Biography for
Laurence Fishburne

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Date of Birth

30 July 1961, Augusta, Georgia, USA

Birth Name

Laurence Fishburne III

Nickname

Fish
Larry

Height

6' 0½" (1.84 m)

Mini Biography

Critically hailed for his forceful, militant, authoritarian roles, Laurence Fishburne, who is often confused with another tall, gap-toothed, mercurial African-American talent, Samuel L. Jackson, came out of the black theater in New York. Born in Augusta, Georgia, on July 30, 1961, Laurence's mother, who taught high school math, transplanted her family to Brooklyn after his parents divorced. At the age of 10, he appeared in his first play, "In My Many Names and Days," at a cramped little theater space in Manhattan. He continued on but managed to avoid the trappings of a child star per se, considering himself more a working child actor at the time. Billing himself as Larry Fishburne during this early phase, he never studied or was trained in the technique of acting.

In 1973, at the age of 12, Laurence won a recurring role on the daytime soap "One Life to Live" (1968) that lasted three seasons and subsequently made his film debut in the ghetto-themed Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975). At 14 Francis Ford Coppola cast him in Apocalypse Now (1979), which filmed for two years in the Phillippines. Laurence didn't work for another year and a half after that long episode. A graduate of Lincoln Square Academy, Coppola was impressed enough with Laurence to hire him again down the line with featured roles in Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), and Gardens of Stone (1987). Throughout the 1980s, he continued to build up his film and TV credit list with featured roles despite little fanfare. A recurring role as Cowboy Curtis on the kiddie show "Pee-wee's Playhouse" (1986) helped him through whatever lean patches there were at the time.

With the new decade (1990s) came out-and-out stardom for Laurence. A choice lead in John Singleton's urban tale Boyz n the Hood (1991) catapulted him immediately into the front of the film ranks. Set in LA's turbulent South Central area, his potent role as a morally minded divorced father who strives to rise above the ignorance and violence of his surroundings, Laurence showed true command and the ability to hold up any film. On stage, he would become invariably linked to playwright August Wilson and his 20th Century epic African-American experience after starring for two years as the eruptive ex-con in "Two Training Running." For this powerful, mesmerizing performance, Laurence won nearly every prestigious theater award in the books (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Theatre World). It was around the time of this career hallmark that he began billing himself as "Laurence" instead of "Larry."

More awards and accolades came his way. In addition to an Emmy for the pilot episode of the series "Tribeca," he was nominated for his fine work in the quality mini-movies The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) (TV) and Miss Evers' Boys (1997) (TV). On the larger screen, both Laurence and Angela Bassett were given Oscar nominations for their raw, seething portrayals of rock stars Ike and Tina Turner in the film What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). To his credit, he managed to take an extremely repellent character and make it a sobering and captivating experience. A pulp box-office favorite as well, he originated the role of Morpheus, Keanu Reeves' mentor, in the exceedingly popular futuristic sci-fi The Matrix (1999), best known for its ground-breaking special effects. He wisely returned for its back-to-back sequels.

Into the millennium, Laurence extended his talents by making his screenwriting and directorial debut in Once in the Life (2000), in which he also starred. The film is based on his own critically acclaimed play "Riff Raff," which he staged five years earlier. In 1999, he scored a major theater triumph with a multi-racial version of "The Lion in Winter" as Henry II opposite Stockard Channing's Eleanor of Acquitaine.

On film, Fishburne has appeared in a variety of interesting roles in not-always-successful films. Never less than compelling, a few of his more notable parts include an urban speed chess player in Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993); a military prisoner in Cadence (1990); a college professor in Singleton's Higher Learning (1995); a CIA operative in Bad Company (1995/I); the title role in Othello (1995) (he was the first black actor to play the part on film); a spaceship rescue team leader in the sci-fi horror Event Horizon (1997); a Depression-era gangster in Hoodlum (1997); a dogged police sergeant in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003); and a spelling bee coach in Akeelah and the Bee (2006).

