''. When James Avery was unavailable, Harewood would voice Shredder on ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

''. Harewood played Rhodey Rhodes / War Machine in ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...

'' and ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

''. He provided the voice of Modo in ''

Biker Mice from Mars ''Biker Mice from Mars'' is an American science fiction action animated series created by Rick Ungar. The series premiered in syndication the week of September 19, 1993. It consists of three seasons of 65 episodes, with the final episode a ...

'' (1993−96), a role which he reprised in the revival of the same name (2006−08). Having appeared in over 100 productions in film and television, Harewood has only publicly expressed regret with one: the miniseries ''

Beulah Land Beulah is a land referred to in the Biblical Book of Isaiah. It is the land of the Jewish people, the Israelites, to which they must return: an earthly paradise. The land of Beulah is referred to in various hymns and other works. Bible The only k ...

'', where he portrayed an overseer named Floyd. He was disgusted with the film's script, and claimed he was "unhappy" and "embarrassed" with the finished production. Harewood has stated he will only accept roles he feels present positive images for African-Americans.

Personal life

Harewood married actress Nancy Ann McCurry on February 14, 1979. The couple have two children, Olivia Ruth and John Dorian.

Filmography

Films

* '' Foster and Laurie'' (1975) - Gregory Foster * '' Sparkle'' (1976) – Levi Brown * ''Panic in Echo Park'' (1977) – Dr. Michael Stoner * '' Gray Lady Down'' (1978) – Lieutenant Fowler * '' Looker'' (1981) – Lieutenant Masters * '' Against All Odds'' (1984) – Tommy * ''

'' (1984) – Sergeant First Class Ed Tippet * ''

'' (1985) – Gene * ''Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story'' (1987) – Lenell Geter * ''

'' (1987) – 'Eightball' * '' God Bless the Child'' (1988) – Calvin Reed * ''Kiss Shot'' (1989) – Kevin Marick * '' Pacific Heights'' (1990) – Dennis Reed * '' Solar Crisis'' (1990) – Borg * '' The Pagemaster'' (1994) - Jamaican Pirate (voice) * ''

Sudden Death Sudden Death or Sudden death may refer to: Medical * Cardiac arrest, also known as sudden cardiac death, natural death from cardiac causes * Sudden cardiac death of athletes * Sudden infant death syndrome * Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy * ...

'' (1995) – Agent Matthew Hallmark * ''Hank Aaron: Chasing The Dream'' (1995) – Narrator (as

's voice) * ''

Space Jam ''Space Jam'' is a 1996 American live-action/animated sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka, with animation sequences directed by Bruce W. Smith and Tony Cervone, and written by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Hersch ...

'' (1996) – Monstar Bupkus (voice) * ''

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'' (1997) – Juror #5 * ''Evasive Action'' (1998) – Luke Sinclair * '' Glitter'' (2001) – Guy Richardson * '' Gothika'' (2003) – Teddy Howard * '' Levity'' (2003) – Mackie Whittaker * '' Assault on Precinct 13'' (2005) – Deputy Gil * '' Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure'' (2007) – Older Irwin (voice) * ''Mayor Cupcake'' (2011) – Albert Peach

Television

* ''Cooley High'' (1975) (unaired TV pilot) * ''Kojak'' (1977) – Jake Riley * ''

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

'' (1977) – Gil * ''Siege'' (1978 TV film) – Simon * '' Roots: The Next Generations'' (1979) – Simon Haley (episodes 3-7) * '' An American Christmas Carol'' (1979 film) – Matt Reeves * ''

'' (1980) – Floyd * '' High Ice'' (1980) – Lt. Zack Dawkins * '' Strike Force'' (1981-1982) – Det. Sgt. Paul Strobber * ''I, Desire'' (1982) (TV film) – Detective Jerry Van Ness * ''

'' (1983) – Dr. Nate 'Skate' Baylor * ''

'' (1984) –

* '' Murder She Wrote'' (1986) – Sheriff Claudell Cox – S2E15: "Powder Keg" * '' Amerika'' (1987) – Jeffrey Wyman * ''

'' (1987-1996) - Shredder (voice) * ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...

'' (1987) – Jason Walker – episode 2: "Terrible Savior" * '' Matlock'' (1988) - Edward Kramer - The Ambassador: Part 1 & 2 * '' Polly'' (1989) – Dr. Shannon * ''

'' (1989-1990) – Major Otis (episodes 34-36) * '' Polly: Comin' Home!'' (1990) – Dr. Shannon * '' The Legend of Prince Valiant'' (1991-1994) - Sir Bryant (voice) * ''

'' (1992) – Clarence "Cool Papa" Charleston * '' Goof Troop'' (1992-1993) – Buster Vessel * ''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American Animated series, animated Comedy television, comedy Musical film, musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part o ...

