Courtney Vance

Courtney Bernard Vance (born March 12, 1960) is an American actor. He started his career on stage before moving to film and television. Vance has received various accolades, including a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.

Having trained at the Yale School of Drama, he soon made his Broadway debut in the original production of August Wilson's ''Fences'' (1985), earning his first Tony Award nomination. He continued acting in theatre in John Guare's ''Six Degrees of Separation'' (1990) and Nora Ephron's '' Lucky Guy'' (2013), the latter of which earned him a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He is known for his roles in the films ''Hamburger Hill'' (1987), ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990), ''The Tuskegee Airmen'' (1995), ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996), ''Cookie's Fortune'' (1999), and ''Isle of Dogs'' (2018).

From 2001 to 2006 he portrayed Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver in the NBC series '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent''. He earned Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie portraying Johnnie Cochran in the FX limited series '' The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story'' (2016), and for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series playing George Freeman in the HBO series ''Lovecraft Country'' (2020). He played Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield in ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'' (2017) and C. L. Franklin in '' Genius: Aretha'' (2020).

He has been married to actress Angela Bassett since 1997. He is on the board of directors of The Actors Center in New York City, and is an active supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In 2019, he was appointed president of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.

Early life and education

Vance was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Leslie Anita (), a librarian, and Conroy Vance, a grocery store manager and benefits administrator. He attended Detroit Country Day School and later graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Harvard, he was already working as an actor at the Boston Shakespeare Company. He subsequently earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at Yale School of Drama, where he met fellow student and future wife Angela Bassett.

Career

1985–1999: Broadway debut and early roles

In 1985, Vance started his acting career on the stage as Cory in the Yale Repertory Theatre production of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award for Best Play-winning play ''Fences''. From 1987 to 1988, Vance continued the role on Broadway opposite James Earl Jones where he won a Clarence Derwent Award and the Theatre World Award for his performance. He was also nominated for his first Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role. Vance's film debut was in 1987 American war film, ''Hamburger Hill'' about the 1969 assault during the Vietnam War. During this time he had small roles in the CBS television film '' First Affair'' (1983), and the ABC drama ''Thirtysomething'' (1989), and ''Law & Order'' (1990). Vance played Thami Mbikwarna in the Athol Fugard play ''My Children! My Africa!'' at the New York Theatre Workshop from 1989 to 1990. In 1991, Vance returned to Broadway playing Paul in John Guare's ''Six Degrees of Separation''. Vance played Paul, replacing James McDaniel who originated the role in the 1990 Off-Broadway production. Vance acted alongside John Cunningham and Stockard Channing. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance at the 45th Tony Awards.

Throughout the 1990s, Vance continued acting in a variety of feature films such as ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990), and '' The Adventures of Huck Finn'' (1993). In 1995, Vance played Black Panther Bobby Seale in the Melvin and Mario Van Peebles docudrama '' Panther''. That same year, he also appeared in ''The Last Supper'', ''Dangerous Minds'', and the HBO film ''The Tuskegee Airmen''. He also worked with acclaimed directors such as Penny Marshall in ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996), Robert Altman in ''Cookie's Fortune'' (1999), and Clint Eastwood in ''Space Cowboys'' (2000). During the 1990s, Vance guest-starred in numerous television shows including ''Law & Order'', ''Picket Fences'', and ''Thirtysomething''. In 1998 he acted in the Showtime television film ''Blind Faith'' he played John Williams. Vance earned critical acclaim with Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' describing his performance as "first rate". He went on to receive a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He also starred in made-for-television films such as William Friedkin's '' 12 Angry Men'' (1997), in which he played the Foreman and acted alongside Ossie Davis, George C. Scott, Jack Lemmon, Hume Cronyn, and James Gandolfini. In 1999, Vance also starred in and co-produced the romantic comedy '' Love and Action in Chicago''.

