Quite possibly the most underrated and underexposed actor of his caliber and generation, Jeffrey Wright's undeniable talent and ability to successfully bring to life any role he undertakes is on a par with the most praised and revered A-list actors in the business. Born and raised in Washington DC, Wright graduated from the prestigious Amherst College in 1987. Although he studied Political Science while at Amherst, Wright left the school with something that would prove to be more valuable: a love for acting. Shortly after graduating he won an acting scholarship to NYU, but dropped out after only two months to pursue acting full time. With roles in 1990's Presumed Innocent, and the Broadway production of Angels in America, , within a relatively short time Wright was able to show off his exceptional talent and ability on both stage and screen alike. His first major on-screen performance came in 1996 in the Julian Schnabel directed film Basquiat. Wright's harrowing performance as the late painter Jean Michele Basquiat was critically acclaimed for its haunting accuracy and raw emotion. With a Tony, a Golden Globe, and an AFI award under his belt, the intensity of Wright's skill has been proven over and over again. Hopefully the near future will bring an influx of more varied lead roles for black actors so that Wright can continue to astonish his colleagues, critics and fans alike with the intensity of his skill.
Studied Political Science at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
Graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1987.
Won Broadways 1994 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for Tony Kushner s "Angels In America: Perestroika," a role he recreated in the television mini-series version, "Angels in America" . In 2002, he was nominated for Tonys Best Actor (Play) Award for "Topdog/Underdog."
Attended New York University on a theatre scholarship, but dropped out after only two months to act full time.
He received an honorary degree from Amherst College in 2004.
Although he alters aspects of his physical appearance for each role, his voice is often unrecognizable from one role to the next. The voices of Belize, with his intelligent, acerbic wit in "Angels in America" , to Peoples Hernandez whose vicious macho confidence is conveyed through his Latino accent in Shaft to Al Melvin The Manchurian Candidate , whose deep grumblings heartbreakingly represent the state of a destroyed man.
His cousin, Brian Wright, was the boy who portrayed young Basquiat at the beginning of that film. The production team needed a child to portray Basquiat who also looked like Jeffrey Wright. Because of this, Jeffrey asked his cousin to do the job.
Graduated from prestigious St. Albans School for Boys in Washington, DC.
Is friends with Adrian Pasdar.
Has one son, Elijah.
The only original cast member from the play Angels In America to appear in the film version "Angels in America" .
Father died when he was a year old and was raised by his mother, who was a lawyer before working at the U.S. Customs Department, and his aunt, a one-time nurse.
In 2006, he became the first African American to play Felix Leiter in an official James Bond film ( Casino Royale . Bernie Casey played Leiter in the unofficial Never Say Never Again .
He played CIA Agent Felix Leiter in both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace . This made him only the second actor in the history of the Bond franchise to play the role more than once. David Hedison had previously played the role in both Live and Let Die and Licence to Kill . Unlike Hedison, Wright played Leiter in two consecutive films. Hedisons two appearances were separated by 16 years, 8 films and one other actor (John Terry ).
He appeared in three films with Daniel Craig in as many years: Casino Royale , The Invasion (2007/I) and Quantum of Solace .
He has two roles in common with David Oyelowo : (1) Wright played Martin Luther King in Boycott while Oyelowo played him in Selma - in both productions, Carmen Ejogo played Kings wife Coretta Scott King and Oyelowo played Muddy Waters in Who Do You Love while Wright played him in Cadillac Records .
He was awarded the 1994 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for "Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika," on Broadway in New York City.
He was awarded the 1994 New York Drama Desk Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play for "Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika," on Broadway in New York City.
I do have characters who are more well known than I am, which suits me,fine.
