Biography for
Dennis Haysbert More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

2 June 1954, San Mateo, California, USA

Birth Name

Dennis Dexter Haysbert

Height

6' 4½" (1.94 m)

Spouse

Lynn Griffith	(1989 - 2001) (divorced) 2 children
Elena Simms	(13 April 1980 - 17 August 1984) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Deep voice

Trivia

He has two children with Lynn Griffith: Charles Haysbert and Katharine Haysbert.

He was a defensive end on his high school football team.

Graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA).

Grand marshal of the "Allstate 400 at the Brickyard" auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 7 August 2005.

Attended San Mateo High School in San Mateo, California.

He is also a certified Deep Sea diver per Discovery Channel's Secrets of Pearl Harbor (2004) (TV), in June 2008, that he hosts, narrates and stars in.

His parents were married for 51 years before his father's death.

When he first moved to Los Angeles he worked in a grocery store and took classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. When he wasn't in class or working at the store, Haysbert says, he consumed any self-help book he could get his hands on, including How to Visualize What You Want and The Power of Positive Thinking.

Enjoys golf, tennis and scuba diving in his spare time.

The eighth of nine children.

In the photo caption for his San Mateo, California, high school yearbook, he cited having his face on the cover of Ebony and TV Guide as life goals, both of which he later achieved.

Shares two roles with the late Michael Clarke Duncan; The Green Lantern, Kilowog and Manute in the "Sin City" films.

Personal Quotes

(On playing Nelson Mandela in Goodbye Bafana (2007)) I just remember it being a very daunting situation. I was a little nervous about it and almost turned it down. I had a momentary loss of confidence and didn't think I was worthy. He's such a hero of mine.

From the time I was 10 I think I knew that I wanted to act, and then there was the caption under my high school picture, [so] it was obvious I had no doubts, I knew what I wanted to do. But I also had a catalyst, an older brother who died of cancer, and I just happened to be with him the [day] before he died. He asked me a simple question, 'What do you want to do?' And I said, 'Well, I want to be an actor.' He asked, 'Where do you want to do it? Can you do it from here?' and when I said 'No, not really' he said, 'Well, get the hell out of here then because tomorrow's not promised.' I'll always remember those words. 'Tomorrow's not promised.'

(On high school) I played a little basketball, but basketball interfered with theater season. That's when we did our term plays and did nutshell versions of Shakespeare for English classes. And, believe me, I got a fair amount of looks from the guys on the team. 'You're in theater but you can play football?!' I got a lot of shit about it.

I think I'd make a great superhero. I'm serious. I want to play a superhero and I've already got one in mind. I think I've still got the body for the costume and it's something I really want to do. - 2006.

(On the powers of visualizing your goals) I visualize the roles that I want. If I hadn't visualized playing athletes, I wouldn't have gotten Major League. If I hadn't visualized playing a president, David Palmer never would have happened. You've got to have a sense of what you want to do; otherwise, the universe is just going to throw something at you.

Where Are They Now

(March 2006) (2003-2006) Commercial spokesman for Allstate Insurance.

(June 2006) Filming Goodbye Bafana (2007) in Cape Town, South Africa.