Hisham Tawfiq | |
|---|---|
 Tawfiq in 2023 | |
| Born | May 17, 1970 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Television | The Blacklist |
| Spouse | Spirit Tawfiq |
Hisham Tawfiq (born May 17, 1970) is an American actor, best known for playing Dembe Zuma, part of the security detail and very close friend to Raymond "Red" Reddington in NBC's The Blacklist .
Born in New York City, Tawfiq discovered his love of the arts while performing the poem "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou in high school. Tawfiq studied at the Negro Ensemble Company, known for educating actors such as Denzel Washington and Ossie Davis. He also studied with coach Susan Batson.
Prior to pursuing a full acting career, Tawfiq served in the U.S. Marines, deployed during Operation Desert Storm. [1] From 1994 to 1996, Tawfiq worked as a corrections officer in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. [2] While pursuing his acting career, Tawfiq also served as a firefighter for 20 years with the New York City Fire Department. [3]
Tawfiq performed with The Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Intimate Apparel and played Walter Lee Younger in a production of A Raisin in the Sun , which Tawfiq has said to be his dream role. [4]
Tawfiq starred in the BET film Gun Hill as Capt. Sanford, commander of a counter-crime task force. On television, Tawfiq has appeared in Lights Out , Law & Order spin-offs Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent , Kings , Golden Boy , 30 Rock , and the 2013 NBC remake of Ironside .
Tawfiq played Dembe in NBC's The Blacklist . Starting with season 3, he was promoted to series regular.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Notorious | Fatigue Guy | |
| 2010 | Say Grace Before Drowning | Chris | |
| 2010 | Counterfeit | Malik | |
| 2010 | Contact Zone | Prince | |
| 2010 | Five Minarets in New York | High Rolla | |
| 2011 | Crazy Beats Strong Every Time | Kofi | |
| 2013 | Dead Man Down | Jamaican Mike | |
| 2014 | Gun Hill | Capt. Sanford | |
| 2017 | Dope Fiend | Prince | |
| 2018 | Skate Kitchen | Lawrence | |
| 2018 | Jinn | Imam Khalid | |
| 2020 | To Live and Die in Bed-Stuy | Big Ed | |
| 2021 | Maya and Her Lover | Father |
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 2 episodes | |
| 2009 | Kings | Serviceman Walter | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Scaryman | Episode: "Lost Children of the Blood" (S9 Ep11) |
| 2011 | Lights Out | ||
| 2012 | 30 Rock | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | ||
| 2013 | Ironside | ||
| 2013–2023 | The Blacklist | Dembe Zuma | Recurring Role (Seasons 1–2) Main Cast (Seasons 3–10) |
| 2021 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 1 episode | |
| 2021 | Harlem | Dr. Obinna Tseggai | Episode: "Once Upon a Time in Harlem" |
| 2024 | The Equalizer (2021 TV series) | 1 episode |
| Year | Piece | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Raisin in the Sun | Walter Lee Younger | ||
| Intimate Apparel | George Armstrong | ||
| A Soldiers Play | Henson | ||
| Offspring | Kyle | ||
| Bow Wow Club | Sal | ||
| Shaka Zulu | Shaka |
Kevin Glen Weisman is an American film, television and stage actor. Career highlights thus far include his lauded portrayal of Marshall Flinkman on the critically acclaimed J.J. Abrams television series Alias, which aired for five seasons (2001–2006) on ABC, Kives on the HBO television series and movie Hello Ladies (2013–14), Ray Spiewack for three seasons on the CBS television series Scorpion, Dr. Maynard on the NBC television series The Blacklist, and Ned Berring in season one of the David E. Kelley series Goliath starring Billy Bob Thornton. In 2017, Kevin began a three-year stint as Dale Yorkes on the Hulu series Marvel'sRunaways.
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Gertrude Hadley Jeannette was an American playwright and film and stage actress. She is also known for being the first woman to work as a licensed taxi driver in New York City, which she began doing in 1942. Despite being blacklisted during the Red Scare in the 1950s, she wrote five plays and founded the H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players in Harlem, New York, remaining active in mentoring African-American actors in New York City. In the 1960s and 1970s she appeared in Broadway productions such as The Long Dream, Nobody Loves an Albatross, The Amen Corner, The Skin of Our Teeth and Vieux Carré. She also appeared in films such as Cotton Comes to Harlem in 1969, Shaft in 1971, and Black Girl in 1972. She acted into her 80s and retired from directing theater at the age of 98.
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The Blacklist is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, a former US Naval Intelligence officer turned one of the Most Wanted fugitives who cooperates with the FBI in hunting down threatening criminals on a special list of his called the "Blacklist". The series also stars Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, and Harry Lennix. The Blacklist was produced by Sony Pictures Television, Universal Television and Davis Entertainment. John Eisendrath, John Davis and John Fox served as executive producers for the entire run of the series; its creator Jon Bokenkamp also executive produced the series for the first eight seasons. Other executive producers include director Joe Carnahan and Spader.
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Billie Allen was an American actress, theater director, dancer and entertainer. Allen was one of the first black actors and performers to appear on television and stage in the United States, at a time when those venues were largely closed to African Americans. During the 1950s, Allen became one of the first black entertainers to have a recurring role on network television when she was cast as a WAC on staff on the CBS army base comedy The Phil Silvers Show, from 1955 to 1959. She was one of the first African Americans to appear on television commercials in the U.S. She was also one of the earliest African American actors on daytime soap operas as she appeared in the mid-1950s as the character Ada Chandler on the popular daytime soap opera The Edge of Night. Allen was also known for her work on Broadway and off Broadway.
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