Harry Lennix
Harry Lennix | |
|---|---|
 Lennix at the San Diego Comic Con International in San Diego, California, July 20, 2013 | |
| Born | Harry Joseph Lennix III November 16, 1964 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1989–present |
Harry Joseph Lennix III[1] (born November 16, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Terrence "Dresser" Williams in the Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats and as Boyd Langton in the Joss Whedon television series Dollhouse.
Early life
Lennix, youngest of four siblings, was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lillian C. (née Vines), a laundress, and Harry Lennix, Jr., a machinist.[2][3] Lennix's father was a Creole from Louisiana.[4] Lennix attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South and Northwestern University, majoring in Acting and Direction. In his senior year at Northwestern, he was the coordinator of the African-American student organization, For Members Only.[5] He taught music and civics for several years in the Chicago Public School system and is a frequent lecturer.
Career
Lennix starred in the made-for-cable television film Keep the Faith, Baby as Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., the legendary Harlem Congressman from 1944 to 1972, debuting on Showtime Networks on February 17, 2002. Lennix has had supporting roles in films such as The Matrix series, The Five Heartbeats, the Spike Lee film Get on the Bus, Stomp the Yard, Ray, Love & Basketball, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and State of Play. In television, he had a recurring role in Diagnosis: Murder as Agent Ron Wagner, as well as a voice-over role in the Legion of Super Heroes animated series. He starred in the ABC television series Commander in Chief and the movie Titus (based on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus) as Aaron the Moor. He had a recurring role in the sixth season of 24 as fictional Muslim civil rights activist Walid Al-Rezani. He appeared on the series House M.D. as a paralyzed jazz trumpet player, and appeared in six episodes of ER as Dr. Greg Fischer.[6] He also appeared in the episode "The Blame Game" of the first season of Ally McBeal.
He played the part of Boyd Langton in Joss Whedon's series Dollhouse.[7] and the President of the United States in the comedy sketch show Little Britain USA.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Package | Field Soldier | |
| 1991 | The Five Heartbeats | Dresser | |
| 1992 | Mo' Money | Tom Dilton | as Harry J. Lennix |
| Bob Roberts | Franklin Dockett | ||
| 1994 | Guarding Tess | Kenny Young | |
| 1995 | Clockers | Bill Walker | |
| 1996 | Get on the Bus | Randall | |
| 1997 | Chicago Cab, aka Hellcab | Irate Boyfriend | as Harry J. Lennix |
| 1999 | Titus | Aaron | Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2002 | Pumpkin | Robert Meary | |
| Collateral Damage | Dray | ||
| 2003 | The Human Stain | Mr. Silk | |
| The Matrix Reloaded | Commander Lock | ||
| The Matrix Revolutions | Commander Lock | ||
| 2004 | Chrystal | Kalid | |
| Barbershop 2: Back in Business | Quentin Leroux | ||
| Suspect Zero | Rich Charleton | ||
| Ray | Joe Adams | Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | |
| 2006 | Sharif Don't Like It | Tom | |
| 2007 | Stomp the Yard | Nate | |
| Resurrecting the Champ | Bob Satterfield, Jr. | ||
| Across the Universe | Army Sergeant | ||
| 2009 | State of Play | Det. Donald Bell | |
| 2010 | Mr. Sophistication | Ron Waters | |
| 2012 | A Beautiful Soul | Jeff Freeze | |
| 2013 | Man of Steel | General Swanwick |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | A Mother's Courage: The Mary Thomas Story | Nero | TV movie |
| 1990 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter | Prosecutor Keith Warner | TV movie |
| 1992 | In the Best Interest of the Children | Tim Coffey | TV movie |
| 1994 | Vanishing Son II | Andre Laine | TV movie |
| Vanishing Son IV | Andre Laine | TV movie | |
| 1995–1996 | The Client | Daniel Holbrook | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1997 | ER | Dr. Greg Fischer | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2002 | Keep the Faith, Baby | Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. | TV movie, Black Reel Award for Best Actor in a Television Movie/Mini-Series NAMIC Vision Award for Best Performance—Drama Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2005 | House M.D. | John Henry Giles | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2005–2006 | Commander in Chief | Jim Gardner | TV series, 19 episodes. Nominated—Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series |
| 2007 | 24 | Walid Al-Rezani | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2008 | Little Britain USA | President of the United States | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Dollhouse | Boyd Langton | TV series, 27 episodes |
| 2013 | Emily Owens M.D. | Tim Dupre | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2013–present | The Blacklist | Harold Cooper | TV series |
References
- ^ "Djena Graves and Harry Lennix III". The New York Times. June 28, 2009.
- ^ Herguth, Bob (April 16, 1991). "Harry J. Lennix". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Harry J. Lennix Biography (1965?-)
- ^ Harrison, Eric (January 14, 2000). "In 'Titus,' He's the Face of Pure Evil; Movies * Harry J. Lennix's role in Julie Taymor's film should bring him more opportunities--and recognition". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ http://speakingofstories.org/Actors/Harry%20Lennix.html
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0089976/
- ^ Dos Santos, Kristin (April 15, 2008). "Exclusive Pilot Details: Welcome to the Dollhouse!". E! Online. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
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External links
- Harry Lennix at IMDb
- Harry Lennix at AllMovie
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