Rockmond Dunbar (born January 11, 1973) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Baines 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 are l ...

series '' Earth 2'', Kenny Chadway on

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 w ...

family drama ''

Soul Food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

'', and

Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin, played by Rockmond Dunbar, is a fictional character from the American television series, '' Prison Break''. The character was introduced as a prisoner in the pilot episode. The actor was promoted from a recu ...

on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

crime drama '' Prison Break''. He also played Sheriff

Eli Roosevelt The following is a list of characters from '' Sons of Anarchy'', and its spin-off '' Mayans M.C.'' Both are American crime drama television series created by Kurt Sutter. ''Sons of Anarchy'' aired from 2008 to 2014, ''Mayans M.C.'' since 2018. Cas ...

on the FX Drama series '' Sons of Anarchy'', FBI Agent Dennis Abbott on ''

The Mentalist ''The Mentalist'' is an American drama television series that ran from September 23, 2008, until February 18, 2015, broadcasting 151 episodes over seven seasons, on CBS. Created by Bruno Heller, who was also its executive producer, the show f ...

'', FBI Agent Abe Gaines in the Hulu series '' The Path'', and Michael Grant on '' 9-1-1''.

Early life and education

Dunbar was born January 11, 1973, in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. He attended

Oakland Technical High School Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech or simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, United States, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District. It is one of six compre ...

and graduated from Morehouse College before moving on to study at the

College of Santa Fe Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) was a private, for-profit art school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The university was built from the non-profit College of Santa Fe (CSF), a Catholic facility founded as St. Michael's College in 1859, an ...

and the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

Career

Television

Dunbar is known for his leading role as Kenny Chadway on the television series ''

'', and ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' named him as one of "Television's 50 Sexiest Stars of All Time". He landed a regular role as

on the television series '' Prison Break''. In 2007, Dunbar starred on the short-lived

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

medical drama ''

Heartland Heartland or Heartlands may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution * Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States * Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization i ...

''. He made a guest appearance on ''

Noah's Arc ''Noah's Arc'' is an American cable television comedy-drama series that aired for two seasons on the Logo network from October 19, 2005 to October 4, 2006. The show centered on the lives of four Black gay friends who share personal and professio ...

'' as himself to give Noah (screenwriter and the main character of the show) some ideas about his movie ''Fine Art''. He also had a recurring role on the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

series '' Girlfriends'', and is also known for his role as "Pookie" on the television series '' The Game''. He was also a regular on the short-lived FX series ''

Terriers Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary g ...

''. Dunbar's other TV credits include guest appearances in '' Earth 2'', '' Felicity'', '' The Pretender'', ''

Two Guys and a Girl ''Two Guys and a Girl'' (titled ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place'' for the first two seasons) is an American television sitcom created by Rick Wiener, Kenny Schwartz and Danny Jacobson. The series started as a short-run (13 episodes) mid-se ...

'', and '' North Shore''. In 2011, he joined the cast of FX's show '' Sons of Anarchy'' as the new Sheriff of Charming, Eli Roosevelt. In 2013, Dunbar joined the CBS crime drama ''

'' as FBI agent Dennis Abbott. In 2018, Dunbar joined the cast of ''9-1-1'' as Michael Grant, leaving in 2021 over the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

vaccine mandate, after his requests for exemptions were denied. In February 2022 it was reported that he has sued the makers of the show, saying he "was denied medical and religious exemptions and faced racial discrimination." In July 25, 2022, it was reported that Dunbar's case of racial misconduct was dismissed as baseless by a judge in a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Courtroom, but that Disney/Fox does face some claims from Rockmond Dunbar alleging religious, retaliation and breach of contract, among other claims.

Film

His film projects include ''

Punks Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture ...

'' (which debuted at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival), ''Misery Loves Company'', ''Sick Puppies'', ''Whodunit'', '' Dirty Laundry'', '' All About You'', ''

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' is a 2005 American neo-noir black comedy mystery thriller film written and directed by Shane Black (in his directorial debut), and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen. The scri ...

'', and the

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

-produced film, ''

The Family That Preys ''The Family That Preys'' is a 2008 American comedy-drama film, written, produced, and directed by Tyler Perry. The screenplay focuses on two families, one wealthy and the other working class, whose lives are intertwined in both love and business ...

''.

Other

Dunbar has contributed to the art world through the

mixed media In visual art, mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art incl ...

exhibit, ''ARTHERAPY''. He posed for the November 2003 issue of ''

Playgirl ''Playgirl'' was an American magazine that featured general interest articles, lifestyle and celebrity news, in addition to nude or semi-nude men. In the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine printed monthly and was marketed mainly to women, although ...

'' magazine.

Personal life

According to DNA analysis, Dunbar's ancestry is mainly from the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitut ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. On his visit to Nigeria, he was given the Yoruba name, ''Omobowale'' (a variant form of ''Omowale'') meaning "our son has come home". Dunbar was married to Ivy Holmes from 2003 to 2006. Years later, he became engaged to his girlfriend Maya Gilbert, an actress and writer. After dating for a year, the couple's engagement took place in Montego Bay,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

on December 30, 2012. Dunbar is a member of the Church of Universal Wisdom, whose members are "obligated to avoid medical intervention that introduces disease into the body". His lawsuit against Disney and Fox alleges that their lawyers called his religion "fake" and his beliefs "insincere" in discussions about the Covid-19 vaccination mandate.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar, Rockmond 1973 births Living people African-American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Berkeley, California American people of Yoruba descent American people of Nigerian descent Yoruba male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Morehouse College alumni University of New Mexico alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people