Obba Babatundé is an American actor and voice actor.
Biography[]
Babatundé was born in Queens' Jamaica neighborhood in New York City, New York, on December 4, 1951. He graduated from Jamaica High School in 1969 as Donald Cohen. Babatundé and his brother, future director Akin, were trained at the National Black Theatre in the neighborhood of Harlem, and shortly after that, both were invited to join its touring company. They were both hired as teachers at Harriet Tubman School for a time being as well. At some point, Babatundé started an acting career and has made appearances in more than seventeen stage productions, thirty theatrical films, sixty made-for-TV movies, and three prime-time series.
Some of Babatundé's appearances in feature films include roles in The Celestine Prophecy, The Manchurian Candidate, The Notebook, John Q, Philadelphia, and Kinky. In television, Babatundé starred in three prime-time series: Madam Secretary, I'm Dying Up Here, and Dear White People. He also had a recurring role on Kingdom and the Amazon-produced Hand of God. He made appearances in Half & Half, The Young and the Restless, Boston Legal, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, Cold Case, Strong Medicine, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Chicago Hope, Any Day Now, Karen Sisco, Dawson's Creek, and Friends. In addition to all of those, he starred in the 1998 miniseries The Temptations as the founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy.
On Criminal Minds[]
Babatundé portrayed Sheriff Frank Sanders in the Season Five episode "Solitary Man".
Filmography[]
- Walk by Faith (2021) - Doctor Blake
- Anna Lucasta (2021) - Noah
- Fuhgedd About It (2021) - Captain Ross
- 45 Seconds (2021) - Lieutenant Reginald Morrow
- A Polished Soul (2021) - Solomon
- The Men in My Life (2021) - Simon Helms
- Chicago Med (2021) - Doctor James Coleman
- Kiss Me at Christmas (2020) - Mr. Porter
- S.W.A.T. - 14 episodes (2018-2020) - Daniel Harrelson, Sr.
- The Millennial (2020) - Mr. Burke
- The Bold and the Beautiful - 78 episodes (2015-2020) - Julius Avant
- Trigger (2020) - Chief Keaton
- Little Fires Everywhere - 2 episodes (2020) - George Wright
- Dear White People - 11 episodes (2017-2019) - Dean Fairbanks
- For The People (2019) - Philip Kaws
- Mather (2019) - Mather
- Corporate - 3 episodes (2019) - Cronker Wilson
- City of Lies (2018) - Chief of Police
- Revival (2018) - Nicodemus
- Jingle Belle (2018) - Charles Williams
- Kinky (2018) - Mr. Bernard
- Ballers (2018) - J.D. Pritchard
- Forever - 2 episodes (2018) - Gregory
- Detroiters - 3 episodes (2017-2018) - Mr. Duvet (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Tennis, the Good Boy (2018) - Armon (voice)
- The Good Fight (2018) - Danny Quinn
- The Choir Director (2018) - Mr. Wilcox
- D.P.W. (2017) - Mayor McCann
- Til Death Do Us Part (2017) - John Harris (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Pup Star: Better 2Gether (2017) - Big Ears
- I'm Dying Up Here - 7 episodes (2017) - Barton Royce
- The Last Tycoon (2017) - Les Turpin
- Madam Secretary (2017) - President Silvanus Fabre
- The Watcher (2016) - Stark
- Pup Star (2016) - Big Ears (voice)
- If I Tell You I Have to Kill You (2015) - Jonathan Black
- Death's Door (2015) - Mesmer
- Hand of God - 3 episodes (2015) - Bishop Bruce Congdon
- Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015) - Lando Calrissian (voice)
- American Bad Boy (2015) - Pastor Lovely
- Lap Dance (2014) - Roscoe
- Kingdom - 3 episodes (2014) - Detective Gaines
- Enlisted (2014) - General Murray
- The Dead Sea (2014) - Mayor
- Dolls of Voodoo (2013) - Ikliff
- Cult - 2 episodes (2013) - Quentin Yarrow (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Winx Club - 9 episodes (2006-2013) - King Teredor
- Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012) - Mayor Denny
- Kinect Star Wars (2012) - Lando Calrissian (voice, credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Last Fall (2012) - Larry Armstrong
- Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012) - Vampire Actor #4 (voice)
- Winx Club: Enchantix (2011) - King Teredor (voice)
- Love That Girl! (2011) - Jim (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Trap Door (2011) - Mesmer
- Go Beyond the Lens (2011) - Host (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- All-Star Superman (2011) - Judge/Bibliobot (voice)
- Private Practice (2011) - Doctor Larry Cannon
- The Fallen Faithful (2010) - Reverend Emmanuel
- Trapped: Haitian Nights (2010) - Ikliff
- Criminal Minds - "Solitary Man" (2010) TV episode - Sheriff Frank Sanders
- I Do... I Did! (2009) - Mr. Johnson
- Grey's Anatomy (2009) - Dan Gates
- NCIS (2009) - Joe Banks
- Why Am I Doing This? (2009) - Cliff
- Black Dynamite (2009) - Osiris (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Saving Grace (2008) - Doc
- The Eye (2008) - Dr. Haskins
- Psych (2008) - David Gaffney (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Girlfriends (2007) - Attendant
- Cover (2007) - Attorney Miller (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Boston Legal - 2 episodes (2007) - Doctor Victor Rivers (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Young and the Restless - 5 episodes (2007) - Carter Campbell
- April Fools (2007) - Detective Combs
