Afemo Omilami

Last updated
Afemo Omilami
Born (1950-12-13) December 13, 1950 (age 72)
OccupationActor
Years active1979–present
Spouse
(m. 1985)
Children2

Afemo Omilami (born December 13, 1950) is an American actor. [1]

Contents

Early life

Omilami was born in Petersburg, Virginia on December 13, 1950. Afemo has not made any public reference to his paternal background, however his name has ties to the Yoruba community in Nigeria.

Career

He has appeared in many films such as Trading Places (1983), Glory (1989), The Firm (1993), Gordy (1995), Remember the Titans (2000), Ray (2004), Hounddog (2007), The Blind Side (2009), and Terminator Genisys (2015). He is perhaps best known for his role as the Drill Sergeant in Forrest Gump (1994). He had a recurring role as the streetwise Jimmy Dawes in In the Heat of the Night from 1989 to 1993. He was nominated for a 2013 NAACP Image Award in the category "Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special" for his performance in Lifetime's Steel Magnolias as Drum Eatenton. [2]

He also appeared in guest roles in television series Miami Vice , Fortune Hunter , New York News , The Shield , Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Raising Dion .

Personal life

He married his wife Elisabeth (née Williams) on September 11, 1985. She is an actress, minister, and a civil rights leader. They have two children: son Awodele and daughter Juanita.

His longtime friend was actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd. [3] After Byrd was killed, Omilami described Byrd as a "devoted father and husband and a master of his craft". [4] [5]

Filmography

Film/Movie

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979 Freedom Road Young Black Man with ScarsTV movie
1983 Rage of Angels Vet #1TV movie
Trading Places Longshoreman
1986 The Money Pit Bernie
1989 Glory Tall Contraband
1990 Murder in Mississippi Bob MosesTV movie
Caroline? Taxi DriverTV movie
The Long Walk Home Taxi Driver
Web of DeceitBailiffTV movie
1991In the Line of Duty: Manhunt in the DakotasPrison GuardTV movie
White LieBartenderTV movie
1993 Sankofa Noble Ali
The Firm Cotton Truck Driver
The Real McCoy Cab Dispatcher
1994 Forrest Gump Drill Sergeant
A Simple Twist of Fate Bailiff
Drop Squad Berl "Flip" Mangum
The War Quarry Man
Gordy Krugman
1997The WitchcatcherDuncanTV movie
1999 Funny Valentines Ephraim Lee
Forces of Nature Cab Driver
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn Noah's FatherTV movie
Chill Factor Courtroom Colonel
Wayward Son Horace
Bringing Out The Dead Griss
2000 Animal Factory Captain Midnight
Tigerland SFC Ezra Landers
Remember the Titans Charles Campbell
The RunawayJule MonroeTV movie
2001 Tara AttorneyVideo
RustinMel Jones [6]
2002 The Rosa Parks Story -TV movie
Drumline President Wagner
I'm with Lucy Cab Driver #1
Sweet Home Alabama Jimmy Lee
Nowhere Road-
Baby of the Family-
2003 Runaway Jury SUV Driver
Cold Mountain Joshua
2004 The Alamo Sam
Ray Angry Husband
2006 Glory Road Mr. Flournoy
Madea's Family Reunion Isaac, Sr.
Heavens Fall Leonard George
Idlewild Walter
2007 Hounddog Charles
The Reaping Haman
The List A.L. Jenkins
2008B.A.M.The ManShort
2009 The Blind Side CPS Caseworker
2010 Bloodworth Sheriff Bellweather
Blood Done Sign My Name Golden Frinks
Beneath the Dark The Man
2012 Steel Magnolias Drum EatentonTV movie
2013 G.I. Joe: Retaliation Chairman Joint Chief of Staff
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire District 11 Mayor
2014 The Good Lie Dr. Monyang
2015The Next DayRoyShort
Terminator Genisys Perry
Sick PeopleDr. Johnson
2016 The Founder Mr. Merriman
Hidden Figures Man Outside Store
Smoke & MirrorsCruschevShort
2018Down for WhateverLieutenant BakerTV movie
2019 The Best of Enemies Franklin Mose
Poms David
A Brother's HonorRichard Granger
Full CountMr. Gravitt
2022Freedom's PathEllis Freeman

