Lawrence Gilliard Jr.

Last updated

Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Lawrencegilliardjr.jpg
Gilliard Jr. in 2014
Born (1971-09-22) September 22, 1971 (age 52)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1989–present
Website LawrenceGilliardJr.com

Lawrence Gilliard Jr. [1] (born September 22, 1971) [2] is an American actor who has appeared in films, television series, and theatre. He portrayed D'Angelo Barksdale on the HBO drama series The Wire , a role which earned him critical acclaim. [3] He is also known for his role as Bob Stookey in the AMC horror drama The Walking Dead . He was in the cast of David Simon's HBO TV series The Deuce , which premiered in September 2017 and concluded in October 2019. Gilliard Jr. has had roles in movies such as Straight Out of Brooklyn (1991), Next Stop Wonderland (1998), and Gangs of New York (2002). [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Gilliard was born in New York City. [1] [2] He and his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, when he was seven years old. [5]

Gilliard played clarinet and studied classical music at Baltimore School for the Arts. [6] Jada Pinkett Smith and Tupac Shakur were classmates of Gilliard at the Baltimore School of the Arts. [2]

After attending Juilliard School for three years as a clarinet performance student, [7] Gilliard decided to pursue acting instead of music. [2] He also studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The Acting Studio – New York, [8] [9] and the Stella Adler Conservatory. [10]

Career

Gilliard made his film debut playing the lead, Dennis Brown, in the 1991 independent film Straight Out of Brooklyn. [5]

Gilliard has appeared on numerous television crime dramas such as Law & Order , Homicide: Life on the Street , The Wire , New York Undercover , and CSI: NY . Film roles include a love-struck ghetto teen in LottoLand (1995), an earnest college football player in The Waterboy (1998), and a member of the Dead Rabbits in Gangs of New York (2002).

Gilliard is also a stage actor. He received positive reviews for his role of Booth in a production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Topdog/Underdog . [11] [12] He joined The Walking Dead cast as a regular, playing Bob Stookey.

Personal life

As of 2008, Gilliard was married to Michelle Paress, who joined the cast of The Wire in its fifth season. [13] They divorced in 2020.

Filmography

Key
Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1991 Straight Out of Brooklyn Dennis Brown
1993Fly By NightJed Lyte
The Pickle Boy Who Stopped
1995 Lotto Land Hank
Money Train Hood #3/Hood #1
1996 Trees Lounge James
The Associate Thomas, Plaza Bellhop
1997 White Lies Leon Turner / Leon Chame
1998 A Soldier's Sweetheart Shoeshine
The Substitute 2: School's Out Dontae
Next Stop Wonderland Brett
One Tough Cop Curtis Wilkins
The Waterboy Derek Wallace
1999 Simply Irresistible Nolan Traynor
Loving Jezebel Walter
2000 Cecil B. Demented Lewis
2001Home Invaders
Trigger HappyRay
2002 Gangs of New York Jimmy Spoils
2003 Kill the Poor Spike
2004 Brother to Brother Marcus
The Machinist Jackson
Woman Hollering CreekMelvinShort
2008TurnipseedJohnny Turnipseed
The Highs & Lows of Milo BrownElliotShort
2011 The Double Agent Burton
2012JuniorDet. Daniel Abrams Sr.Short
The Wire: The Musical D'Angelo Barksdale Short
The Trial of Ben BarryJuneShort
Would You Rather Dr. Barden
2013Turnipseed: Second ChanceJohn Turnipseed
2014 Walk of Shame Scrilla
2018 Hot Air Earl
2020 One Night in Miami... Drew Bundini Brown
2023 Big George Foreman Archie Moore
The Featherweight Sandy Saddler

