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

Early life

Omilami was born in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority bla ...

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 ''Trading Places'' is a 1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis, the film te ...

'' (1983), '' Glory'' (1989), ''

The Firm The FIRM is a brand of exercise videos and equipment currently owned by Gaiam. First released in 1986, the video series is best known for popularizing a hybrid of aerobic exercise and weight training. History In 1979, Anna Benson founded th ...

'' (1993), ''

Gordy ''Gordy'' is a 1994 American family comedy-drama film directed by Mark Lewis, about a livestock piglet named Gordy who searches for his missing family (who are taken away to a slaughterhouse in Omaha, Nebraska). He experiences the lives of othe ...

'' (1995), ''

Remember the Titans ''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay by Gregory Allen Howard is loosely based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed b ...

'' (2000), '' Ray'' (2004), '' Hounddog'' (2007), '' The Blind Side'' (2009), and ''

Terminator Genisys ''Terminator Genisys'' is a 2015 American cyberpunk action film that is the fifth installment in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' franchise. It is a Reboot (fiction), reboot of the franchise, taking the premise of the The Terminator, ...

'' (2015). He is perhaps best known for his role as the Drill Sergeant in ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. An adaptation of the Forrest Gump (novel), 1986 novel by Winston Groom, the screenplay of the film is written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks in the title rol ...

'' (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 The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

in the category "Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special" for his performance in Lifetime's ''

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. The screenplay by Robert Harling is based on hi ...

'' as Drum Eatenton. He also appeared in guest roles in television series ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

'', '' Fortune Hunter'', ''

New York News ''New York News'' is an American newspaper drama television series created by Michelle Ashford, which was broadcast in the United States by CBS from September 28 to November 30, 1995 as part of its 1995 fall lineup. Cast * Gregory Harriso ...

'', ''

The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...

'', '' Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders'' and ''

Raising Dion ''Raising Dion'' is an American Superhero fiction, superhero Drama (film and television), drama 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 ...

''.

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 Thomas Jefferson Byrd (June 25, 1950 – October 3, 2020) was an American character actor who appeared 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 ...

. After Byrd was killed, Omilami described Byrd as a "devoted father and husband and a master of his craft".

Filmography

Film/Movie

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Omilami, Afemo 1950 births Living people American people of Nigerian descent American male film actors Male actors from Virginia 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male television actors People from Petersburg, Virginia 20th-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors