For over four decades, legendary actor Obba Babatundé has thrilled audiences with his captivating performances. With over 170 credits to his name, Babatundé has worked extensively in stage, television, and film. With his numerous acting roles, he’s known to audiences of different generations.
Obba Babatundé has long proven he’s much more than an actor. He’s a producer, director, singer/musician, dancer, renowned speaker and teacher. With several upcoming projects and an active television career, here’s a timeline of Obba Babatundé’s life and career from Queens, New York City, to stardom.
Obba Babatundé’s Early Life & Career
Obba Babatundé was born Donald Cohen in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, on December 1, 1951. Babatundé was an active child at home and in school. He attended Jamaica High School, a public school, where he was a member of its track and cross-country teams. Obba Babatundé has always had a passion for the performing arts, whether acting, music, or dance. In High School, he participated in the Sing ’68 school musical program.
Babatundé changed his birth name after learning about his ancestry. Realizing he had ancestry from Nigeria, he adopted the native Yoruba names Obba (meaning King) and Babatundé (meaning Father has returned again). After graduating High School, he worked as a teacher to help meet his financial needs. He also chose to pursue a career as an actor. Obba Babatundé began his acting career on Off-Off-Broadway in New York, where he played several roles.
Obba Babatundé’s Stage Career
Obba Babatundé spent the next five years appearing in different Off-Off-Broadway plays. Although he only had a small audience, his talent and performances soon brought him local fame. According to Babatundé, he notes that his breakthrough role came in 1976. As part of a touring company, Babatundé was part of the Guys and Dolls musical play in 1976. He performed alongside fellow African-American actors Richard Roundtree and Leslie Uggams.
1978 was the year he made his Broadway debut, having been cast in the musical play Timbuktu! The highlight of his theater career came in 1982, with his performance as C.C. White in the Dreamgirls Broadway musical, a role he originated. Obba Babatundé’s performance didn’t go unrecognized, earning him a Tony Awards nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Babatundé began transitioning to screen in the mid to late 1980s.
Obba Babatundé’s Early Screen Career
Obba Babatundé made his screen debut on television. One of his earliest credit was playing Zodzetrick in America’s Musical Theater in 1986. The following year, he guest-starred as Rusty Bennett in an episode of the ABC soap opera All My Children. That same year, Obba Babatundé made his film debut as a Bongo drummer in the 1987 Bill Cosby-led cast of Paul Weiland’s spy parody Leonard Part 6.
Babatundé spent the next decade appearing in several movies but in minor, supporting roles. He played Blink Willie the Informant in 1990 Miami Blues, TV anchorman in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Jerome Green in Philadelphia, and as the interpreter in Born to Be Wild (1995), amongst several others. Similarly, Babatundé only appeared in guest roles on television. A few notable TV shows he appeared in include Matlock (1988), A Different World (1990), Sisters (1992), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994), Chicago Hope (1995), and Friends (1997).
Obba Babatundé’s Career Expansion
By the 2000s, Obba Babatundé’s screen career had taken shape. Although not an A-list actor, he gained popularity. Babatundé played Sergeant Moody in the Denzel Washington-led Box Office hit John Q (2002). He played the band leader in the 2004 cult classic The Notebook (2004). He also appeared in another Denzel Washington movie, The Manchurian Candidate, in 2004. Obba Babatundé has starred in several multi-genre movies in the last two decades. In the 2023 crime film 45 Seconds, he played a military officer, Lt. Reginald Morrow.
On television, Obba Babatundé portrayed Motown executive Berry Gordy in The Temptations in 1998. He had played a similar character as Gordy Berry when he guest-starred in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Babatundé landed his first major role on television in 1999. He joined the cast of The WB’s teen drama Dawson’s Creek in a recurring role as Principal Howard Green in season 3. In the early 2000s, he was cast in recurring roles in Half & Half (2002–2006) and Karen Sisco (2003–2004).
Obba Babatundé joined CBS’s The Young and the Restless as Carter Campbell, appearing in 5 episodes in 2007. Almost a decade later, he joined The Bold and the Beautiful as a recurring character, Julius Avant, from 2015 to 2018. He returned in a guest role in 2020. Appearing in only season 1, he played Barton Royce in I’m Dying Up Here. In 2 seasons, he appeared as Mr. Duvet in Detroiters (2017–2018). Babatundé played Dean Fairbanks in Dear White People (2017–2021), George Wright in the 2020 Little Fires Everywhere miniseries, and Ivan Tillinger in Goliath. His most recent project on television is playing Daniel Harrelson Sr. in CBS’s S.W.A.T., a role he has played since 2018.
Obba Babatundé’s Works As A Voice Actor & Filmmaker
Obba Babatundé has voiced several characters in film and television and is also known for voicing video game characters. A notable mention is voicing Lando Calrissian’s character in several video games. These include Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (2001), Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II—Rogue Leader (2001) and its 2003 sequel, Kinect Star Wars (2012), and Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015).
Obba Babatundé has also produced and directed several projects on big and small screens. He has produced and executive produced short films, feature films, and videos. Babatundé made his feature directorial debut in 2015 with American Bad Boy. He’s credited as a producer in his last released movie, 45 Seconds. Besides Obba Babatundé, actress Vernee Watson is another legendary actor with a decades-long career.
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