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1992 In the Line of Duty: Street War WillTV movie
1993 Homicide: Life on the Street William LynessEpisode: "A Dog and a Pony Show"
ABC Afterschool Specials Episode: "Girlfriend"
Survive the NightTV movie
1993–1994 George Lathan Basmore9 episodes
1994 New York Undercover QuentinEpisode: "After Shakespeare"
1995InflammableWesley RainesTV movie
2000Sally Hemings: An American ScandalHenry JacksonTV movie
2002 Less than Perfect ChesterEpisode: "Kip Steadman's Guide to Dating"
2002–2003 The Wire D'Angelo Barksdale 18 episodes
2004 The Jury Corey HamiltonEpisode: "The Boxer"
2005 CSI: NY Officer Omar LillyEpisode: "Crime and Misdemeanor"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Eddie RobertsEpisode: "Acts of Contrition"
2006 Numb3rs Amos ShabazEpisode: "Waste Not"
2008 Fear Itself JamesEpisode: "Spooked"
2009 The Beast Nick / Raymond Beaumont10 episodes
Trauma DukeEpisode: "Blue Balloon"
2010 Friday Night Lights EldenEpisode: "The Lights in Carroll Park"
The Boondocks 2nd Prisoner (voice)Episode: "A Date with the Booty Warrior"
Detroit 1-8-7 Lefty ReedEpisode: "Déjà Vu/All In"
Lie to Me Marcus WeaverEpisode: "Smoked"
2011PartnersDr. JTV movie
2012 Southland John's Sponsor2 episodes
Army Wives Marcus Williams7 episodes
2013 Longmire BurkeEpisode: "Unquiet Mind"
2013–2015 The Walking Dead Bob Stookey 20 episodes
2015 Graceland Deputy Agent Sean Logan6 episodes
Elementary Dr. Dwyer KirkEpisode: "The Eternity Injection"
The Good Wife Ken Boxer Jr.Episode: "Winning Ugly"
2017–2019 The Deuce Chris Alston25 episodes
2018 God Friended Me AaronEpisode: "Coney Island Cyclone"
2020 Bull Prosecutor BenjaminEpisode: "My Corona"
2021 Chicago P.D. Latrell WadeEpisode: "Equal Justice"
2021–2022 That Damn Michael Che Clarence2 episodes
Power Book III: Raising Kanan Azumadeen 'Deen' Tippett3 episodes
2023–2024 Law & Order Attorney Aaron Dressler2 episodes
2024 Clipped Grady Rivers1 episode

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wire</i> American crime drama television series (2002–2008)

The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by American author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. The Wire premiered on June 2, 2002, and ended on March 9, 2008, comprising sixty episodes over five seasons. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of Simon's writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Wright</span> American actor (born 1965)

Jeffrey Wright is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. Wright began his career in theater where he gained prominence for his role in the Broadway production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America (1993), for which he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He reprised his role in the acclaimed 2003 HBO miniseries adaptation, earning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

Topdog/Underdog is a play by American playwright Suzan-Lori Parks which premiered in 2001 off-Broadway in New York City. The next year it opened on Broadway, at the Ambassador Theatre, where it played for several months. In 2002, Parks received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Outer Critics Circle Award for the play; it received other awards for the director and cast. In 2023, it won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

James Finley Ransone III is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of the drama series The Wire, United States Marine Corps Cpl. Josh Ray Person in the war drama miniseries Generation Kill (2008), The Deputy in the supernatural horror films Sinister (2012) and Sinister 2 (2015), Chester in Tangerine (2015), the adult Eddie Kaspbrak in It Chapter Two (2019), and Max in The Black Phone (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Mackie</span> American actor

Anthony Dwane Mackie is an American actor. Mackie made his film debut starring in the music drama film 8 Mile (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his performance in the LGBT drama Brother to Brother (2004), and in the same year, appeared in psychological thriller The Manchurian Candidate, the Spike Lee TV film Sucker Free City, and the sports film Million Dollar Baby. Mackie starred in Half Nelson (2006); in 2008, Mackie both appeared in the action thriller Eagle Eye and was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Hurt Locker. He portrayed Tupac Shakur in Notorious (2009) and later starred in Night Catches Us (2010), and The Adjustment Bureau and Real Steel.

Marc E. Platt is an American producer who has worked in film, theatre, and television. He has received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards.

Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers (1974), Clockers (1992) and Lush Life (2008). Price's novels explore late-20th-century urban America in a gritty, realistic manner that has brought him considerable literary acclaim. Several of his novels are set in a fictional northern New Jersey city called Dempsy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael K. Williams</span> American actor (1966–2021)

Michael Kenneth Williams was an American actor. He rose to fame for his acclaimed portrayals of Omar Little on the HBO drama series The Wire (2002–2008) and Albert "Chalky" White on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (2010–2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Gilliam</span> American actor (born 1968)

Seth Gilliam is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Ellis Carver on The Wire, Clayton Hughes on Oz, Dr. Alan Deaton on Teen Wolf, and Father Gabriel Stokes on The Walking Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad L. Coleman</span> American actor (born 1967)

Chad L. Coleman is an American actor. He is known for playing Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the HBO series The Wire (2004–08), Tyreese on the AMC series The Walking Dead (2012–15), Mingo on Roots (2016), Z on the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2010–19), Fred Johnson on The Expanse (2015–20), Klyden on The Orville (2017–2022), and Bruno Mannheim in Superman & Lois (2023). He also voiced Coach in the video game Left 4 Dead 2 (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alma Gutierrez</span> Character from The Wire

Alma M. Gutierrez is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actress Michelle Paress. Gutierrez is a dedicated and idealistic young reporter on the city desk of The Baltimore Sun.

