Eriq La Salle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eriq La Salle
La Salle in 1998
Born	Erik Ki La Salle (1962-07-23) July 23, 1962 (age 62) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Juilliard School New York University (BFA)
Occupation	Actor, director, writer, producer
Years active	1985–present

Eriq La Salle (born July 23, 1962), also known as Erik Ki La Salle, is an American actor. He is also a director, writer, and producer. La Salle is famous for playing Dr. Peter Benton in the TV show ER. This medical drama was on NBC from 1994 to 2002, and he returned for a few episodes in 2008 and 2009. His role on ER won him three NAACP Image Awards. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.

Early Life and Education

Eriq La Salle grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. He was one of four children raised by his mother, Ada Haynes. He went to Weaver High School and the Artists Collective, Inc. in Hartford. La Salle studied drama at the Juilliard School for two years. Later, he went to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He earned a college degree in fine arts there in 1984.

Acting and Directing Career

After graduating from NYU, La Salle quickly started acting. He performed in a play called Henry V for Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park. He also worked on Broadway and in several TV shows during the day. One of his early roles was Mike Rivers, a reporter on One Life to Live.

In 1988, La Salle acted in the movie Coming to America. He played the character Darryl Jenks alongside Eddie Murphy.

His most famous role began in 1994. He starred as Dr. Peter Benton in the medical drama ER on NBC. He was a main character until the eighth season. He came back for three episodes in the show's final season. During that last season, he also directed an episode of ER.

La Salle has appeared in many other films. In 2003, he had a small role in Biker Boyz. He also played a gangster in the movie Johnny Was in 2006. He lived in Belfast for a month while filming it. In 2009, he starred in the Hallmark Channel movie Relative Stranger. This movie also featured Cicely Tyson and some of his former ER co-stars.

In 2010, La Salle played the United Nations Secretary General in the final episodes of 24. He also appeared in an episode of Covert Affairs. In 2011, he had recurring roles in two other TV shows. He played a community leader in How to Make it in America and a doctor in A Gifted Man.

Eriq La Salle also became a director. His first directing job was in 1996 for the HBO TV movie Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault. He also directed the first episode of Soul Food: The Series.

In 2002, he produced the movie The Salton Sea. That same year, he produced, directed, and starred in the film Crazy as Hell. He also wrote, directed, and acted in an episode of The Twilight Zone in 2003. He has directed many episodes for popular TV shows. These include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI: NY, Ringer, and Law & Order: Organized Crime.

La Salle wrote his first novel, Laws of Depravity, which was published in 2012.

In 2015, La Salle returned to acting in Under the Dome. He had directed an episode in the previous season and directed another in the third season. He also acted in and directed episodes of CSI: Cyber. He appeared in other series like The Night Shift and Madam Secretary.

In 2016, La Salle directed episodes for Lucifer and Murder in the First. In 2017, he acted as Will Munson in the superhero movie Logan. He has also directed and produced many episodes of Chicago P.D..

Filmography

Film

Television

As director or producer

Awards and Nominations

Eriq La Salle has won and been nominated for many awards for his work.

See also

In Spanish: Eriq La Salle para niños