Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actor, best known for his roles as

Howard "Bunny" Colvin Howard "Bunny" Colvin is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Robert Wisdom. Colvin is a wise and able police major in the Baltimore's Western District, alienated by the careerism and bureaucracy rampant in the ...

in ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, 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 ...

,'' Norman "Lechero" St. John in ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial drama television show, television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purce ...

'', and Harold Conway in the 2021 Hulu movie ''

Vacation Friends ''Vacation Friends'' is a 2021 American buddy comedy film directed by Clay Tarver, who co-wrote the film with Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. It stars Lil Rel Howery, John Cena, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner, R ...

''.

Early life

Wisdom was born to Jamaican parents. He is a graduate of St. Albans School and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, where he was a star sprinter on the school's track team.

Career

He appeared in four of the five seasons (primarily seasons three and four) of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

program ''

'' as

. Wisdom had initially auditioned for the role of

Stringer Bell Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character in ''The Wire'', played by Idris Elba. He is a secondary antagonist for season 1 and 2, later being the main antagonist for season 3. In the criminal world of early 2000s Baltimore, Bell serves as ...

. He has also starred in the 2004 films '' Barbershop 2: Back in Business'' and '' Ray'', and the 2007 film ''

Freedom Writers ''Freedom Writers'' is a 2007 American drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey and Mario. It is based on the 1999 book '' The Freedom Writers Diary'' by te ...

''. He landed a regular role on season 3 of ''

'' playing the role of a Panamanian drug kingpin named Lechero. He also had recurring roles in the television series ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'', '' Happy Town'', and '' Burn Notice''. Wisdom was once a producer for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

''. From 2012 to 2013, Wisdom was a series regular in season one of the ABC drama series ''

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

'', as Coleman Carlisle.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisdom, Robert African-American male actors American actors of Jamaican descent American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Living people 20th-century American male actors Place of birth missing (living people) St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) alumni Columbia University alumni 21st-century American male actors 1953 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Columbia Lions men's track and field athletes