Laurence Fishburne
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| Laurence Fishburne | |
| Birth name | Laurence Fishburne III |
| Born | July 30, 1961 (age 45) Augusta, Georgia, USA |
| Other name(s) | Lawrence Fishburne Larry Fishburne |
| Spouse(s) | Gina Torres (2002-present) Hajna Moss (m. 1985) |
| Official site | www.Laurence-Fishburne.com |
| Notable roles | Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It? Morpheus in the Matrix trilogy |
| Emmy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series 1993 Tribeca Outstanding Made For Television Movie 1997 Miss Evers' Boys |
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| Tony Awards | |
| Best Featured Actor in a Play 1992 Two Trains Running |
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Laurence Fishburne III (b. July 30, 1961) is an American Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor of screen and stage, playwright, director, and producer.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Fishburne was born in Augusta, Georgia to parents Laurence Fishburne II, and Hattie, a junior high school math teacher. His parents divorced during his childhood and his mother moved with him to Brooklyn where he was raised. Fishburne's father saw him once a month.[1] He is a graduate of Lincoln Square Academy in New York which closed in the 1980s.
[edit] Career
Fishburne started acting at age twelve getting his big break in 1973 portraying Joshua Hall on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. He was initially cast in the hit television series Good Times, but the role was eventually given to Ralph Carter. Fishburne's most memorable childhood role was in Cornbread, Earl and Me in which he played a young boy who witnessed the police shooting of a popular high school basketball star. Fishburne later earned a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.
Fishburne spent much of the 1980s in and out of television and periodically on stage. Fishburne had a recurring role as Cowboy Curtis with Paul Reubens' character, Pee Wee Herman in the CBS children's television show, Pee-Wee's Playhouse. He also appeared in the M*A*S*H episode, "The Tooth Shall Set You Free", as Corporal Dorsey. His stage work during the 1980s included Short Eyes in 1984, and Loose Ends in 1987. Both were produced at Second Stage Theatre in New York City.
In 1991, Fishburne starred in Boyz N The Hood. The following year, in 1992, he won a Tony Award for his stage performance in the August Wilson play, Two Trains Running and an Emmy Award for an episode of the short-lived TV series Tribeca. In 1993, he received his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It?. Today, Fishburne is perhaps best known for his role as Morpheus, the hacker-mentor of Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, in the 1999 blockbuster science fiction film, The Matrix.
Fishburne reprised his role as Morpheus in the Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded, and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003. He has appeared with Tom Cruise as Theodore Brassell, IMF superior of Cruise's character in Mission: Impossible III. In 2006 he appeared on stage with Angela Bassett in a Pasadena production of the August Wilson masterpiece, Fences.[2] Most recently, he provided the voice of the narrator in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) movie, released March 23rd, 2007.[3]
On February 24, 2007, Fishburne was honored with the Harvard Foundation's Artist of the Year award at the annual show Cultural Rythms. He received this honor for his prowess as an actor and entertainer and for his humanitarian pursuits. Fishburne is a UNICEF ambassador[4]. The mayor of the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mayor Kenneth Reeves awarded him the key to the city and declared February 24th Lawrence Fishburne day in the city of Cambridge.
[edit] Personal life
Fishburne was married to actress Hajna Moss in 1985. They have two children together: a son, Langston, born in 1987, and a daughter, Montana, born in 1991. Fishburne's current wife is actress Gina Torres, whom he wedded on September 20, 2002. She is expecting their first child in the summer of 2007.
[edit] Stage
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[edit] Filmography
[edit] Actor
[edit] Producer
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[edit] Screenwriter
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[edit] Awards
[edit] Trivia
- Fishburne can briefly be seen in the audience in clips of Stephen Colbert's speech at the White House Press Correspondents' Dinner.
- Fishburne once expressed his disdain for late rap icon Tupac Shakur to 50 Cent.[5]
- Fishburne played a 17-year-old sailor nicknamed 'Mr. Clean' in Apocalypse Now. When production began in March 1976 he was just fourteen, apparently lying about his age to get the part. Filming took so long that when it finished he was actually seventeen.
- Played "Michael Caine in Space" on an episode of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
- Fishburne has worked with actress Angela Bassett in a four projects. He says "An electrifying thing happens when the two of us work together. I haven’t experienced it with anyone else. A freedom happens when we work together". They both plan to work with each other in the future.
- In the animated television sitcom American Dad, Francine is mistaken for Fishburne and is given free drinks in the episode "Deacon Stan, Jesus Man."
- He briefly appears as a stretcher-bearer in one version of the video for The Spooks' song "Things I've Seen" (2000).
- Fishburne is a big fan of Paulo Coelho and plans to produce a movie based on the Alchemist.
[edit] References
- ^ Laurence Fishburne: Biography. Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved on January 31, 2007.
- ^ Terri Roberts (September 2006). Fences. TheaterMania.com. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
- ^ Heather Newgen (25 January 2007). TMNT Studio Visit!. ComingSoon.net. Retrieved on February 1, 2007.
- ^ Harvard Foundation names UNICEF Ambassador Laurence Fishburne 2007 Artist of the Year. unicefusa.com (February 20, 2007). Retrieved on February 25, 2007.
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7249932/86_tupac_shakur/
[edit] External links
- Laurence Fishburne at the Internet Broadway Database
- Laurence Fishburne at the Internet Movie Database
- Laurence Fishburne at Yahoo! Movies
- Laurence Fishburne at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Opatoshu Gabriel's Fire |
Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Actor - Drama Series 1993 Tribeca |
Succeeded by Richard Kiley Picket Fences |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kevin Spacey Lost in Yonkers |
Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Play 1992 Two Trains Running |
Succeeded by Stephen Spinella Millennium Approaches |
A-Z of films • Academy Awards • Actors • Animators • Box office • Cinematographers • Critics • Directors • Editors • Festivals • Film series • Golden Globes • Hollywood • Movie theatres • Producers • Production companies • Score composers • Screenwriters • Silent films • Studios • Stunt performers • AFI 100 Years
Categories: Articles lacking sources from February 2007 | All articles lacking sources | 1961 births | African-American actors | American child actors | American film actors | American soap opera actors | American television actors | Living people | M*A*S*H cast members | People from Augusta, Georgia | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cast members | Tony Award winners