2000–2015: Television roles and return to Broadway

From 2001 to 2006, Vance starred in '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', in which he played A.D.A. Ron Carver. He was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his performance. In 2008 and 2009, he guest-starred in the final season of '' ER'' alongside his wife Angela Bassett. He was also in '' Hurricane Season''. On December 2, 2008, ''TV Guide'' reported that Vance had been cast as the Los Angeles bureau chief of the FBI in the ABC pilot ''FlashForward'', based on a Robert J. Sawyer novel and slated to be a possible "companion show" to '' Lost''. In 2011, he starred in the American horror film ''Final Destination 5''. Vance was tapped for the lead in the German-American apocalypse thriller '' The Divide''. He appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movie '' Let It Shine'', where he played the pastor Jacob Debarge, the main character's father, and co-starred with Tyler James Williams, Trevor Jackson, Coco Jones, Brandon Mychal Smith, and Dawnn Lewis. It was the third time Vance portrayed a pastor in a motion picture, after ''The Preacher's Wife'' and '' Joyful Noise''). Vance has provided the voiceover for the National Football League's "You Want the NFL, Go to the NFL" television spots.

He appeared as Chief Tommy Delk on the TNT series, ''The Closer'', from 2010 to 2011 (Season 6–7). Vance also played the role of Attorney Benjamin Brooks on four episodes of ABC's ''Revenge''. Vance returned to Broadway playing Hap Hairston in the Nora Ephron play '' Lucky Guy'' (2013) acting alongside Tom Hanks. David Rooney of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' praised Vance writing, " eis terrific as the whip-smart black editor who, even with the sharpest of professional skills, has had to stay on his toes to keep ahead in a white man’s game." He won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance at the 67th Tony Awards. In 2015, he portrayed Miles Dyson in ''Terminator Genisys'' opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke.

2016–present: Career expansion

In 2016, he took on the role of famed civil rights lawyer Johnnie Cochran in FX's ''American Crime Story'', which tells the story of the O. J. Simpson murder case. The series premiered on February 2, 2016, and his performance was critically acclaimed, winning Vance numerous accolades including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. He was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. In 2017, he starred in the HBO television film ''The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks'', where he played Sir Lord Keenan Kester Cofield opposite Oprah Winfrey's Deborah Lacks. In 2018, Vance narrated Wes Anderson's stop motion animated comedy ''Isle of Dogs''. The same year, he appeared as Neil Beeby in the Peter Hedges film ''Ben Is Back'', opposite Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges.

In 2019, Vance was appointed President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. In 2020, Vance was seen in HBO's drama series ''Lovecraft Country'' for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. He was cast opposite Niecy Nash in Prentice Penny's feature film directorial debut, the Netflix original movie '' Uncorked'', released in 2020. In 2021, he appeared in National Geographic's '' Genius: Aretha'' as C. L. Franklin. In 2023, Vance was cast in Disney's live-action reimagining of ''Lilo & Stitch'' as Cobra Bubbles.

In November 2024, it was announced that Vance would take over the role of Zeus in the second season of ''Percy Jackson and the Olympians'' following the 2023 death of Lance Reddick. In a statement, Vance expressed his excitement to join the cast and said he would be giving Reddick "a heavenly hug."

Personal life

Marriage and family

Vance first met Angela Bassett in 1980, and the pair have been married since 1997. Together, they have twins, a son and a daughter, born in 2006. He and Bassett have authored a book, ''Friends: A Love Story'', with Hilary Beard. The two also participate in the annual Christmas celebration, Candlelight Processional, at Epcot. The family lives in Los Angeles. On the PBS program ''Finding Your Roots'', Vance discovered that his father was born out of wedlock to 17-year-old Victoria Ardella Vance. In October 2024, he voiced a commercial for Kamala Harris about Detroit.

Interests

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. He is an alumnus of the Detroit Boys & Girls Club, and was recently inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Acting credits

Theatre

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

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Notes

References

External links

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Courtney B. Vance Interview
with wife Angela Bassett on ''Sidewalks Entertainment''
* Apr 21, 2021, Terry Grossbr>interviews Courtney B. Vance
on Fresh Air

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vance, Courtney B.
1960 births
Living people
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Clarence Derwent Award winners
Detroit Country Day School alumni
Harvard University alumni
Male actors from Detroit
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
Tony Award winners
David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University alumni
20th-century African-American male actors
21st-century African-American male actors

“6 New Members Elected to Harvard Board of Overseers,”
Harvard Crimson, May 27,2025