Actor/director Eriq La Salle is best known to worldwide television audiences for his award-winning portrayal of the commanding Dr. Peter Benton on the critically acclaimed and history-making medical drama ER. Educated at Juilliard and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, his credits range from Broadway to film roles opposite Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America" and Robin Williams in "One Hour Photo." La Salle has maintained a prolific acting career while at the same time working steadily as a director, taking the helm for HBO and Showtime in addition to episodics such as Law & Order, CSI: New York and A Gifted Man, to name a few. This year he marks the beginning of the third element of his triple-threat career with the publication this summer of his first book in a trilogy, the page-turning thriller Laws of Depravity.
Skilled in martial arts.
Wrote, directed and produced two short films that won awards at the Worldfest Houston film competition and the USA Film Festival.
Auditioned for the role of Ben in Night of the Living Dead .
BFA in Drama - New York University, Tisch School of the Arts
He was nominated for a 1993 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play for "Two Trains Running" at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
Art should offend people because art should challenge people.
Normally, we see characters that have God complexes. How interesting, I,thought, it would be to capitalize on that. And say, OK, well fine, you,have a God complex, well this person has a Satan complex. And the,doctor chooses to treat him scientifically.
I think that you make the best choice with the information that you have,before you at that given time.
Just trying to get a film made which is always difficult no matter what,kind of a budget you have. Not having a budget makes it even more,difficult. Having nineteen days and no budget makes it extremely,difficult.
The films that have influenced me and the films that have motivated me,and inspired me were films that resonated, films that made me think,after I saw them.
