Chicago Hope

Background:

Trained at Juilliard and London's Richmond College, Vondie Curtis-Hall began his career on stage, becoming a member of the original Broadway cast of the 1981 musical "Dreamgirls" (as Marty). He also performed in such musicals and plays as Broadway's "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music" (1981) and the off-Broadway play "Williams and Walker."

He subsequently landed roles in both television and film, including "Coming to America" (1988), "Die Hard 2" (1990), "Passion Fish" (1992), "Sugar Hill" (1994), "Crooklyn" (1994), "Broken Arrow" (1996), "Romeo + Juliet" (1996), "Eve's Bayou" (1997), "Don King: Only in America" (1997; TV), "Talk to Me (2007), and "Honeydripper" (2007). He will next be seen alongside Kerry Washington, Shannyn Sossamon, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Brandon Routh in Buddy Giovinazzo's upcoming drama film based on Giovinazzo's novel, "Life is Hot in Cracktown."

Vondie joined the cast of the CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope," playing Dr. Dennis Hancock from 1995 to 1999, which earned him two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He also played a recurring role on the critically-acclaimed NBC series “I'll Fly Away” (as Joe Clay; 1992-1993), the hit NBC series "ER" (as Roger McGrath, the new husband of Lisa Nicole Carson's character Carla; 2001), and in the final season of the popular Showtime drama series "Soul Food" (as Charles Miller; 2004). He also garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of a suicidal transsexual on “ER” in 1994.

In 1997, Curtis-Hall stepped behind the camera, writing and directing the dark comedy "Gridlock'd" (1997), starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, and Thandie Newton. After receiving a Razzie nomination for Worst Director for Mariah Carey's starring debut film, “Glitter” (2001), Curtis-Hall won a Black Reel Award for Best Director, Network/Cable Television, for directing Jamie Foxx and Lynn Whitfield in the critically-acclaimed HBO TV movie "Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story" (2004). He also earned a Black Movie Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Directing for helming the action feature "Waist Deep" (2006; starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good).

On a more personal note, the longtime actor turned director is now married to film director and actress Kasi Lemmons (born on February 24, 1961).

Detroit Native

Childhood and Family:

In Detroit, Michigan, Vondie Curtis-Hall was born on September 30, 1956, to Angeline, a nurse, and Curtis, who owned a construction company. Curtis-Hall, who became a heroin addict while in high school but eventually kicked the addiction before graduation, studied music at the Juilliard School in New York. He also studied theater at Richmond College, in London, England.

Curtis-Hall married actress/writer/director Kasi Lemmons (born on February 24, 1961) in 1995. The couple has two children, son Henry Hunter Hall (actor; born in 1996) and daughter Zora Hall (born in 1999).

Curtis-Hall also has one adult son from a previous relationship, Che Hall, who was born in 1979.

Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story

Career:

After honing in on his craft at the Juilliard School and London's Richmond College, Vondie Curtis-Hall, who was a member of the original Broadway cast of the 1981 musical "Dreamgirls,” made his Broadway debut at age 25 in "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music" (1981). Five years later, in 1986, he starred as George Walker in the off-Broadway play "Williams and Walker" at the American Place Theatre, in New York, New York, for which he won the 1987 Audelco Award for Best Actor.

The talented actor then served as assistant editor, photography assistant, assistant editor and narrator on the documentary "Fall From Grace" (1987). In the following year, he landed his film debut in writer/director James Glickenhaus' action movie starring Peter Weller and Sam Elliott, "Shakedown," and as a basketball game vendor in John Landis' comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, "Coming to America" (both in 1988). He also made his early TV debut in the ABC prime time television series "A Man Called Hawk" in 1989.

Entering the new decade, Curtis-Hall co-starred with Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood, and James Earl Jones in the TNT Primetime Emmy-winning movie "Heat Wave" and landed his first TV series regular role in a short-lived Steven Bochco television series on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), "Cop Rock," which was an attempt to combine musical theater with police drama.

Curtis-Hall subsequently played the recurring role of Joe Clay (1992-1993) on the NBC critically acclaimed television series set during the late 1950s and early 1960s, "I'll Fly Away." In 1994, he played a suicidal transsexual on the hit NBC medical drama series "ER," which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

The mid 1990s saw Curtis-Hall join the cast of the CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope," playing Dr. Dennis Hancock from 1995 to 1999. For his work in the show, Curtis-Hall received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 1997 and 1998.

Curtis-Hall next supported Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson in his wife's (Kasi Lemmons) drama film set in 1962 Louisiana, "Eve's Bayou" (1997), and was nominated for an Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. He also portrayed New Orleans-style rock and roll musician Lloyd Price in the biographical TV movie about the famous fight promoter and boxing manager, "Don King: Only in America" (with Ving Rhames in the title role), which won a Golden Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. That same year, Curtis-Hall also made his feature film debut as director and screenwriter with the dark comedy "Gridlock'd" (1997), which was based on his actual life experience as a junkie during the 1970s.

After leaving "Chicago Hope," Curtis-Hall played the recurring role of Roger McGrath (2001) on the hit NBC series "ER." That same year, he also directed "Glitter," a feature that marked singer Mariah Carey's first leading role in film. Unfortunately, the film was largely panned by critics and audiences alike. It earned Curtis-Hall a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Director.

Curtis-Hall subsequently helmed the short-lived ABC medical drama series "Mds" (2002), starring William Fichtner, and directed Jamie Foxx and Lynn Whitfield in the critically-acclaimed HBO TV movie "Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story" (2004). Curtis-Hall' won a Black Reel Award for Best Director, Network/Cable Television.

Curtis-Hall next had a recurring role in the final season of the popular Showtime drama series "Soul Food," which was based upon George Tillman, Jr.'s successful 1997 film of the same name. The next year, he directed and wrote the screenplay of the action feature "Waist Deep" (2006; starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good), which earned him a Black Movie Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Directing.

2007 saw Curtis-Hall co-star with Danny Glover in writer/director John Sayles' musical drama film "Honeydripper," and cast with Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor in the fact-based movie "Talk To Me," about Washington D.C. radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene. The film that was directed by Curtis-Hall's wife Kasi Lemmons received favorable reviews from critics and won Curtis-Hall a Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast.

Recently, in 2008, he starred as an ex-con in Peter D. Gelles' 30-minute short crime film "Crenshaw Nights" and directed the episode "Glow in the Dark" of the ABC legal series "Boston Legal." Vondie will soon be seen alongside Kerry Washington, Shannyn Sossamon, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Brandon Routh in writer/director Buddy Giovinazzo's upcoming drama film based on Giovinazzo's novel, "Life is Hot in Cracktown."

Awards:

• Gotham: Best Ensemble Cast, "Talk to Me," 2007

• Black Reel: Best Director, Network/Cable Television, "Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story," 2005

• Golden Satellite: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, "Don King: Only in America," 1998

• Audelco: Best Actor, "Williams and Walker," 1987