Earning multiple NAACP Image awards for his contribution to the entertainment business, he has two children, Langston and Montana, from his first marriage to actress Hajna O. Moss, who appeared with him in the films Gardens of Stone (1987) and A Rage in Harlem (1991). In September, 2002, he married Cuban-American actress Gina Torres.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Spouse

Gina Torres	(20 September 2002 - present) 1 child
Hajna O. Moss	(1985 - 199?) (divorced) 2 children

Trade Mark

Low, authoritative voice in many of his roles, most often delivering psychological Shakespearian speech

Trivia

Children, with Moss; Son: Langston (b. 1987), daughter: Montana (b. 1991).

He changed his name from Larry to Laurence in his films in 1991.

Engaged to Gina Torres. [2001]

Studied acting at the Lincoln Square Academy in New York.

In Event Horizon (1997) the space suits worn by the actors weighed 65 pounds each. He nicknamed his Doris.

Won Broadway's 1992 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for August Wilson's "Two Trains Running."

He is often mistaken for Samuel L. Jackson and vice versa. According to Jackson, they've stood right next to each other, and people still call them by the wrong names.

Went to New York's High School of the Performing Arts

Auditioned for the role of Ben in Night of the Living Dead (1990).

His deal for The Matrix (1999) sequels was for a reported $15 million + 3.75% of the gross.

In the early 1980s he and fellow New York actor Giancarlo Esposito were roommates during L.A.'s pilot season.

A founding member of the Guggenheim Motorcycle Club, a group that arranges rides to art museums around the world.

Met Paul Reubens at the Groundlings Theatre (he didn't study there but did perform readings) and Reubens cast him as Cowboy Curtis in the children's series "Pee-wee's Playhouse" (1986).

An Ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens' Emergency Fund, an agency of the U.N. which helps children all over the world with educational, health and humanitarian aid.

Originally hooked up with Boyz n the Hood (1991) writer John Singleton when Singleton was a production assistant and Fishburne an actor ("Cowboy Curtis") on the popular children's TV program "Pee-wee's Playhouse" (1986).

According to the commentary track on the "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005) DVD, Fishburne provided the voice of the bear in the Genaros Beer commercial.

Appeared with Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now (1979), Cadence (1990), and Bobby (2006). He also worked with Charlie Sheen in Cadence (1990) and Emilio Estevez in Bobby (2006).

Attended the 2006 Dubai International Film Festival in the United Arab Emirates.

Daughter, Delilah, born June 2007.

Personal Quotes

"For the last six months people have been coming up to me and saying, 'I loved you in Pulp Fiction, Mr. Jackson.'" [1996]

"I've played a lot of bad guys, 'cause that was the only work I could get. People saw my face and went 'oooh'."

[On why he didn't read the complete play of "Othello" before acting in the film version in which more than half of the dialogue was cut:] "Why should I read all those words that I'm not going to get to say?"

"I play characters. I don't think I really have a persona per se. I don't play the same guy every time. I show up, you don't know what I'm gonna do. I like it that way. I've intentionally tried to do it that way. I think that's what's interesting."

"It's funny, a lot of people think I take myself seriously because I come off so serious sometimes. But it's not that I take myself seriously, I take what I do seriously. I came up around people who took acting seriously, who cared about acting, cared about the theater and, in the '70s, made movies that said something that mattered. I came up with those people, and I was a kid. Their ethos and credo became mine."

"I don't believe in acting teachers for me."

Where Are They Now

(June 2005) Currently resides in New Rochelle, New York

(June 2005) Son Langston recently graduated from Thorton-Donovan private school in New Rochelle and will attend Boston University in the fall.

(June 2006) Starring in "Without Walls" by Alfred ("Driving Miss Daisy") Uhry' at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

(August 2006) Starred as Troy Maxson, with Angela Bassett, Wendell Pierce, and Orlando Jones, in a production of August Wilson's Fences at the Pasadena Playhouse.

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