Obba Babatundé
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Roles are weighted by involvement: director 1.0, screenwriter 0.7, lead 0.8, supporting 0.4, crew 0.1.
Obba Babatundé (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C. White in the original cast of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Babatundé was a protege of Sammy Davis, Jr., who said of him, "This is the only cat who can do everything I can do." Babatundé does dance, sing, play instruments, execute impersonations, including his portrayal of Davis, aided by their similarity in energy, size and talent, tap dancing and performing on multiple instruments. In fall 2009, Babatundé played Davis in the title role of "Sammy: Once in a Lifetime," a world premiere musical at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Early in 2000, Babatundé partnered with writer/producer Ruth Adkins Robinson for a series of TV projects including "TV in Black: The First 50 Years," "Oscar's Black Odyssey: From Hattie to Hallie" and "Dorthy Dandridge: An American Beauty". The pair have projects that will take them through 2011. His TV roles have often portrayed authority figures, such as a recurring guest-starring role as a high school principal on Dawson's Creek, an appearance as a judge in a two-part episode of Any Day Now, and as the father of the main characters on Half & Half. He also played Harvard college Dean Cain in the movie How High, as well as the role of Willie Long in the movie Life, and co-starred as an attorney in Philadelphia and as a senator in the 2004 reprise of The Manchurian Candidate. He also played the director in season 3 of Friends in an episode titled "The One with All the Jealousy". Other TV shows he has had recurring roles on include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Chicago Hope, Rocket Power, Static Shock, and Karen Sisco. He played a small but pivotal role as a doorman/bellhop in the film That Thing You Do! and also appeared in The Wild Thornberrys Movie as the voice of Boko. He played a famous producer known as Gordy Berry on two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In the 1998 miniseries, The Temptations, he played the founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy. Babatundé is adept at American sign language and had used this talent in many roles including on one NYPD Blue. His recorded work includes a performance with the New York pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs on the 2007 album Sack Full of Dreams. The actor/producer is also an avid horseman and is a highly regarded rider and trainer in the Rodeo Circuit, including the annual Bill Pickett Rodeol. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Known for
Credits
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
as TV Anchor Man
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The Notebook (2004)
as Band Leader
John Q (2002)
as Sgt. Moody
Philadelphia (1993)
as Jerome Green
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
as Senator Wells
Life (1999)
as Willie Long
How High (2001)
as Dean Carl Cain
The Net (1995)
as FBI Agent
That Thing You Do! (1996)
as Lamarr
The Eye (2008)
as Dr. Haskins
After the Sunset (2004)
as Zacharias
Married to the Mob (1988)
as The Face of Justice
The Celestine Prophecy (2006)
as Miguel
City of Lies (2018)
as Chief of Police
All Star Superman (2011)
as Judge / Bibliobot (voice)
Jingle Belle (2018)
as Charles Williams
Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012)
as Mayor Denny
Material Girls (2006)
as Craig
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (2012)
as Vampire Actor #4 (voice)
Multiplicity (1996)
as Paul
The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002)
as Boko (voice)
Run (2025)
as President
Black Dynamite (2009)
as Osiris
Born to Be Wild (1995)
as Interpreter
Necronomicon (1993)
as Paul
Love the Skin You're In (2025)
as Arnold
Lap Dance (2014)
as Roscoe
Redeemer (2002)
as Charles Henderson
Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.! (2004)
as Chief Ankamuti (voice)
Undercover Blues (1993)
as Sawyer
The Apartment Complex (1999)
as Chett
Pup Star: Better 2Gether (2017)
as Big Ears (voice)
The Cherokee Kid (1996)
as Isom Dart
Miss Evers' Boys (1997)
as Willie Johnson
Cover (2007)
as Attorney Miller
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
as Harold Nicholas
Soul of the Game (1996)
as Cum Posey
Revival! (2018)
as Nicodemus
Trapped: Haitian Nights (2011)
as Ikliff
An Evening with Liza Minnelli (1980)
as Self - Dancer
Kinky (2018)
as Mr. Bernard
All The Men In My Life (2022)
as Simon Helms
'Til Death Do Us Part (2017)
as John Harris
Leonard Part 6 (1987)
as Bongo Drummer
Carpool (1996)
as Jeffery
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History (2008)
as Self
The Christmas Showdown (2025)
as Jesse
American Bad Boy (2015)
as Pastor Lovely
God Bless the Child (1988)
as Raymond Watkins
The Millennial (2022)
as Mr. Burke
Miami Blues (1990)
as Blink Willie
The Trap Door (2011)
as Mesmer
The Watcher (2016)
as Stark
M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994)
as Cornell
The Tomorrow Man (1996)
as Brian Parish
Wrong Place, Wrong Time (2025)
as Captain Green
The Visit (2001)
as Tony
Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty (2003)
as Host
The Last Fall (2012)
as Larry Armstrong
Death's Door (2015)
as Mesmer
Dolls of Voodoo (2013)
as Iklif
Treemonisha (1982)
as Zodzetrick
Why Am I Doing This? (2009)
as Cliff
Fatal Pursuit (1995)
as Trinidad
Kiss Me for Christmas (2020)
as Mr. Porter
Joy Road (2011)
as Dr. Howard Perkins
A Reason to Believe (1995)
as Prof. Thurman
Pup Star (2016)
as Big Ears (voice)
People Not Places (—)
Actor
Start Without Me (—)
as Leo
If I Tell You I Have to Kill You (2015)
as Jonathan Black
One Special Moment (2001)
Actor
Mississippi Scholar (2024)
as Reginald
I Do... I Did! (2009)
as Mr. Johnson
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)
as Self
King: Man of Peace in a Time of War (2007)
as Narrator
Noble Intentions (2023)
as Pastor Stevens
April Fools (2007)
as Detective Combs
The Importance of Being Earnest (1992)
as Lane
Baryshnikov on Broadway (1980)
as Dancer
Trigger (2020)
as Chief Keaton