Biography for
Delroy Lindo More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

18 November 1952, Eltham, London, England, UK

Height

6' 4" (1.93 m)

Mini Biography

On the stage and on the big screen, Delroy Lindo projects a powerful presence that is almost impossible to ignore. Alhough it was not his first film role, his portrayal of the bipolar numbers boss West Indian Archie in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992) is what first attracted attention to Lindo's considerable talents. Since then, his star has slowly been on the rise.

The son of Jamaican parents, Lindo was born and raised in Lewisham, England, United Kingdom, until his teens when he and his mother moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A little later, they moved to the United States, where Lindo would graduate from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. After graduation, Lindo landed his first film role, that of an Army sergeant in More American Graffiti (1979). However, he did not appear in another film for ten years. In the meantime, Lindo worked on stage and, in 1982, debuted on Broadway in "Master Harold and the Boys" directed by the play's author, Athol Fugard. In 1988, Lindo earned a Tony nomination for his portrayal of Harald Loomis in Joe Turner's Come and Gone.

Though he was obviously a talented actor with a bright future, Lindo's career stalled. Wanting someone more aggressive and appreciative of his talents, Lindo changed agents (he'd had the same one through most of his early career). It was a smart move, but it was director Spike Lee who provided the boost Lindo's career needed. The director was impressed enough with Lindo to cast him as patriarch Woody Carmichael in Lee's semi-autobiographical comedy Crooklyn (1994).

For Lindo, 1996 was a big year. He landed major supporting roles in six features, including a heavy in Barry Sonnenfeld's Get Shorty (1995), another villainous supporting role in Lee's Clockers (1995), and still another bad guy in Feeling Minnesota (1996). Lest one believe that Lindo is typecast into forever playing drug lords and gangsters, that year he also played baseball player Leroy "Satchel" Paige in the upbeat Soul of the Game (1996) (TV) (a.k.a. Baseball in Black and White), for which he won a NAACP Image Award nomination. Since then, the versatile Lindo has shown himself equally adept at playing characters on both sides of the law. In 1997, he played an angel opposite Holly Hunter in Danny Boyle's offbeat romantic fantasy A Life Less Ordinary (1997) and, in 2009, a vengeful cop in an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Kathi Coaston	(16 May 1978 - ?) (divorced)
Neshormeh Lindo	(? - present) 1 child.

Trivia

Has one son, Damiri.

Is a fan of the London-based football (soccer) team Arsenal.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1988 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone."

Still considers himself British, despite having lived in America since his late teens.

Before being able to fully support himself as an actor, he worked a variety of jobs that ranged from busing tables, driving cabs, and selling pesticides over the phone.

Lives in San Francisco.

The son of Jamaican parents (his mother was a nurse; his father held various jobs), Lindo was inspired to act after seeing the production of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of The Shrew" on PBS television.

Took an 8-day tour of South Africa with Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, Angela Bassett, and Alexandra Paul to urge Black people there to participate in that country's first fully democratic national election in 1994.

Went to stunt-driving school to prepare for his role in Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000).

Has played two characters named Isaac. Isaac Stubbs in "Beauty and the Beast" (1987) and, most noticeably, Isaak O'Day in Romeo Must Die (2000).

Personal Quotes

"I'm very proud of my roles. I enjoy the ability to touch millions of people and, in some way, connect with them in ways that I cannot connect with them in my normal, everyday life." - On his films.

(On Gone in 60 Seconds) Filming 20 minutes of a car chase took two months of work. And I did a lot of it myself because I went to stunt-driving school. It was great. They were teaching me how to do wheelies, 360s and 180s.

Where Are They Now

(September 2004) Rehearsing for his role in August Wilson's new play, "Gem of the Ocean," which is set to open at Huntington College in Boston.

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