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984 Another Life Samir FayyadTV series
Miami Vice Desmond MaxwellEpisode: "Cool Runnin'"
1989–93 In the Heat of the Night Jimmy DawesRecurring cast: season 2-6
1992 I'll Fly Away Mr. HendricksEpisode: "Toy Soldiers"
Law & Order Michael KanoEpisode: "Consultation"
1994 Fortune Hunter Pierre ToussantEpisode: "Sea Trial"
1995 New York News -Episode: "You Thought the Pope Was Something"
1996 Law & Order Henry PattersonEpisode: "Custody"
1997–99 The Wonderful World of Disney Sam Parker / John WebbEpisodes: "Flash" / "Selma, Lord, Selma"
1999 Law & Order Darryl LamaineEpisode: "Haven"
2001 Sheena KonteeEpisode: "Mind Games"
2002 Dawson's Creek Clifton SmallsEpisodes: "Cigarette Burns" / "Swan Song"
2004 The Shield Vince PeaboEpisode: "Mum"
2007 Side Order of Life Thomas BeauchampEpisode: "When Pigs Fly"
2007–08 Ghost Whisperer ArchivistSupporting cast: season 3
2008 John Adams ServantEpisode: "Unite or Die"
2010 Past Life Fred LammEpisode: "Dead Man Talking"
Chase The ChiefEpisode: "Pilot"
2015 True Detectives Police Chief HollowayRecurring cast: Season 2
2016 Mad Dogs Captain ChurchillEpisode: "Needles"
2016–17 Survivor's Remorse Richard Freeman3 episodes
2016–18 Saints & Sinners Detective Noah St. CharlesMain cast: season 1-3
2017 Madam Secretary President Babacar DiomeEpisode: "The Detour"
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders Inspector PolinoEpisode: "Lost Souls"
2019 Raising Dion George LewisEpisode: "Issue #106: Super Friends" [7]
Creepshow BrennerEpisodes: "The Companion" / "Lydia Layne's Better Half"
2022 Women of the Movement Add ReedEpisode: "Manhunt"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Chestnut</span> American actor (born 1969)

Morris Lamont Chestnut is an American actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Ricky in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood. He has appeared in feature films and on television series, including the starring role of FBI Agent Will Keaton in the NBC TV series The Enemy Within.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt LeBlanc</span> American actor and comedian (born 1967)

Matthew Steven LeBlanc is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom Friends and in its spin-off series, Joey. For his work on Friends, LeBlanc received three nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also starred as a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes (2011–2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and received four additional Emmy Award nominations. He co-hosted Top Gear from 2016 to 2019. From 2016 to 2020, he played patriarch Adam Burns in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Roberts</span> American actor (born 1956)

Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in King of the Gypsies (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes for his role in Bob Fosse's Star 80 (1983). Roberts' performance in Runaway Train (1985), as prison escapee Buck McGeehy, earned him a third Golden Globe nod and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is the older brother of actress Julia Roberts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Anderson</span> American actor and comedian (born 1970)

Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in comedy series such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on Black-ish, drama series such as Marlin Boulet on K-Ville, and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order and comedy sitcom television series Guys with Kids. He had major roles in feature films such as Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004), The Departed (2006), Transformers (2007), and Scream 4 (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hosea Williams</span> American civil rights activist and ordained minister

Hosea Lorenzo Williams was an American civil rights leader, activist, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist, and politician. He is best known as a trusted member of fellow famed civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King Jr.'s inner circle. Under the banner of their flagship organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King depended on Williams to organize and stir masses of people into nonviolent direct action in myriad protest campaigns they waged against racial, political, economic, and social injustice. King alternately referred to Williams, his chief field lieutenant, as his "bull in a china shop" and his "Castro." Vowing to continue King's work for the poor, Williams is well known in his own right as the founding president of one of the largest social services organizations in North America, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless. His famous motto was "Unbought and Unbossed."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole Ari Parker</span> American actress

Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe is an American actress and model. She made her screen debut with a leading role in the critically acclaimed independent film The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995) and went on to appear in Boogie Nights (1997), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Lennon</span> American actor and screenwriter

Thomas Patrick Lennon is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, director, and novelist. He plays Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the series Reno 911!

