Jeffrey Wright
Jeffrey Wright | |
---|---|
Born | Washington, D.C., U.S. | December 7, 1965
Education | Amherst College (BA) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1990–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Awards | Full list |
Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a
His first starring film role was as Jean-Michel Basquiat in Basquiat (1996). His other notable films include Shaft (2000), Syriana (2005), Lady in the Water (2006), Cadillac Records (2008), The Ides of March (2011), and Rustin (2023). He also acted in the Wes Anderson films The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023), and has played Felix Leiter in the James Bond films Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), and No Time to Die (2021), Beetee Latier in The Hunger Games films, and Jim Gordon in The Batman (2022). He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in American Fiction (2023).
Wright earned acclaim for his role as
Early life and education
Wright was born on December 7, 1965, in Washington, D.C.. His mother is a customs lawyer and his father died when Jeffrey was a child.[1][2] He graduated from St. Albans School and attended Amherst College, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science, planning to attend law school, but chose instead to study acting. After attending the MFA acting program at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts for two months in 1988, he left to appear in Les Blancs at Arena Stage before transferring with it to the Huntington Theatre Company and deciding to be an actor full-time.[3][4]
Career
1990–2003: Theatre roles and Angels in America
Wright began appearing
He guest-starred in George Lucas's The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as a fictionalized Sidney Bechet and Homicide: Life on the Street in the early to late 1990s. In 1996, Wright starred in his first leading film role, portraying painter Jean-Michel Basquiat in the film Basquiat, to critical acclaim. Critic Roger Ebert praised Wright as "[giving] a performance of almost mystical opacity".[5] For his performance, he earned a Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance nomination. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Woody Allen's satirical comedy Celebrity (1998), and Ang Lee's western Ride with the Devil (1999).
In 2000, he starred in three films,
2004–2015: Established actor
In 2004, he appeared in
In 2010, Wright played Jacques Cornet in the world premiere run of
2016–2022: Westworld and American Fiction
He portrayed
In 2018, Wright produced the HBO documentary We Are Not Done Yet, which gives voice to war veterans who, through a USO-sponsored arts workshop at
In 2019, he acted in the
In 2021, Wright portrayed food writer Roebuck Wright in the film
Personal life
Wright married actress Carmen Ejogo in August 2000. They have a son named Elijah and a daughter named Juno and lived in Brooklyn, New York City.[20][21][22][23] They have since divorced.[24]
He is a fan of the Washington Commanders.[25][26]
In 2004, Wright received an honorary degree from his alma mater Amherst College.[27]
Wright is chairman and co-founder of Taia, LLC and Taia Peace Foundation and Vice Chairman of Taia Lion Resources, Inc,[28][29] a gold-exploration company looking to create a conflict-free gold mining operation in Sierra Leone.[30][31][32]
Acting credits
Film
† | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990 | Presumed Innocent | Prosecuting Attorney | |
1992 | Jumpin' at the Boneyard | Derek | |
1996 | Faithful | Young Man | |
Basquiat | Jean-Michel Basquiat | ||
1997 | Critical Care | Bed Two | |
1998 | Too Tired to Die | Balzac Man | |
Celebrity | Greg | ||
Meschugge | Win | ||
Blossoms and Veils | Ben | ||
1999 | Cement | Ninny | |
Ride with the Devil | Daniel Holt | ||
2000 | Hamlet | Gravedigger | |
Crime and Punishment in Suburbia | Chris | ||
Shaft | Peoples Hernandez | ||
2001 | Ali | Howard Bingham | |
2002 | D-Tox | Jaworski | |
2004 | Sin's Kitchen | Rex | |
The Manchurian Candidate | Al Melvin | ||
2005 | Broken Flowers | Winston | |
Syriana | Bennett Holiday | ||
2006 | Lady in the Water | Mr. Dury | |
Casino Royale | Felix Leiter | ||
2007 | The Invasion | Dr. Stephen Galeano | |
Blackout | Nelson | Also producer | |
2008 | W. | Colin Powell | |
Quantum of Solace | Felix Leiter | ||
Cadillac Records | Muddy Waters | ||
2009 | One Blood | Dan Clark | Also producer |
2011 | Source Code | Dr. Rutledge | |
The Ides of March | Senator Thompson | ||
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | William Black | ||