- Cold Case (2007) - Doctor Octavius Leroy
- Splinter Cell: Double Agent (2006) - Unknown Character (voice)
- Material Girls (2006) - Craig (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Half & Half - 34 episodes (2002-2006) - Charles Thorne (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Celestine Prophecy (2006) - Miguel (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- One Life to Live (2005) - Clay
- Flip the Script (2005) - Mr. Jones (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Everwood (2005) - Jason
- Joy Road (2004) - Doctor Howard Perkins
- Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.! (2004) - Chief Ankamuti (voice)
- After the Sunset (2004) - Zacharias (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Manchurian Candidate (2004) - Senator Wells
- The Notebook (2004) - Band Leader (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Karen Sisco - 3 episodes (2003-2004) - Daniel Burden
- Rocket Power - 21 episodes (1999-2004) - Conroy/Townsperson #1/Newscaster/Patterson/Mover #1/Grip (voice, credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III - Rebel Strike (2003) - Lando Calrissian (voice)
- The Great Commission (2003) - Reverend Jesse
- Static Shock - 3 episodes (2001-2003) - Scientist/Singer/Watch Store Salesman (voice)
- NYPD Blue (2002) - Kevin Dupree (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Wild Thornberrys (2002) - Boko (voice)
- Redeemer (2002) - Charles Henderson (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- John Q (2002) - Sgt. Moody (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Soul Food - 2 episodes (2001-2002) - Benjamin Chadway
- How High (2001) - Dean Carl Cain
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader (2001) - Lando Calrissian (voice)
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (2001) - Lando Calrissian (voice, credited as Obba Baba Tunde)
- The Beast (2001) - Mr. Lowry
- One Special Moment (2001) - Unknown Character
- Family Law (2001) - Philip Hamilton
- Any Day Now - 2 episodes (2001) - Judge Richards
- Max Steel - 2 episodes (2000) - Unknown Character (voice)
- Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (2000) - Sergeant Bonner
- The Invisible Man (2000) - Allardyce
- The Visit (2000) - Tony
- The Outer Limits (2000) - Doctor Joseph Lennox
- Dawson's Creek - 8 episodes (1999-2000) - Principal Howard Green
- Linc's (1999) - Army Vet
- The Apartment Complex (1999) - Chett
- Xyber 9: New Dawn (1999) - Unknown Character
- Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) - Harold Nicholas (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Life (1999) - Willie Long
- The Temptations - 2 episodes (1998) - Berry Gordy
- Spy Game (1997) - Lieutenant Wardell
- Sparks (1997) - Mr. Kirby
- Miss Evers' Boys (1997) - Willie Johnson
- The Burning Zone (1997) - Police Lieutenant Vince
- Friends (1997) - The Director (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Cherokee Kid (1996) - Isom Dart
- That Thing You Do! (1996) - Lamarr
- The Tomorrow Man (1996) - Brian Parish
- Carpool (1996) - Jeffery (credited as Obba Babatundè)
- Multiplicity (1996) - Paul
- Soul of the Game (1996) - Cum Posey
- Fatal Pursuit (1995) - Trinidad
- A Reason to Believe (1995) - Professor Thurman
- Chicago Hope - 2 episodes (1995) - Charles Ellis
- Sliders (1995) - Cezanne Brown
- Born to Be Wild (1995) - Interpreter
- Under One Roof (1995) - Ben (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Touched by an Angel (1994) - Carter Evans (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - 2 episodes (1994) - Gordy Berry
- Thunder in Paradise (1994) - Carl (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Tom (1994) - Tanner
- Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1994) - Jameson Walker
- Getting By (1994) - Unknown Character
- M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) - Cornell (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993) - Mongoose (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Philadelphia (1993) - Jerome Green (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Necronomicon: Book of Dead (1993) - Paul
- Undercover Blues (1993) - Sawyer
- Sisters (1992) - Ben (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Tales from the Crypt (1992) - Lieutenant Jamison (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (1992) - Lane
- The Human Factor (1992) - Unknown Character
- Dead Again (1991) - Syd (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - TV Anchor Man (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- Miami Blues (1990) - Blink Willie, Informant
- A Different World (1990) - Frank Benning
- Heart and Soul (1989) - Al Taylor
- Married to the Mob (1988) - The Face of Justice (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- CBS Summer Playhouse (1988) - Terrence Quimby
- Matlock (1988) - Backstage Man (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- God Bless the Child (1988) - Raymond Watkins
- Leonard Part 6 (1987) - Bongo Drummer (credited as Babatunde)
- All My Children (1987) - Rusty Bennett
- America's Musical Theater (1986) - Zodzetrick (credited as Obba Babatunde)
- MysteryDisc: Many Roads to Murder (1983) - Marcus Sandor
External Links[]
For an up-to-date filmography, see here.