'' (1993-1998) - Spike Lee, Danny Glover (voice) * ''

'' (1993-1996) - Modo (voice) * '' Spider-Man'' (1994-1998) - Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone (voice) * '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' (1994) – Carver – episode: "Buffalo Soldier" * ''

'' (1994) – Dr. Julian Wilkes * ''

'' (1994-1996) - Rhodey Rhodes / War Machine, Whiplash, Whirlwind, Stilt-Man (voice) * '' Gargoyles'' (1994-1996) - Boreas, Talos (voice) * ''

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'' is an American animated television series developed by Klasky Csupo for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on three young monsters—Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm—who attend a school for monsters under a city dump and learn t ...

'' (1994-1998) - Kriggle, Santa Claus, Bulldozer Guy, General, Accident Victim (voice) * ''

Freakazoid! ''Freakazoid!'' is an American superhero comedy animated television series created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini and developed by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. The series chronicles the adventures of the title char ...

'' (1995-1997) - Lt. Artie King, Deep Voiced Singer, Singer #1, Singer #4 (voice) * '' 7th Heaven'' (1996-2003) – Rev. Morgan Hamilton (recurring role) * '' Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles'' (1996) - Little Anton (voice) * ''

'' (1996-1997) - Rhodey Rhodes / War Machine (voice) * ''The Blues Brothers: The Animated Series'' - Don Kling * '' Histeria!'' (1998-2001) - General Sherman (singing), Nelson Mandela, Cool Singer (voice) * ''

The Last Debate ''The Last Debate'' is a 2000 American political drama television film directed by John Badham and written by Jon Maas, based on the 1995 book by Jim Lehrer, and starring James Garner and Peter Gallagher. It aired on Showtime on November 5, 2000. ...

'' (2000) – Brad Lily * ''

Stargate SG-1 ''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is ...

'' (2002) – Councilor Thoran * ''

The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...

'' (2002) – Jerry Cochran / Dr. Cochran - season 6 episode 20: "Evil/Doers" * '' The Christmas Shoes'' (2002) – Dalton Gregory * ''

Boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...

'' (2002-2003) – Capt. Ronald Hicks (recurring role) * ''

Megas XLR ''Megas XLR'' is an American animated television series created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic for Cartoon Network. The series revolves around two teenage slackers: mechanic Coop and his best friend Jamie, who find a mecha robot from the f ...

'' (2004-2005) - Ender, Guardian, Cyrellian Squadron Leader (voice) * ''

Private Practice Private practice may refer to: * Private sector practice ** Practice of law * ''Private Practice'' (TV series), an American medical drama * ''Private Practice'' (album), released in 1978 by Dr. Feelgood {{disambig pt:Private Practice ...

'' (2007) – Duncan Stinson – episode: "In Which Sam Receives an Unexpected Visitor..." * '' House of Payne'' (2007) – Larry Shelton * '' The Batman'' (2007-2008) - Martian Manhunter (voice) * '' The Land Before Time'' (2007-2008) - Mr. Thicknose (voice) * ''

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy ''The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy'' is an American Animated series, animated television series created by Maxwell Atoms for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Television Studios, Warner Bros. Domestic Television. It follows Bill ...

'' (2007) – Lionel Van Helsing * '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'' (2008) – Boyd Sherman * ''

The Spectacular Spider-Man ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics. Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...

'' (2008) - Dr. Bromwell (voice) * ''

9-1-1 , usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency n ...

'' (2021) - Rupert * '' Bel Air'' (2022) – Judge Robertson - 2 episodes * '' Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' (1996) – Jax / Sektor

Video games

* '' Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers'' – Toussaint Gervais * ''

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 ''tankōbon'' v ...

'' – Dr. Tenma * '' Lost Planet: Extreme Condition'' – Gale * '' X-Men Legends'' – Shadow King * '' Onimusha 3: Demon Siege'' – Spirit of Onimusha * ''

Diablo III ''Diablo III'' is a hack-and-slash action role-playing game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment as the third installment in the ''Diablo'' franchise. It was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in May 2012, PlayStation 3 and ...

'' – Barbarian (Male) * '' Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance'' – N'mani

Radio

Public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...

for DJ Ra's Hip-Hop Literacy campaign, encouraging reading of books by Alex Haley.

Music

* "Show Me (One More Time)" (recorded in the 1980s) * ''Love Will Stop Calling'' (1988) Emeric Records

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harewood, Dorian Living people American male film actors American male video game actors American male voice actors University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni Male actors from Dayton, Ohio African-American male actors American male television actors 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American male actors 1950 births