2013 | Broken City | Carl Fairbanks | |
A Single Shot | Simon | ||
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Beetee | ||
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete | Henry | ||
2014 | Ernest & Celestine | Grizzly Judge (voice) | English dub |
Only Lovers Left Alive | Dr. Watson | ||
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Beetee | ||
2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | ||
The Good Dinosaur | Poppa Henry (voice) | ||
2018 | Monster | Mr. Harmon | |
The Public | Mr. Anderson | ||
Game Night | FBI Agent Ron Henderson | Uncredited[33] | |
Age Out | Detective Portnoy | ||
O.G. | Louis | ||
Hold the Dark | Russell Core | ||
2019 | The Laundromat | Malchus Irvin Boncamper | |
The Goldfinch | James "Hobie" Hobart | ||
Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook | Narrator | ||
2020 | All Day and a Night | J.D. | |
2021 | The French Dispatch | Roebuck Wright | |
No Time to Die | Felix Leiter | ||
2022 | The Batman | Jim Gordon | |
2023 | Asteroid City | General Gibson | |
Atrabilious | Vincent Daugherty | ||
Rustin | Adam Clayton Powell Jr. | ||
American Fiction | Thelonious "Monk" Ellison | ||
TBA | High and Low | Filming |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Separate but Equal | William Coleman | Television movie |
1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Sidney Bechet | 2 episodes |
1994 | New York Undercover | Andre Foreman | Episode: "Garbage" |
1997 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Hal Wilson | 3 episodes |
2001 | Boycott | Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | Television movie |
2003 | Angels in America | Norman "Belize" Arriaga / Mr. Lies / Homeless Man / The Angel Europa |
6 episodes |
2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Mr. Paul | Television movie |
2007 | American Experience | Narrator | Episode: "New Orleans" |
2012 | House | Dr. Walter Cofield | Episode: "Nobody's Fault" |
2013–2014 | Boardwalk Empire
|
Valentin Narcisse | 11 episodes |
2016 | The Venture Brothers | Think Tank (voice) | Episode: "Tanks for Nuthin" |
Confirmation | Charles Ogletree | Television movie | |
BoJack Horseman | Cuddlywhiskers / Father (voice) | 3 episodes | |
2016–2022 | Westworld | Bernard Lowe / Arnold Weber | Main role |
2017 | She's Gotta Have It | Purple "ITIS" Voice (voice) | Episode: "#NolasChoice (3 DA HARD WAY)" |
2019 | Sesame Street | Bernard Lowe | Segment: "Respect World" |
Green Eggs and Ham | McWinkle (voice) | 13 episodes | |
Rick and Morty | Tony (voice) | Episode: "The Old Man and the Seat" | |
2020 | Finding Your Roots | Himself | Episode: "This Land is My Land"[34] |
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
|
Narrator | Episode dated 28 August 2020 | |
2021–present | What If...? | The Watcher (voice)
|
Main role[35] |
2023 | Digman! | (voice) | Episode: "The Grail" |
I Am Groot | The Watcher (voice) | Episode: "Groot and the Great Prophecy"[36] | |
2024 | Ark: The Animated Series | Henry Townsend (voice) | [37] |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Author | Venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | Angels in America: Millennium Approaches | Belize / Mr. Lies | Tony Kushner | Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway |
1993 | Angels in America: Perestroika | Belize / Mr. Lies / Council of Principalities | ||
1996 | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | Da Voice | Reg E. Gaines | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |
2002 | Topdog/Underdog | Lincoln | Suzan-Lori Parks | |
2010 | A Free Man of Color | Jacques Cornet | John Guare | Vivian Beaumont Theatre , Broadway
|
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | The Last of Us Part II | Isaac Dixon
|
Voice; Also motion capture |
Audio
Year | Title | Role | Production company | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | The Sandman: Act II
|
Destiny | Audible | [38] |
2021 | Batman: The Audio Adventures | Batman/Bruce Wayne | Blue Ribbon Content
|
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ . "Jeffrey Wright". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
- ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 14, 2020
- ^ Richards, David (February 12, 1988). "Barren 'Blancs'". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Horwitz, Simi (November 22, 2010). "Jeffrey Wright Preens in 19th Century New Orleans". Reuters. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "Basquiat". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Meza, Ed; Siegel, Tatiana (January 2, 2008). "'Bell' man takes on Bond". Variety. Retrieved January 2, 2008.