The Wire is a fictional television drama series produced by the Home Box Office network. The fifth season of the show included a focus on the media and in particular a fictionalized version of The Baltimore Sun. The series introduced many new characters who were professional journalists.

A Dog and Pony Show (<i>Homicide: Life on the Street</i>) 6th episode of the 1st season of Homicide: Life on the Street

"A Dog and Pony Show" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 10, 1993. In the episode, Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the murder of a police dog, Crosetti helps his friend adjust after a serious injury, and Felton and Howard suspect a drug dealer for a brutal murder.

<i>The Walking Dead</i> season 4 Fourth season of comic book-based television series

The fourth season of The Walking Dead, an American post-apocalyptic horror television series on AMC, premiered on October 13, 2013, and concluded on March 30, 2014, consisting of 16 episodes. Developed for television by Frank Darabont, the series is based on the eponymous series of comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. It was executive produced by Kirkman, David Alpert, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse, and Gale Anne Hurd, with Gimple assuming the role of showrunner after Glen Mazzara's departure from the series. The fourth season was well received by critics. It was nominated for multiple awards and won three, including Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series for the second consecutive year, at the 40th Saturn Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30 Days Without an Accident</span> 1st episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead

"30 Days Without an Accident" is the fourth season premiere of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 13, 2013. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple, the series' new showrunner, and directed by Greg Nicotero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Hanchard</span> Canadian actor

Kevin Hanchard is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles as Detective Arthur Bell in Orphan Black and Inspector Sematimba in The Expanse. Hanchard currently appears as Superintendent Joseph Donovan in Hudson and Rex.

Alone (<i>The Walking Dead</i>) 13th episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead

"Alone" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on March 9, 2014. The episode was written by Curtis Gwinn and directed by Ernest Dickerson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Hawkins</span> American actor (born 1988)

Corey Antonio Hawkins is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role in the TV series The Walking Dead (2015–2016), as well as his portrayal of Dr. Dre in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the latter of which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. He's also known for his performances on Broadway starring in Six Degrees of Separation (2017) and Topdog/Underdog (2022), both of which earned him nominations for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

<i>The Deuce</i> (TV series) American drama television series

The Deuce is an American drama television series created by David Simon and George Pelecanos, set in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. It is broadcast by HBO in the United States and premiered on September 10, 2017. HBO made the pilot available through its streaming services and affiliates on August 25, 2017.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the American television drama series The Deuce. It premiered on September 10, 2017, on premium cable network HBO; the pilot was released in advance on HBO streaming service HBO Go on August 25. The episode was written by creators and showrunners George Pelecanos and David Simon, and was directed by Michelle MacLaren.

References

  1. 1 2 "Larry Gilliard: Biography". Yahoo! TV . Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Miller, Matt; Gondelman, Josh; Gilliard, Jr., Lawrence (September 18, 2017). "Lawrence Gilliard Jr. of 'The Deuce' Explains the Tupac Connection on His Wikipedia Page". Esquire .
  3. Goodman, Tim (September 17, 2004). "Never mind who'll win the Emmys. Here's who deserves recognition". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  4. "James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal Star in HBO Drama Series "The Deuce," Created by David Simon and George Pelecanos, Debuting Sept. 10" (Press release). HBO. July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Charles, Nick (April 7, 1996). "Hats Off to Larry: Granny Was Behind Actor Larry Gilliard All the Way from Military School to Movie Sets". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  6. Woolever, Lydia; Souza, Gabriella (September 1, 2015). "Kwame Kwei-Armah and Lawrence Gilliard Jr". Baltimore .
  7. Lawrence Gilliard Jr. takes on a new role in AMC's 'The Walking Dead'
  8. "Alumni: Larry Gilliard – Actor". Baltimore School for the Arts. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  9. "The Acting Studio, Inc.: Alumni". Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  10. Roberts, Terri (March 11, 2004). "Doing the Hustle". Back Stage West . Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  11. Holder, Travis Michael (February 19, 2004). "Topdog/Underdog". Back Stage West. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  12. Harmanci, Reyhan (November 16, 2004). "Top Dog/Underdog: It's a dog eat dog world". SF Station. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  13. "The Wire: Interviews: Michelle Paress". HBO. 2008. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2009.