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Courtney B. Vance

Courtney B. Vance

Acting

Born: March 12, 1960Detroit, Michigan, USA

Courtney Bernard Vance (born March 12, 1960) is an American actor. Vance started his career on the Broadway stage in the original productions of August Wilson's Fences in 1985, John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation in 1990 and Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy in 2013 for which he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He is known for his roles in films such as Hamburger Hill (1987), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Preacher's Wife (1996), Cookie's Fortune (1999), Terminator Genisys (2015), and Isle of Dogs (2018). Vance is also known for work on television on shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, where he portrayed Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He also guest-starred on Law & Order, Picket Fences, The Closer, Revenge, Scandal, and Masters of Sex. He won acclaim for his portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in the FX limited series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016) for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He recently appeared in the HBO television film, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), National Geographic's limited series Genius: Aretha (2020), and the HBO drama series Lovecraft Country (2020) the latter of which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He has been married to actress Angela Bassett since 1997. Vance is on the Board of Directors for The Actors Center in New York City, and is an active supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In 2019, Vance was appointed as the President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.

Known For
Filmography
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause

Self

2026
Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch

Cobra Bubbles

2025
Death Wish

Death Wish

2024
Heist 88

Heist 88

Jeremy Horne

2023
Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me

Self

2020
Project Power

Project Power

Captain Craine

2020
Uncorked

Uncorked

Louis

2020
The Photograph

The Photograph

Louis Morton

2020
Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story

Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story

Self - Narrator

2020
On Broadway

On Broadway

Self (archive footage)

2019

Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America

Self - Host

2019
Ben Is Back

Ben Is Back

Mr. Beeby

2018
The Groveland Four

The Groveland Four

Self - Narrator

2018
Isle of Dogs

Isle of Dogs

Narrator (voice)

2018
The Mummy

The Mummy

Colonel Greenway

2017
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Sir Lord Keenan Coefield

2017
Office Christmas Party

Office Christmas Party

Walter Davis

2016
Terminator Genisys

Terminator Genisys

Miles Dyson

2015
Let It Shine

Let It Shine

Jacob

2012
The Divide

The Divide

Delvin

2012
Joyful Noise

Joyful Noise

Pastor Dale

2012
Final Destination 5

Final Destination 5

Agent Block

2011
Hurricane Season

Hurricane Season

Mr. Randolph

2010
Extraordinary Measures

Extraordinary Measures

Marcus Temple

2010
Nothing But the Truth

Nothing But the Truth

Agent O'Hara

2008
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

Corey (segment "Fences")

2006
The Fight

The Fight

Narrator (voice)

2005
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Other Voices (voice)

2004
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

2003
Partners of the Heart

Partners of the Heart

Vivien Thomas (voice)

2002
Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story

Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story

Clarence Brandley

2002
D-Tox

D-Tox

Reverend Jones

2002
Space Cowboys

Space Cowboys

Roger Hines

2000
The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story

The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story

2000
The Acting Class

The Acting Class

Self

2000
Love and Action in Chicago

Love and Action in Chicago

Eddie Jones

1999
Cookie's Fortune

Cookie's Fortune

Otis Tucker

1999
Naked City: A Killer Christmas

Naked City: A Killer Christmas

Officer James Halloran

1998
Blind Faith

Blind Faith

John Williams

1998
Naked City: Justice with a Bullet

Naked City: Justice with a Bullet

Officer James Halloran

1998
Ambushed

Ambushed

Jerry Robinson

1998
12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men

Foreman

1997
The Preacher's Wife

The Preacher's Wife

Reverend Henry Biggs

1996
The Boys Next Door

The Boys Next Door

Lucien P. Singer

1996
The Affair

The Affair

Travis Holloway

1995
The Last Supper

The Last Supper

Luke

1995
The Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen

Lt. Glenn

1995
Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds

Mr. George Grandey

1995
Panther

Panther

Bobby Seale

1995
The Piano Lesson

The Piano Lesson

Lymon

1995
Holy Matrimony

Holy Matrimony

Cooper

1994
Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad

Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad

Thomas

1994
Percy & Thunder

Percy & Thunder

Wayne 'Thunder' Carter

1993
Beyond the Law

Beyond the Law

Conroy Price

1993
The Adventures of Huck Finn

The Adventures of Huck Finn

Jim

1993
In the Line of Duty: Street War

In the Line of Duty: Street War

Justice Butler

1992
Nonsense and Lullabyes: Poems

Nonsense and Lullabyes: Poems

(voice)

1992
Nonsense and Lullabyes: Nursery Rhymes

Nonsense and Lullabyes: Nursery Rhymes

(voice)

1992
The Emperor's New Clothes

The Emperor's New Clothes

Scribe (voice)

1992
Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers

Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers

Reader

1991
The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

Petty Officer Ronald 'Jonesy' Jones (USS Dallas)

1990
Hamburger Hill

Hamburger Hill

Spc. Abraham 'Doc' Johnson

1987
First Affair

First Affair

Male Student #2

1983