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 lif ...

in '' The Jesse Owens Story'' (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 List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

, 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 A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger i ...

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 44,0 ...

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 se ...

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 Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and ...

) in the ABC miniseries '' Roots: The Next Generations''. He is known for starring as

in '' The Jesse Owens Story'', and for his co-starring role as police psychologist Paul Strobber in the ABC Television series '' Strike Force'' (starring Robert Stack). 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 emerge ...

'' 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 si ...

and Lou Ferrigno, had a recurring role on ''

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

'' and was Hank Mitchell in '' The Trials of Rosie O'Neill''. Some of his film work includes disaster movie ''

Gray Lady Down ''Gray Lady Down'' is a 1978 American submarine disaster film directed by David Greene and starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox and Rosemary Forsyth, and includes the feature film debut of Christop ...

'' (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 ...

'' (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 televisi ...

)'s alcoholic coworker in '' The Falcon and the Snowman'' (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 ''Gothika'' is a 2003 American supernatural psychological thriller film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, written by Sebastian Gutierrez, and starring Halle Berry in the title role, Robert Downey Jr., Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll ...

''. 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 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, 2006 ...

''. 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 NBC (later syndicated) TV series '' Viper'', and had a recurring role as Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven''. Harewood appeared as Eliot Pierce in the Showtime 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 Mar ...

''. 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 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 aired o ...

'', portrayed Riley in '' Batman: The Animated Series'', gave voice to Tombstone in ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

'' 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. I ...

'' franchise as Jim Tate in '' Batman Beyond''. 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, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after It ...

''. 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 cha ...

'' and '' The Incredible Hulk''. He provided the voice of Modo in '' Biker Mice from Mars'' (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 * ''

'' (1978) – Lieutenant Fowler * '' Looker'' (1981) – Lieutenant Masters * '' Against All Odds'' (1984) – Tommy * ''

'' (1984) – Sergeant First Class Ed Tippet * '' The Falcon and the Snowman'' (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 ''The Pagemaster'' is a 1994 American live-action/animated fantasy adventure film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Welker, Ed Begley Jr., and Mel Harris. The film was produced b ...

'' (1994) - Jamaican Pirate (voice) * '' Sudden Death'' (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 Herschel ...

'' (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 Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...

'' (2001) – Guy Richardson * ''

'' (2003) – Teddy Howard * '' Levity'' (2003) – Mackie Whittaker * '' Assault on Precinct 13'' (2005) – Deputy Gil * ''

Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure ''Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure'' is a 2007 made-for-television animated adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Cartoon Network Studios, and is the first made-for-television film based on the animated series ''The Grim Adventures of Bil ...

'' (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 * '' The Jesse Owens Story'' (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 ...

'' (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'' (1993-1998) - Spike Lee, Danny Glover (voice) * '' Biker Mice from Mars'' (1993-1996) - Modo (voice) * ''

'' (1994-1998) - Lonnie Lincoln / Tombstone (voice) * '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' (1994) – Carver – episode: "Buffalo Soldier" * '' Viper'' (1994) – Dr. Julian Wilkes * ''

'' (1994-1996) - Rhodey Rhodes / War Machine, Whiplash, Whirlwind, Stilt-Man (voice) * '' Gargoyles'' (1994-1996) - Boreas, Talos (voice) * '' Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'' (1994-1998) - Kriggle, Santa Claus, Bulldozer Guy, General, Accident Victim (voice) * '' Freakazoid!'' (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) * '' The Incredible Hulk'' (1996-1997) - Rhodey Rhodes / War Machine (voice) * ''The Blues Brothers: The Animated Series'' - Don Kling * ''

Histeria! ''Histeria!'' is an American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, ''Histeria!'' was an explicitly educational program created to ...

'' (1998-2001) - General Sherman (singing), Nelson Mandela, Cool Singer (voice) * '' The Last Debate'' (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, ...

'' (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 ...

'' (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, althou ...

'' (2002-2003) – Capt. Ronald Hicks (recurring role) * '' Megas XLR'' (2004-2005) - Ender, Guardian, Cyrellian Squadron Leader (voice) * '' Private Practice'' (2007) – Duncan Stinson – episode: "In Which Sam Receives an Unexpected Visitor..." * '' House of Payne'' (2007) – Larry Shelton * ''

The Batman Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman or The Batman may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Characters * Batman (Terry McGinnis) * Batman (Thomas Wayne) * Batman (Earth-Two) * Bat ...

'' (2007-2008) - Martian Manhunter (voice) * ''

The Land Before Time ''The Land Before Time'' is an American animated film series and media franchise created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss, distributed by Universal Pictures and centered on dinosaurs. The series began in 1988 with the eponymous ''The Land Befo ...

'' (2007-2008) - Mr. Thicknose (voice) * '' The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy'' (2007) – Lionel Van Helsing * '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'' (2008) – Boyd Sherman * '' The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (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'' ...

'' – Dr. Tenma * '' Lost Planet: Extreme Condition'' – Gale * ''

X-Men Legends ''X-Men Legends'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in 2004. Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of ...

'' – 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 X ...

'' – 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

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