Jeffrey Wright facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeffrey Wright
Wright in 2019
Born	(1965-12-07) December 7, 1965 (age 59) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education	Amherst College (BA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Carmen Ejogo ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2014)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list

Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is a talented American actor. He has won many important awards for his acting. These include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Jeffrey Wright started his acting journey in theater. He became well-known for his role in the play Angels in America (1993). For this play, he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He played the same role again in a TV show version in 2003. This earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for his great performance.

He has starred in many movies. His first main movie role was as the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat in Basquiat (1996). He also appeared in the James Bond films as Felix Leiter. You might know him as Beetee Latier in The Hunger Games movies. He also played Jim Gordon in The Batman (2022). In 2023, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in American Fiction.

On TV, he played Valentin Narcisse in Boardwalk Empire (2013–2014). He was also Bernard Lowe in the popular series Westworld (2016–2022). For Westworld, he received three Emmy nominations. He also voiced the Watcher in the Marvel animated series What If...?.

Early Life and Education

Jeffrey Wright was born on December 7, 1965, in Washington, D.C.. His mother was a lawyer. His father passed away when Jeffrey was a young child.

He went to St. Albans School. Then he attended Amherst College, where he studied political science. He first planned to go to law school. However, he decided to become an actor instead.

He studied acting at New York University Tisch School of the Arts for a short time. After two months, he left to act in a play called Les Blancs. This experience made him decide to be a full-time actor.

Career Highlights

Early Roles and Angels in America (1990–2003)

Wright at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007

Jeffrey Wright started acting in plays in New York City and Washington, D.C. His first big movie role was in 1990. He played an attorney in the film Presumed Innocent. In 1991, he joined a touring theater group called The Acting Company.

In 1993, he played Norman "Belize" Arriaga in the famous play Angels in America. His performance earned him a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. Critics praised his work in the play. He also had small roles in movies like Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1992).

In 1996, Wright got his first main movie role. He played the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in the film Basquiat. Critics loved his performance. Roger Ebert, a famous critic, said Wright gave an "almost mystical" performance.

He continued to appear in various films. These included Woody Allen's Celebrity (1998). He also acted in Ang Lee's western movie Ride with the Devil (1999).

In 2000, he starred in three movies: Shaft, Hamlet, and Crime and Punishment in Suburbia. He also played Martin Luther King Jr. in the TV movie Boycott. For this role, he won an AFI Award.

In 2002, he returned to Broadway in the play Topdog/Underdog. He received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination for his role. In 2003, he played Belize again in the TV show version of Angels in America. This earned him an Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Becoming a Well-Known Actor (2004–2015)

Wright at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2004, Jeffrey Wright appeared in The Manchurian Candidate. He also starred in the TV movie Lackawanna Blues in 2005. That same year, he played Bennett Holiday in Syriana. He also appeared in Broken Flowers, which earned him another award nomination.

In 2006, he joined the James Bond film series. He played Felix Leiter in Casino Royale. He played this role again in Quantum of Solace and No Time to Die. In 2008, he played Colin Powell in the movie W.. He also played the famous musician Muddy Waters in Cadillac Records.

In 2011, he was in three more films. These included Source Code and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. He also acted in The Ides of March.

Wright became known to younger audiences as Beetee in The Hunger Games movies. His first appearance as Beetee was in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013. He also joined the TV series Boardwalk Empire in 2013. In 2015, he voiced Poppa Henry in the animated movie The Good Dinosaur.

Westworld and Recent Success (2016–2024)

Wright at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2016, Jeffrey Wright played Bernard Lowe in the HBO series Westworld. This role brought him three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He also appeared in a commercial for Dell Technologies in 2017.

In 2018, he acted in several movies. These included Monster and Game Night. He also starred in the HBO film O.G.. This movie was filmed inside a real prison. Many prisoners and staff acted in the film alongside him.

Wright also helped produce a documentary in 2018. It was called We Are Not Done Yet. This film showed how art can help war veterans. It focused on their experiences and finding strength together.

In 2019, he acted in The Laundromat with Meryl Streep. He also appeared in The Goldfinch. In 2020, he voiced Isaac in the video game The Last of Us Part II. He also voices the Watcher in the animated Marvel series What If...? (2021).

In 2021, Wright was in the film The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson. He worked with Wes Anderson again in the 2023 film Asteroid City.

He played Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in the film Rustin in 2023. He also starred as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison in American Fiction (2023). For American Fiction, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Actor.

Personal Life

Jeffrey Wright married actress Carmen Ejogo in August 2000. They have a son named Elijah and a daughter named Juno. They used to live in Brooklyn, New York City. They are now divorced.

He is a big fan of the Washington Commanders football team. In 2004, his old college, Amherst College, gave him an honorary degree.

Jeffrey Wright was also involved in a company called Taia. This company worked on gold mining in Sierra Leone. They aimed to create a way to mine gold that was good for the environment and avoided conflict.

Acting Credits

Here are some of the films, TV shows, and plays Jeffrey Wright has been in:

Film

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Television

Theatre

Video Games

Audio

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

• 

  Wright in 2019

• 

  Wright at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2007

• 

  Wright at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con

• 

  Wright at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con

See also

In Spanish: Jeffrey Wright para niños