Steven Williams is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on 21 Jump Street, Lt. Jefferson Burnett on The Equalizer, Det. August Brooks on L.A. Heat, X on The X-Files, Russell "Linc" Lincoln in Linc's, and Rufus Turner in Supernatural.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael B. Jordan</span> American actor (born 1987)

Michael Bakari Jordan is an American actor. He is best known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama Fruitvale Station (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in Creed (2015), and Erik Killmonger in Black Panther (2018), all of which were written and directed by Ryan Coogler. Jordan reprised his role of Creed in Creed II (2018) and Creed III (2023); the latter also marked his directorial debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glynn Turman</span> American actor, writer, director (born 1947)

Glynn Russell Turman is an American actor, director, writer, and producer. First coming to attention as a child actor in the original 1959 Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun, Turman is known for his roles as Lew Miles on the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place (1968–1969), high school student Leroy "Preach" Jackson in the 1975 coming-of-age film Cooley High, math professor and retired Army colonel Bradford Taylor on the NBC sitcom A Different World (1988–1993), and Baltimore mayor Clarence Royce on the HBO drama series The Wire. He received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role on the HBO drama series In Treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Mikal Ford</span> American actor and comedian (1964-2016)

Thomas Mikal Ford was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as Thomas "Tommy" Strawn on the FOX sitcom Martin, which originally aired from 1992 until 1997. He also had a recurring role as Mel Parker in the UPN sitcom The Parkers from 1999 until 2001. He was also known for his role as Lt. Malcolm Barker on New York Undercover, which also aired on FOX for its final season.

Thomas Jefferson Byrd was an American character actor who played in several of director Spike Lee's films. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the 2003 Broadway revival of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

<i>The Starter Wife</i> (miniseries) American TV series or program

The Starter Wife is a 2007 USA Network television miniseries, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Gigi Levangie Grazer. Its title is derived from the concept of a starter marriage. Filmed over four months in Queensland, Australia, the plot focuses on Molly Kagan who, after years of marriage to a Hollywood film mogul, is forced to redefine herself and her role in society when her husband leaves her for a younger woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinbad (comedian)</span> American comedian and actor (born 1956)

David Adkins, better known by his stage name Sinbad, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known in the 1990s from being featured on his own HBO specials, appearing on several television series such as Coach Walter Oakes in A Different World (1987–1991) and as David Bryan on The Sinbad Show (1993–1994), and starring in the films Necessary Roughness, Houseguest, First Kid, Jingle All the Way, Good Burger, and Planes.

<i>The List</i> (2007 film) 2007 American film

The List is a 2007 American thriller film directed by Gary Wheeler and based on the novel of the same name by Robert Whitlow. The film was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina. It stars Malcolm McDowell, Chuck Carrington, Hilarie Burton and Will Patton. The List was released on April 22, 2007, and grossed $138,814 at the US box office. It was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Omilami</span> Activist and actress

Elisabeth Williams-Omilami is an American human rights activist and an actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrell Tilford</span> American actor

Terrell Tilford is an American film, stage, and television actor best known for roles as Eric Bishop on Switched at Birth (2015–2017), David Grant on Guiding Light (1998–2001), as Greg Evans on One Life to Live (2009–2010), as Ramon Rush in the Lifetime drama series The Protector (2011), as Sean Clarke on the scripted series Single Ladies, and its recurring role as Malik on Soul Food for Showtime in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damiere Byrd</span> American football player (born 1993)

Damiere Byrd is an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2015. Byrd has also been a member of the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons.

<i>Saints & Sinners</i> (2016 TV series) American soap opera

Saints & Sinners is an American prime time television soap opera. Starring Vanessa Bell Calloway, Clifton Powell, Keith Robinson, Christian Keyes, and Gloria Reuben. The series premiered on the African-American-oriented television network Bounce TV on March 6, 2016, as the network's first original drama.

<i>Raising Dion</i> American superhero science fiction streaming television series

Raising Dion is an American superhero drama streaming television series that premiered on October 4, 2019 on Netflix. It is based on the 2015 comic book and short film of the same name by Dennis Liu. In January 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second and final season which premiered on February 1, 2022.

References

  1. Scheck, Frank (19 February 2010). "Blood a bloodless telling of civil rights episode". Reuters . Reuters. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  2. Sandell, Scott (11 December 2012). "NAACP Image Awards: The complete nominations list". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  3. Redmon, Jeremy (October 7, 2020). "Police investigate, friends mourn following actor Thomas Byrd's shooting death". www.ajc.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. Dukes, Deidra (October 5, 2020). "Search continues for killer of actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd in Atlanta". www.fox5atlanta.com. Fox 5 Atlanta. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  5. Buchanan, Christopher (October 5, 2020). "'It makes no sense': Friend, fellow actor shocked by Thomas Jefferson Byrd's senseless death". www.11alive.com. 11 Alive. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. Koehler, Robert (17 July 2001). "Rustin (review)". Variety. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  7. Wainio, Wade (March 19, 2020). "Raising Dion season 1, episode 6 recap: Super Friends". www.showsnob.com. Show Snob. Retrieved January 31, 2021.