Laurence Fishburne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laurence Fishburne
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Fishburne in 2017
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Laurence John Fishburne III
July 30, 1961 Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
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| Years active | 1972–present |
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| Children | 3, including Langston Fishburne |
| Awards | Full list |
Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for playing strong and important characters in movies and on stage. He has won many awards, including six Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Fishburne first became well-known for his role in the film Apocalypse Now (1979). He gained more fame in Boyz n the Hood (1991). Later, he became famous for playing Morpheus in The Matrix movies (1999–2003). He also played the Bowery King in the John Wick film series (2017–).
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). He also won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Two Trains Running (1992).
Other famous movies he has been in include The Color Purple (1985), Akeelah and the Bee (2006), and Mission: Impossible III (2006). He also played Perry White in the DC Extended Universe superhero movies (2013, 2016). He was also Bill Foster / Goliath in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2018). On TV, he was Cowboy Curtis in Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986–1990). He also starred in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2008–2011), Hannibal (2013–2015), and Black-ish (2014–2022).
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Early Life
Laurence Fishburne was born in Augusta, Georgia. His mother, Hattie Bell, was a math and science teacher. His father, Laurence John Fishburne, Jr., worked with young people in trouble. After his parents separated, he moved with his mother to Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Lincoln Square Academy in New York.
Later in his life, Fishburne found out that Laurence John Fishburne, Jr. was not his biological father. In 2025, on a TV show called Finding Your Roots, he learned his biological father was William Seigel Bohannan. Bohannan was in the U.S. military when he met Fishburne's mother.
Career
Early Roles (1972–1989)
For much of his early career, he was known as Larry Fishburne. In 1972, at age 11, Fishburne got good reviews for his first acting role in the TV play If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band. Soon after, he played Joshua Hall on the soap opera One Life to Live. His most memorable childhood role was in Cornbread, Earl and Me. In this film, he played a young boy who saw a police shooting.
He later got a supporting role in Apocalypse Now. He played Tyrone Miller, a 17-year-old from the Bronx. He was only 14 when filming started, but he lied about his age to get the part. The movie took so long to film that he was actually 17 when it finished.
Fishburne worked in TV and on stage during the 1980s. He appeared in movies like Band of the Hand, Death Wish 2, and The Cotton Club. He also had a small role in Steven Spielberg's film The Color Purple. Fishburne played Cowboy Curtis on the children's TV show Pee-wee's Playhouse. He also appeared in an episode of M*A*S*H. In 1987, he was in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors as a hospital worker. Fishburne also starred as "Dap" in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988).
Becoming a Star (1990–2007)
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In 1990, Fishburne played Jimmy Jump in King of New York. In 1991, he starred in Boyz n the Hood. In 1992, he won a Tony Award for his stage role in the play Two Trains Running. He also won an Emmy Award for his performance in the TV show TriBeCa. He starred in Deep Cover with Jeff Goldblum.
In 1993, he received his first Oscar nomination for playing Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It. Fishburne won an Image Award for his role in the 1995 film Higher Learning. He played the main role in Othello. He was the second African-American actor to play this part. In 1995, Fishburne wrote, directed, and starred in the play Riff-Raff.
In 1997, Fishburne starred in the science fiction film Event Horizon. Fishburne is perhaps best known for playing Morpheus. Morpheus is a hacker and mentor to Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, in the 1999 science fiction movie The Matrix.
Fishburne was the voice of Thrax in Osmosis Jones in 2001. He played Morpheus again in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003. He also appeared with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III. Fishburne has worked with actress Angela Bassett on four projects. He said they have a special connection when they work together. In 2006, they were in a play called Fences. Fishburne also played a high school teacher in a play called Without Walls. He played a character named Ahmat in the 2006 film Five Fingers.
He was the voice of the narrator in the 2007 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. He also voiced the Silver Surfer in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. In 2007, Fishburne received the Harvard Foundation's Artist of the Year award. He was honored for his acting and his work helping others. Fishburne is also a UNICEF ambassador.
Recent Work (2008–Present)
In April 2008, Fishburne returned to Broadway in the play Thurgood. He won an award for his performance in this play. In 2011, HBO showed a filmed version of the play. The White House also showed the film as part of Black History Month celebrations.
In August 2008, Laurence Fishburne joined the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He played a college professor and former pathologist. This character joined the CSI team. In May 2009, Fishburne performed at the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C.
Fishburne starred in Predators in 2010 and Contagion in 2011. In June 2011, Fishburne announced he was leaving CSI to work on more movies and plays. Fishburne played Perry White in the Superman movie Man of Steel (2013). In 2013, Fishburne joined the cast of Hannibal as Dr. Jack Crawford. In 2014, Fishburne played Morpheus again in commercials for Kia. In 2015, Fishburne joined the TV show Black-ish as Pops. He is also a producer for the show and its spin-off, Grown-ish.
In 2016, Fishburne played Perry White again in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He also appeared in the science fiction movie Passengers.
In 2017, he appeared in the action film John Wick: Chapter 2 as The Bowery King. This was his first time working with Keanu Reeves since The Matrix movies. Also in 2017, Fishburne starred in the comedy-drama Last Flag Flying. In 2018, Fishburne played Bill Foster in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp. Fishburne also helped create and produce the animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. He also voiced the Beyonder and Bill Foster in the series.
In January 2023, it was announced that Fishburne was cast as Regis in the fourth season of The Witcher. He also starred in the action spy thriller, The Amateur, which was released in 2025.
Personal Life
Fishburne married actress Hajna O. Moss in 1985. They have two children, Langston (born 1987) and Montana (born 1991). Hajna and Laurence later separated.
Fishburne and actress Gina Torres got engaged in 2001 and married in 2002. Their daughter, Delilah, was born in June 2007. In 2017, it was confirmed that Torres and Fishburne had separated. Fishburne filed for divorce in November 2017, and their divorce was finalized in May 2018.
Fishburne lives in Hollywood and also has a home in New York City. He is a fan of Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. In 2009, he said he planned to make a movie based on Coelho’s book The Alchemist.
Filmography
Awards and Recognition
See also
In Spanish: Laurence Fishburne para niños
