Who Could Play Preston Burke on Grey Anatomy

1. Tim Russ

Timothy Darrell Russ was born on June 22, 1956, in Washington, D.C., to Air Force officer Walt and his wife Josephine. He and his younger siblings Michael and Angela grew up on several military bases, including Niagara Falls, Elmendorf (Alaska) AFB, Omaha, Taiwan, Philippines and Turkey. During ...

2. LeVar Burton

Actor | Star Trek: Generations

LeVar Burton was born on February 16, 1957 in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He is an actor and director, known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). He has been married to Stephanie Cozart Burton since October 3, 1992. ...

3. Keenen Ivory Wayans

Writer | White Chicks

The trail-blazing linchpin of a sprawling family dynasty of comic entertainers, it was multi-talented writer/director/producer Keenen Ivory Wayans (born June 8, 1958, in New York City) who led the familial pack and was the first to achieve national prominence when he successfully created, launched,...

4. Giancarlo Esposito

Actor | Breaking Bad

Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to an Italian carpenter/stagehand father from Naples, Italy, and an African-American opera singer mother from Alabama. His parents, working in Europe at the time of his birth, settled in Manhattan by the time he was 6, and ...

5. Terrence 'T.C.' Carson

Actor | Final Destination 2

T.C. Carson was born and raised in Chicago. He was always encouraged by his family to pursue his dream of becoming a professional performer. He started by performing in many plays and musicals such as "The Wiz", "Dreamgirls" and "Ain't Misbehavin". His stage work earned him awards and credit.

6. David Ramsey

Actor | Arrow

David Ramsey stars as former United States Army Special Forces soldier, John Diggle, on the CW's People's Choice Award winning show "Arrow," based on the DC Comics superhero.

Created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, "Arrow" follows presumed-dead billionaire playboy Oliver ...

7. Arsenio Hall

Actor | Coming to America

Arsenio Hall was born on February 12, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Coming to America (1988), Coming 2 America (2021) and Harlem Nights (1989).

8. Steve Harvey

Producer | The Steve Harvey Show

Broderick Stephen Harvey, Sr. is an American television host, actor, writer, producer, and comedian. He hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, the Miss Universe competition, Family Feud Africa, and the arbitration-based court comedy Judge Steve Harvey.

Harvey began ...

9. Spike Lee

Director | Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended ...

10. Wesley Snipes

Actor | Blade

Wesley Trent Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, to Marian (Long), a teacher's assistant, and SMSGT Wesley Rudolph Snipes, an aircraft engineer. He grew up on the streets of the South Bronx in New York City, where he very early decided that dance and the theatre were to be his career. He attended ...

11. Mario Van Peebles

Actor | How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass

Mario Van Peebles is a highly regarded director, actor, producer and writer. His directorial skills can be seen in the retelling of the epic mini-series "Roots" starring Forest Whitaker and Matthew Goode. Van Peebles has directed award-winning shows such as the recent hit "Empire" and "The Last ...

12. Harry Lennix

Actor | Man of Steel

Harry Lennix is an accomplished film, television, and stage actor. His recent credits include Warner Bros.' "Man of Steel", The CW's "Emily Owens, M.D.", Fox's "Dollhouse," HBO's "Little Britain," as well as the critically acclaimed series "24" as Walid Al-Rezani.

Harry Joseph Lennix III was born ...

13. Rick Fox

Actor | Shameless

Born in Toronto, Rick Fox moved to the Bahamas when he was very young. His father is Afro-Bahamian, and his mother, who is Canadian, is of Italian and Scottish descent. Rick went to Warsaw Indiana high school as an exchange student and played basketball there. A complaint was filed about his ...

14. Cedric The Entertainer

Actor | Barbershop

Cedric the Entertainer is an African-American comedian and actor known for being one of the Original Kings of Comedy. He is also known for his roles in the Barbershop trilogy, the Madagascar trilogy, The Steve Harvey Show, Ice Age, Planes, The Soul Man and The Neighborhood. He has had three ...

