Born on April 13, 1973, in Harlem, New York, Bokeem Woodbine is an American actor. Woodbine is married to Mahiely Woodbine and has two children together. He is well known for his portrayal of saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman in the 2004 American biographical musical drama film Ray, which follows the life of Oscar-winning rhythm and blues musician, Ray Charles. Woodbine made his acting debut at the age of 19 in the 1992 movie, Juice, where he appeared in an uncredited role as a stand-in extra. His credited TV debut was in the American anthology series for teenagers, CBS Schoolbreak Special. He appeared in the episode titled Love Off Limits of the 10th season of the show which ran from October 20, 1992, to April 13, 1993.
Woodbine gained much recognition for his role as Kansas City mob enforcer Mike Milligan in the second season of the American black comedy crime television series, Fargo. For his role in the series, he received a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2015. His acting credits include movies such as Riddick, Jarhead 2: Field of Fire, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Old Dads, Spenser Confidential, Queen & Slim, Billionaire Boys Club, Total Recall, and A Day in the Life among others.
Bokeem Woodbine Was A Friend Of Tupac Shakur
Woodbine appeared in Tupac Shakur’s music video, for I Ain’t Mad at Cha in 1996. He and Tupac eventually became good friends in real life. Woodbine has previously spoken about how he broke up a rotation for Shakur, a gesture that Shakur appreciated. In 1997 they both appeared in Vondie Curtis-Hall’s directorial debut movie, Gridlock’d, although Woodbine was uncredited he appeared in the movie as drug dealer Mud. The movie was released four months after Shakur’s death. Then in 2018, Woodbine also appeared in a true crime miniseries, Unsolved, based on the murder of Shakur and the murder of The Notorious B.I.G. In the miniseries, he portrays a police officer investigating the murders of both rappers.
Woodbine Studied Kung-Fu
Bokeem Woodbine is a martial arts practitioner who studied Hapkido and Shaolin Kung-Fu. Woodbine reportedly studied kung fu under Sifu Yan Ming in New York. He has spoken about his martial arts teachings stating, “My kung fu master is Shifu Shi Yan Ming, the abbot of the USA Shaolin Temple,”. Woodbine added that Shifu Shi Yan Ming is a 34th-generation Shaolin Temple warrior monk who defected to the United States in 1994.
He Has A Music Band
Woodbine has a rock and roll music band called 13 Purple Dragons. The band’s members include Melchizedek Diggs on bass and Tobias Breon Richardson. The band released their debut album, Star Seeds Sling Jing Jams. The Fargo star takes on the roles of lead vocalist and lead guitarist of 13 Purple Dragons. On August 15, 2023, during a press conference in Manila, Woodbine shared,
“It’s our mission to reignite the passion for rock ‘n’ roll, and there’s no better place to begin this journey than right here in Manila. We’re incredibly honoured to be here“.
Bokeem Woodbine Has Voiced Characters In Video Games
In 2013, Woodbine voiced The Elephant, a character in the first-person shooter video game, Payday 2 developed by Overkill Software. He also voiced Soren-066, a character in the video game Halo: Reach. In 2022, Woodbine also appeared in the American military science fiction television series Halo: The Series which is based on the video game franchise. In the series, he played the role of Soren-066, a Spartan deserter who later became an Insurrectionist leader on the Rubble.
He Has Appeared In Several Music Videos
In 1995, Woodbine appeared as himself in TLC’s music video for his song Waterfalls. The same year he appeared in American rapper, Eazy-E’s music video for Just Tah Let U Know, which was one of the rapper’s last songs before his death. In 2001, Woodbine appeared as Bo Rockhard in two of Wu-Tang Clan’s music videos, for Gravel Pit and Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off).
Bokeem Woodbine Guest Starred In An Episode Of The Sopranos
In 1999, Woodbine appeared in an episode of HBO’s The Sopranos. The episode titled A Hit Is a Hit is the 10th episode of the first season of the series. He played the role of a New Jersey Gangster rapper Massive Genius. A rapper who claimed Hesh owed compensation to the widow of a black musician he allegedly defrauded.
Woodbine Attended A School Of Music And Art
For school, Bokeem Woodbine attended Dalton School which is a private school located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He didn’t finish at Dalton, Woodbine ended up transferring to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. The school is a public high school that specializes in teaching visual and performing arts.
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