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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
December 1, 1951
Place of Birth
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As
- Obba Babatundè
- Obba Babatunde
Obba Babatundé
1.0 Popularity
Biography
Obba Babatundé (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C. White in the original cast of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Babatundé was a protege of Sammy Davis, Jr., who said of him, "This is the only cat who can do everything I can do." Babatundé does dance, sing, play instruments, execute impersonations, including his portrayal of Davis, aided by their similarity in energy, size and talent, tap dancing and performing on multiple instruments. In fall 2009, Babatundé played Davis in the title role of "Sammy: Once in a Lifetime," a world premiere musical at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Early in 2000, Babatundé partnered with writer/producer Ruth Adkins Robinson for a series of TV projects including "TV in Black: The First 50 Years," "Oscar's Black Odyssey: From Hattie to Hallie" and "Dorthy Dandridge: An American Beauty". The pair have projects that will take them through 2011. His TV roles have often portrayed authority figures, such as a recurring guest-starring role as a high school principal on Dawson's Creek, an appearance as a judge in a two-part episode of Any Day Now, and as the father of the main characters on Half & Half. He also played Harvard college Dean Cain in the movie How High, as well as the role of Willie Long in the movie Life, and co-starred as an attorney in Philadelphia and as a senator in the 2004 reprise of The Manchurian Candidate. He also played the director in season 3 of Friends in an episode titled "The One with All the Jealousy". Other TV shows he has had recurring roles on include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Chicago Hope, Rocket Power, Static Shock, and Karen Sisco. He played a small but pivotal role as a doorman/bellhop in the film That Thing You Do! and also appeared in The Wild Thornberrys Movie as the voice of Boko. He played a famous producer known as Gordy Berry on two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In the 1998 miniseries, The Temptations, he played the founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy. Babatundé is adept at American sign language and had used this talent in many roles including on one NYPD Blue. His recorded work includes a performance with the New York pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs on the 2007 album Sack Full of Dreams. The actor/producer is also an avid horseman and is a highly regarded rider and trainer in the Rodeo Circuit, including the annual Bill Pickett Rodeol. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Known For
0.0
Jesse
The Christmas Showdown
2025
5.2
Run
2025
7.0
Captain Green
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
2025
5.7
Pastor Stevens
Noble Intentions
2023
4.0
Mr. Burke
The Millennial
2022
0.0
Mr. Porter
Kiss Me for Christmas
2020
5.5
Chief Keaton
Trigger
2020
7.5
George Wright
Little Fires Everywhere
2020
0.0
Nicodemus
Revival!
2019
5.9
Charles Williams
Jingle Belle
2018
Credits
The Christmas Showdown
as Jesse
2025
0.0
Run
2025
5.2
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
as Captain Green
2025
7.0
Noble Intentions
as Pastor Stevens
2023
5.7
The Millennial
as Mr. Burke
2022
4.0
Kiss Me for Christmas
as Mr. Porter
2020
0.0
Trigger
as Chief Keaton
2020
5.5
Little Fires Everywhere
as George Wright
2020
7.5
Revival!
as Nicodemus
2019
0.0
Jingle Belle
as Charles Williams
2018
5.9
Kinky
as Mr. Bernard
2018
6.5
Forever
as Gregory
2018
6.3
City of Lies
as Chief of Police
2018
6.4
For The People
as Philip Kaws
2018
7.3
S.W.A.T.
as Daniel Harrelson, Sr.
2017
8.1
'Til Death Do Us Part
as John Harris
2017
5.9
Pup Star: Better 2Gether
as Big Ears (voice)
2017
6.2
Dear White People
as Dean Fairbanks
2017
5.9
The Good Fight
as Danny Quinn
2017
7.5
Goliath
as Ivan Tillinger
2016
7.6
The Watcher
as Stark
2016
5.4
Pup Star
as Big Ears (voice)
2016
5.3
Chicago Med
as Dr. James Coleman
2015
8.3
If I Tell You I Have to Kill You
as Jonathan Black
2015
0.0
Death's Door
as Mesmer
2015
3.9
Ballers
as J.D. Pritchard
2015
6.8
American Bad Boy
as Pastor Lovely
2015
2.5
Lap Dance
as Roscoe
2014
4.2
Kingdom
as Detective Gaines
2014
6.9
Madam Secretary
as President Silvanus Fabre
2014
7.0
Enlisted
as General Murray
2014
6.3
Dolls of Voodoo
as Iklif
2013
1.5
Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups
as Mayor Denny
2012
6.1
The Last Fall
as Larry Armstrong
2012
5.8
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
as Vampire Actor #4 (voice)
2012
7.7
Joy Road
as Dr. Howard Perkins
2011
6.0
The Trap Door
as Mesmer
2011
2.0
Trapped: Haitian Nights
as Ikliff
2011
8.7
All Star Superman
as Judge / Bibliobot (voice)
2011
6.8
Black Dynamite
as Osiris
2009
7.1
Why Am I Doing This?