15. Miguel A. Núñez Jr.

Actor | The Family Business

Miguel A. Núñez Jr. is an Afro-Latino actor and writer who played Harris Grant from The Family Business, Marcus Taylor from Tour of Duty, Spider from The Return of the Living Dead, Biscuit from Life, and the Voodoo Maestro of Spooky Island from the 2002 Raja Gosnell/James Gunn film Scooby-Doo. He ...

16. K. Todd Freeman

Actor | Grosse Pointe Blank

K. Todd Freeman was born on July 9, 1965 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and The Cider House Rules (1999).

17. J.B. Smoove

Actor | Spider-Man: Far from Home

Jerry Angelo Brooks is an American comic actor and writer who acted in various works including Spider-Man: Far From Home and No Way Home, Curb Your Enthusiasm, High on Life, Barbershop: The Next Cut, Mr. Deeds, Harley Quinn, Def Comedy Jam and Saturday Night Live. He's been married to his wife ...

18. Faizon Love

Actor | Friday

Langston Faizon Santisima is an African-American actor and comedian from Santiago de Cuba known for Wanda from Elf, Big Worm from Friday, Sean "Sweet" Johnson from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Jahmal Abdul Jackson from The Replacements, Bruce the Bear from Zookeeper, Robin Harris from Bébé's Kids...

19. D.B. Woodside

Actor | Lucifer

David Bryan Woodside (born July 25, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as the bass singer Melvin Franklin in The Temptations, Robin Wood in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Malcolm Franks in Single Ladies, Dr. Joseph Prestridge in Parenthood, the angel Amenadiel in ...

20. Hill Harper

Actor | CSI: NY

Hill Harper, an accomplished film, television and stage actor, stars in the hit CBS drama series, CSI: NY (2004). He portrays "Dr. Sheldon Hawkes", a reclusive coroner who walked away from a promising surgical career after the traumatic loss of two patients. This February, he will star in the HBO ...

21. Common

Actor | John Wick: Chapter 2

First known as a rapper who became one of the more prominent voices in hip-hop's new millennium renaissance, Common later transitioned into acting. He was born in Chicago, and is the son of educator Dr. Mahalia Ann Hines and Lonnie Lynn, an ABA basketball player turned youth counselor.

On October 6,...

22. Chris Rock

Actor | Top Five

Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.

...

23. Chris Tucker

Actor | Rush Hour 2

At one point in time, Chris Tucker was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.

Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Mary Louise (Bryant) and Norris Tucker, who owned a janitorial service. After graduating from high school, Tucker made a change to move to Hollywood from Georgia to pursue a career in ...

24. Andre Braugher

Actor | Homicide: Life on the Street

Many actors have attempted to crack both genres of drama and comedy. Few have succeeded, among them the genial Andre Braugher (pronounced 'Ahn-drey Braw-ger'). A two-time Emmy Award winner, he is especially remembered for two seminal roles: as the intense, often explosive Detective Frank Pembleton ...

25. Omari Hardwick

Actor | Kick-Ass

Omari Latif Hardwick was born in Savannah, Georgia, to Joyce (Johnson) and Clifford Hardwick III, and grew up in Decatur, GA. His parents gave him a name to set a precedent, "Omari" meaning "most high," and "Latif" meaning "gentle." He shares, "I in no way believe that I am the highest or most high...

26. Colman Domingo

Actor | Lincoln

In 2023, Mr. Domingo was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play as a producer for the Pulitzer Prize winning play Fat Ham. Colman won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor Drama for his role as Ali in the HBO series Euphoria. Domingo has been honored with the inaugural Denver Film ...

27. André Holland

Actor | Moonlight

André Holland was born on December 28, 1979 in Bessemer, Alabama, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Moonlight (2016), Selma (2014) and 42 (2013).

28. Victor Williams

Actor | The Affair

Victor Williams was born on September 19, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Affair (2014), Sneaky Pete (2015) and The King of Queens (1998). He is married to Zia Williams. They have one child.

