Blair Underwood facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blair Underwood
Underwood in May 2019
Born	Blair Erwin Underwood (1964-08-25) August 25, 1964 (age 60) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1985–present
Spouse(s)	Desiree DaCosta ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 2021)​ Josie Hart ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	3

Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in movies and television shows. His first movie was the 1985 musical film Krush Groove. From 1987 to 1994, he became famous for playing lawyer Jonathan Rollins in the TV legal drama L.A. Law.

Underwood has acted in many films. Some of his movies include Just Cause (1995), Set It Off (1996), and Deep Impact (1998). He also appeared in Rules of Engagement (2000), Madea's Family Reunion (2006), and Juanita (2019).

On television, he has had main roles in many series. These include City of Angels, LAX, ... Money, In Treatment, and Quantico. For his acting, Underwood has received many awards and nominations. He has won five NAACP Image Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, and a Grammy Award.

Early Life and Education

Blair Underwood was born in Tacoma, Washington. His mother, Marilyn Ann Scales, was an interior decorator. His father, Frank Eugene Underwood Sr., was a colonel in the United States Army. A colonel is a high-ranking officer.

Because of his father's military job, Underwood's family moved a lot. He lived on army bases in the United States and in Stuttgart, Germany. He went to high school in Petersburg, Virginia. After high school, he studied acting at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Acting Career

Underwood at the 41st Emmy Awards in September 1989

Underwood's career started in 1985. After his first film, Krush Groove, he appeared on The Cosby Show. This led to a role on the soap opera One Life to Live. He also had roles in the crime drama Downtown and made guest appearances on other shows.

Breakthrough with L.A. Law

In 1987, when he was 23, Underwood was cast in the popular TV show L.A. Law. He played a smart young lawyer named Jonathan Rollins. This role made him a star. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1991 for his performance. The show ended in 1994.

Success in Movies

After L.A. Law, Underwood focused more on movies. In 1995, he starred in the thriller Just Cause. The next year, he was in the popular action film Set It Off. He also had roles in the science fiction movie Gattaca (1997) and the disaster film Deep Impact (1998).

Return to Television

Underwood at a movie premiere in April 2009

Underwood has worked in television throughout his career. In 2000, he played the main character in the medical drama City of Angels. He also had a recurring role on the show ... and the City from 2003 to 2004.

From 2007 to 2009, he was in the TV series ... Money. In 2008, he starred in the HBO series In Treatment. This role earned him another Golden Globe nomination. He later played the President of the United States in the show The Event (2010–2011).

More recently, he appeared in the Netflix series When They See Us (2019) and Self Made (2020). From 2016 to 2018, he was a main character in the thriller series Quantico.

Stage and Voice Work

Besides film and TV, Underwood has also performed on stage. In 2012, he starred in the Broadway play A Streetcar Named Desire. In 2020, he was in another Broadway play called A Soldier's Play. His performance earned him a Tony Award nomination.

Underwood has also done voice acting. He narrated The Bible Experience, an audio Bible with celebrity voices. He also voiced characters in shows like The Lion Guard and video games.

Personal Life and Charity Work

Underwood is involved with several charities. He won a Humanitarian Award in 1993 for his work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He has also worked with the YouthAIDS campaign and an AIDS healthcare clinic in Washington, D.C.

He is a supporter of the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles. This theater group, founded by actor Danny Glover, focuses on plays about the Black experience.

Underwood supported Barack Obama's run for president. He met Obama years earlier while preparing for his role on L.A. Law at Harvard Law School.

On June 24, 2023, he married his longtime friend, Josie Hart. He has three children from his previous marriage.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Recognition

See also

In Spanish: Blair Underwood para niños

• African-American Tony nominees and winners