- ^ Moaba, Alex (March 6, 2013). "Jeffrey Wright Joins 'Boardwalk Empire' And More Casting News". HuffPost.
- ^ "Jeffrey Wright". Television Academy.
- ^ Matyszczyk, Chris (March 26, 2017). "Is Dell claiming it's better than all that Apple magic?". CNET.
- ^ Simkins, J. D. (November 15, 2018). "New HBO documentary puts a much-needed face to complex veteran struggles with PTSD". Military Times. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ "I'm in Prison—And on HBO". The Marshall Project. March 1, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ Travers, Ben (February 23, 2019). "'O.G.' Review: Jeffrey Wright Awes in a Meditative HBO Film Shot in a Working Prison". IndieWire. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Jamil (February 22, 2019). "Inside Man: 'O.G.' Star Jeffrey Wright on Life Behind Bars". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ Travers, Ben (February 28, 2019). "Jeffrey Wright Made 'O.G.' in a Working Prison to Show the Thin Line Between Us and Them". IndieWire. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ Paumgarten, Nick. "The Première of "O.G.", the Film Made Inside an Indiana Prison". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ Hawkins, Josh (June 22, 2020). "The Last of Us Part 2 voice actors and cast". Shacknews.
- ^ Welk, Brian (July 20, 2019). "Jeffrey Wright to Play The Watcher in Marvel's 'What If...?' Animated Series". TheWrap. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "'The French Dispatch': How Jeffrey Wright Landed His Best Performance in Wes Anderson's Literary Tribute". IndieWire. October 26, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Jeffrey Wright Biography (1965?–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
- ^ Mottram, James (September 4, 2009). "Carmen Ejogo: 'There's some kind of trauma at play'". The Independent. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ "Carmen, Elijah & Juno Wright". alittlemuse.com. September 7, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ "Actor Jeffrey Wright and family". bck online. August 31, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
- LATimes.com. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
- ^ "20 celebrities and athletes who are Redskins fans". NBCSports.com. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ Steinberg, Dan (September 24, 2013). "Jeffrey Wright defends 'Redskins' name". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ Amherst Magazine Summer 2004: College Row Archived 2011-10-04 at the Wayback Machine Amherst Magazine, Summer 2004
- ^ "About Us". www.taiapeace.org. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "Jeffrey Wright". Oslo Freedom Forum. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Shaffer, Claire (May 4, 2020). "'The First Time': Jeffrey Wright". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "Mining in Africa for the 21st Century". Human Rights Foundation. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ Bramesco, Charles (September 27, 2018). "Jeffrey Wright on Hold the Dark: 'I Was Worn Out, Physically and Mentally'". Vulture. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ "Finding Your Roots: Meet Our Guests – Jeffrey Wright". PBS. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ Mancuso, Vinnie (July 20, 2019). "Marvel's 'What If?' Announces Massive Voice Cast of MCU Stars & Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher". Collider. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Babb, Tiffany (September 1, 2023). "I Am Groot season 2 cameo adds a cosmic heavyweight to MCU". PopVerse. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (December 11, 2020). "'Ark: The Animated Series': Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh & Elliot Page Among Voice Cast Members In New Video Game-Inspired Show". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (July 22, 2021). "'The Sandman: Act II' on Audible Premiere Date Set, James McAvoy Returns to Lead Star-Studded Cast". Variety. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
External links
- Jeffrey Wright at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jeffrey Wright at IMDb
- Jeffrey Wright at AllMovie