29. James McDaniel

Actor | NYPD Blue

For seven seasons, acclaimed stage, screen and television actor James McDaniel portrayed Lt. Arthur Fancy on legendary television series NYPD Blue (1993). McDaniel recently completed shooting The Battle for Bunker Hill (2008), with director Kevin Willmott (CSA: Confederate States of America). ...

30. Brian White

Actor | Ambitions

Brian White was born on April 21, 1975 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Ambitions (2019), Stomp the Yard (2007) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Paula Da Silva since August 28, 2010. They have one child.

31. Billy Brown

Actor | The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Billy Brown was born on October 30, 1971 in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Star Trek (2009) and Cloverfield (2008).

32. Laz Alonso

Actor | Avatar

Chosen as one of Variety's "Top Ten Actors to Watch" and part of the new breed of leading men in Hollywood, Laz Alonso is starring in Amazon Prime's series THE BOYS. He can also be seen playing opposite Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba in their new series LA'S FINEST. He previously starred opposite...

33. Mike Epps

Actor | Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Mike Epps was born on November 18, 1970 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Friday After Next (2002) and The Hangover (2009). He has been married to Kyra Robinson Epps since June 23, 2019. They have two children. He was previously ...

34. Michael Beach

Actor | Aquaman

Born and raised in Roxbury, a Boston neighborhood, by a single mom with four children, Beach was an athlete who never expected to be an actor. After performing in a few plays at Noble and Greenough School, he auditioned for, got accepted to and later graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School ...

35. Larry Wilmore

Writer | The Bernie Mac Show

Larry Wilmore was born in Los Angeles and grew up in suburban Pomona. He graduated from Damien High School in La Verne in 1979. He studied theatre at California State Polytechnic University but dropped out because he wanted to get his Actors' Equity Association card and begin his career as a ...

36. Mark Curry

Actor | Armageddon

A class clown since his earliest years, Mark quickly learned that a wild sense of humor could take him places. While working at a drugstore after quitting college he honed and polished a comedy act that he regularly practiced on customers. It was these customers, as well as his family and friends, ...

37. Wendell Pierce

Actor | The Wire

Wendell Edward Pierce is an American actor and businessman. He is known for roles in HBO dramas such as Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme; as well as portraying James Greer in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, high-powered attorney Robert Zane in Suits, and Michael ...

38. Tommy Davidson

Actor | In Living Color

Davidson started his career as a stand-up comedian in Washington DC, earning an ardent following with sheer hard work in various comedy clubs. As one of the cutting-edge, young stand-ups, he was spotted by major concert promoters, who booked him as the opening act for A-list touring acts, including ...

39. Richard Brooks

Director | Anticipation

Commanding actor Richard Brooks was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He is an actor, director and singer. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Brooks studied acting, dance, and voice work at Interlochen Academy of Arts in Michigan. Later, he moved to New York City and was a student of the Circle in the Square ...

40. Tim Meadows

Actor | Mean Girls

Tim Meadows was born on February 5, 1961 in Highland Park, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Mean Girls (2004), The Ladies Man (2000) and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007). He was previously married to Michelle Taylor.

41. Djimon Hounsou

Actor | Blood Diamond

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in west Africa to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He moved to Lyon, France, when he was 13. Hounsou has graced the catwalks of Paris and London as a popular male model. He has since left his modeling career and has worked on Gladiator (2000) by ...

42. DeRay Davis

Actor | 21 Jump Street

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, comedian-turned-actor DeRay Davis can most recently be "scene" starring opposite Taraji P. Henson's "Cookie Lyons" as her go-to hitman/cousin "Jermel" in seasons 1 and 2 of the Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, creative collaboration, Empire on the FOX ...

43. Tobias Truvillion

Actor | Brooklyn's Finest

Tobias Truvillion was born on October 1, 1975 in Flushing, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Brooklyn's Finest (2009), One Life to Live (1968) and Hitch (2005).

