Laurence Fishburne

Laurence John Fishburne III, born on July 30, 1961, and usually credited as Larry Fishburne until 1993, is an esteemed American actor known for his powerful and authoritative performances on both stage and screen. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Tony Award for his exceptional acting talents.
Fishburne is renowned for his portrayal of Morpheus in The Matrix series, Jason "Furious" Styles in the acclaimed drama Boyz n the Hood, and Tyrone "Mr. Clean" Miller in Francis Ford Coppola's epic war film Apocalypse Now. He also gained recognition for his role as "The Bowery King" in the John Wick film series.
One of Fishburne's most acclaimed performances was as Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Two Trains Running and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in TriBeCa.


Fishburne made history as the first African American to portray Othello on film in Oliver Parker's adaptation of the Shakespearean play. He has also received multiple Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his role in Deep Cover.
His extensive filmography includes notable roles in The Color Purple, School Daze, King of New York, Mystic River, Contagion, and Last Flag Flying. Fishburne has also appeared in blockbuster hits such as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
On television, Fishburne starred as Dr. Raymond Langston in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Special Agent Jack Crawford in Hannibal, and Earl "Pops" Johnson in Black-ish.
Currently, Fishburne is starring in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's play American Buffalo alongside Sam Rockwell and Darren Criss. His contributions to both stage and screen have solidified his status as one of the most respected actors in the industry.


Laurence John Fishburne III was born in Augusta, Georgia, to Hattie Bell (née Crawford) and Laurence John Fishburne, Jr. His mother was a junior high school mathematics and science teacher, while his father worked as a juvenile corrections officer. Following his parents' divorce during his childhood, Fishburne relocated with his mother to Brooklyn, New York, where he spent his formative years. Despite his parents' separation, Fishburne maintained a connection with his father, who he saw once a month.
Fishburne attended Lincoln Square Academy in New York, which unfortunately closed its doors in the 1980s.

For much of his early career, Laurence Fishburne was credited as Larry Fishburne. At the age of 11 in 1972, Fishburne received acclaim for his debut acting role in the ABC Theater teleplay "If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band." Following this success, he portrayed Joshua Hall on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live." One of his most notable childhood roles came in the film "Cornbread, Earl and Me," where he played a young boy who witnesses a police shooting. Fishburne also earned a supporting role in "Apocalypse Now" as Tyrone Miller, a cocky Gunner's Mate 3rd Class. Interestingly, he was actually 14 when filming began, but by its completion, he was 17, having lied about his age to secure the part.


Throughout the 1980s, Fishburne balanced television, film, and stage work. He worked as a bouncer at punk rock clubs in the early '80s while also appearing in films like "Band of the Hand," "Death Wish 2," and "The Cotton Club." He had a minor role in Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple" and played Cowboy Curtis on Paul Reubens' CBS children's show "Pee-wee's Playhouse." Fishburne also guest-starred in various TV shows like "MAS*H" and "Spenser: For Hire." His stage performances during this period included productions like "Short Eyes" and "Loose Ends" at Second Stage Theatre in New York City.
In 1987, Fishburne appeared in the third "A Nightmare on Elm Street" film and co-starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi in "Red Heat." He also portrayed "Dap" in Spike Lee's "School Daze," a role that depicted an African American college student at a historically black college.

In 1990, Laurence Fishburne portrayed Jimmy Jump in the controversial film "King of New York." The following year, in 1991, he starred in the critically acclaimed "Boyz n the Hood." In 1992, Fishburne won a Tony Award for his performance in the August Wilson play "Two Trains Running" and an Emmy Award for his role in the opening episode of the television drama "TriBeCa." He also starred in the film "Deep Cover" alongside Jeff Goldblum.
In 1993, Fishburne received his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ike Turner in "What's Love Got to Do With It." He also won an Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance as Professor Maurice Phipps in "Higher Learning." Additionally, he played the title role in "Othello," becoming the second African-American actor, after Paul Robeson, to perform the role. Fishburne wrote, directed, and starred in the play "Riff-Raff" at the Off-Broadway Circle Rep Theater in 1995.


In 1997, Fishburne starred in the science fiction horror film "Event Horizon." However, he is perhaps best known for his iconic role as Morpheus in the blockbuster science fiction film "The Matrix" (1999). He provided the voice of Thrax in "Osmosis Jones" (2001) and reprised his role as Morpheus in "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) and "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003). Fishburne also appeared in the music video for The Spooks' song "Things I've Seen" (2000) and had a role in "Mission: Impossible III" (2006).
In 2006, Fishburne appeared onstage alongside Angela Bassett in a production of August Wilson's "Fences." He played terrorist leader Ahmat in the 2006 film "Five Fingers." Fishburne provided the voice of the narrator in the 2007 film "TMNT" and voiced the Silver Surfer in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Additionally, in 2007, he was honored with the Harvard Foundation's Artist of the Year award for his achievements as an actor and entertainer, as well as for his humanitarian work as a UNICEF ambassador.

References

1.  "Laurence Fishburne". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
2. ^ "Laurence Fishburne". IMDb. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
3. a b c d "Laurence Fishburne- Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
4. ^ "Laurence Fishbourne: Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
5. ^ Paul Chutkow. "Laurence Fishbourne: Flying Fish". Cigar Aficionado. Archived from the original on June 7, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2007.
6. a b "Laurence Fishburne". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
7. ^ Steven Gaydos (December 10, 2014). "Laurence Fishburne Looks Back on Childhood Acting Days". Variety. Retrieved December 27, 2021. Straight out of the gate, when he was 11, Variety was singing his praises in the TV pic "If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band," on Dec. 19, 1972.