as Cliff
2009
4.5
I Do... I Did!
as Mr. Johnson
2009
2.8
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
as Self
2008
8.0
The Eye
as Dr. Haskins
2008
5.9
Private Practice
as Dr. Larry Cannon
2007
7.5
April Fools
as Detective Combs
2007
2.0
Saving Grace
as Doc
2007
7.4
Cover
as Attorney Miller
2007
5.0
King: Man of Peace in a Time of War
as Narrator
2007
8.5
Material Girls
as Craig
2006
5.3
Psych
as David Gaffney
2006
7.9
The Celestine Prophecy
as Miguel
2006
5.1
Grey's Anatomy
as Dan Gates
2005
8.2
Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.!
as Chief Ankamuti (voice)
2004
4.1
After the Sunset
as Zacharias
2004
6.2
Boston Legal
as Dr. Victor Rivers
2004
7.9
The Manchurian Candidate
as Senator Wells
2004
6.5
The Notebook
as Band Leader
2004
7.9
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
as Self
2004
4.0
NCIS
2003
7.6
Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
as Host
2003
7.5
Everwood
as Jason
2002
7.6
John Q
as Sgt. Moody
2002
7.1
Redeemer
as Charles Henderson
2002
6.6
How High
as Dean Carl Cain
2001
6.3
One Special Moment
2001
0.0
🎬
The Visit
as Tony
2001
7.6
Static Shock
as Watch Store Salesman (voice)
2000
8.1
Static Shock
as Singer (voice)
2000
8.1
Girlfriends
as Attendant
2000
7.3
Max Steel
as (voice)
2000
8.2
The Apartment Complex
as Chett
1999
5.3
Family Law
as Philip Hamilton
1999
8.2
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
as Harold Nicholas
1999
6.4
Life
as Willie Long
1999
6.7
The Temptations
as Berry Gordy
1998
7.9
Dawson's Creek
as Principal Howard Green
1998
7.3
Spy Game
as Lieutenant Wardell
1997
7.0
Miss Evers' Boys
as Willie Johnson
1997
6.3
The Cherokee Kid
as Isom Dart
1996
5.3
That Thing You Do!
as Lamarr
1996
6.9
The Tomorrow Man
as Brian Parish
1996
4.8
Carpool
as Jeffery
1996
5.2
Multiplicity
as Paul
1996
5.8
Soul of the Game
as Cum Posey
1996
4.6
The Net
as FBI Agent
1995
6.0
Born to Be Wild
as Interpreter
1995
5.3
The Outer Limits
as Dr. Joseph Lennox
1995
7.7
Sliders
as Cezanne Brown
1995
7.6
Fatal Pursuit
as Trinidad
1995
2.6
Friends
as Director
1994
8.4
Touched by an Angel
as Carter Evans
1994
7.2
Chicago Hope
as Charles Ellis
1994
7.2
M.A.N.T.I.S.
as Cornell
1994
4.5
Philadelphia
as Jerome Green
1993
7.7
Necronomicon
as Paul
1993
6.0
Undercover Blues
as Sawyer
1993
6.1
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
as Mongoose
1993
7.0
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
as Jameson Walker
1992
6.6
The Importance of Being Earnest
as Lane
1992
0.0
🎬
The Human Factor
1992
6.0
The Silence of the Lambs
as TV Anchor Man
1991
8.3
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
as Gordy Berry
1990
7.9
Miami Blues
as Blink Willie
1990
6.0
Tales from the Crypt
as Lieutenant Jamison
1989
8.0
Married to the Mob
as The Face of Justice
1988
5.9
God Bless the Child
as Raymond Watkins
1988
6.3
Leonard Part 6
as Bongo Drummer
1987
2.7
A Different World
as Frank Benning
1987
7.0
Matlock
as Backstage Man
1986
7.1
Treemonisha
as Zodzetrick
1982
0.0
Baryshnikov on Broadway
as Dancer
1980
7.0
An Evening with Liza Minnelli
as Self - Dancer
1980
0.0
Mississippi Scholar
as Reginald
N/A
0.0
🎬
Start Without Me
as Leo
N/A
0.0
🎬
People Not Places
N/A
0.0
Children of the Dead (Concept Trailer)
N/A
0.0