44. Morocco Omari

Actor | P-Valley

Morocco Omari was born on May 7, 1975 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for P-Valley (2020), 21 Bridges (2019) and Homeland (2011). He was previously married to JoNell Kennedy.

45. Derek Luke

Actor | Antwone Fisher

Derek Luke was born on April 24, 1974 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Antwone Fisher (2002), Glory Road (2006) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). He has been married to Sophia Adella Luke since April 4, 1999. They have one child.

46. Kevin Michael Richardson

Actor | Mortal Kombat

Well-known, king-sized actor and voice artist Kevin Michael Richardson was born in Bronx, New York. He is, perhaps, mostly recognizable for his deep voice, which he uses in many of his works.

Richardson is a classically trained actor. He first gained recognition as one of only eight U.S. high school...

47. Questlove

Producer | Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Questlove was born on January 20, 1971 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021), Top Five (2014) and Detroit (2017).

48. Ye

Soundtrack | The Great Gatsby

Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer. His musical career has been marked by dramatic changes in styles, incorporating an eclectic range of influences including soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, ...

49. Noel Clarke

Actor | Brotherhood

Noel Clarke was born in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Brotherhood (2016), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Mute (2018). He is married to Iris Da-Silva. They have two children.

50. Phill Lewis

Actor | Heathers

Phill Lewis was born on February 14, 1968 in Uganda. He is an actor and director, known for Heathers (1988), City Slickers (1991) and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005). He is married to Meagn Benton. They have two children.

51. Allen Payne

Actor | New Jack City

Allen Payne was born on July 7, 1968 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for New Jack City (1991), The Perfect Storm (2000) and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995).

52. Eddie Griffin

Actor | Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Eddie Griffin was born on July 15, 1968 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), John Q (2002) and Norbit (2007).

53. Mathew St. Patrick

Actor | Six Feet Under

Mathew St. Patrick was born on March 17, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Six Feet Under (2001), War (2007) and All My Children (1970).

54. David Alan Grier

Actor | Joe Pickett

David Alan Grier was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Aretas Ruth (Dudley), a schoolteacher, and William Henry Grier, a psychiatrist and writer. He trained in Shakespeare at Yale University, where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

Grier began his professional career on Broadway as ...

55. Clifton Powell

Actor | Ray

Clifton Powell a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He is an actor and producer, known for the films Ray, Selma Lord Selma, Dead Presidents, and Menace 2 Society, and the TV series The Family Business, Sacrifice, and Saints & Sinners. Clifton has two children, Maya and Clifton Jr...

56. Kristoff St. John

Actor | The Young and the Restless

Kristoff made his television debut at age 8 in the sit-com series "That's My Mama." Now, 39 years later, he is one of the stars on CBS's "Young and The Restless," the number one rated drama for the past 25 years on daytime television, playing the popular character of Neil Winters. Is it just a ...

57. Jeffrey Wright

Actor | The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun

Born and raised in Washington DC, Jeffrey Wright graduated from Amherst College in 1987. Although he studied Political Science while at Amherst, Wright left the school with a love for acting. Shortly after graduating he won an acting scholarship to NYU, but dropped out after only two months to ...

58. Todd Bridges

Actor | Diff'rent Strokes

Actor Todd Bridges has seen and done it all. Todd has lived and worked amongst some of the most famous and influential individuals in the world. For over twenty-five years, he has victoriously survived a rapidly changing business. He experienced his second rise to fame, as "Juice" on The Young and ...

59. Jeffrey D. Sams

Actor | Big Shot

Jeffrey D. Sams was born on September 1, 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Big Shot (2021), Station 19 (2018) and #Realityhigh (2017). He has been married to Lisa Marie Bourcier since April 18, 1998. They have two children.

60. Seth Gilliam

Actor | The Walking Dead

Seth Gilliam was born on November 5, 1968 in New York, USA. He is an actor, known for The Walking Dead (2010), The Wire (2002) and Courage Under Fire (1996). He has been married to Leah C. Gardiner since August 24, 2005. They have one child.