Obba Babatundé

Obba Babatundé

Birthday: 1951-12-01

Place of birth: Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Also known as: Obba Babatundè, Obba Babatunde

imdb_id: nm0044762

Biography:

Obba Babatundé (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C. White in the original cast of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Babatundé was a protege of Sammy Davis, Jr., who said of him, "This is the only cat who can do everything I can do." Babatundé does dance, sing, play instruments, execute impersonations, including his portrayal of Davis, aided by their similarity in energy, size and talent, tap dancing and performing on multiple instruments. In fall 2009, Babatundé played Davis in the title role of "Sammy: Once in a Lifetime," a world premiere musical at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Early in 2000, Babatundé partnered with writer/producer Ruth Adkins Robinson for a series of TV projects including "TV in Black: The First 50 Years," "Oscar's Black Odyssey: From Hattie to Hallie" and "Dorthy Dandridge: An American Beauty". The pair have projects that will take them through 2011. His TV roles have often portrayed authority figures, such as a recurring guest-starring role as a high school principal on Dawson's Creek, an appearance as a judge in a two-part episode of Any Day Now, and as the father of the main characters on Half & Half. He also played Harvard college Dean Cain in the movie How High, as well as the role of Willie Long in the movie Life, and co-starred as an attorney in Philadelphia and as a senator in the 2004 reprise of The Manchurian Candidate. He also played the director in season 3 of Friends in an episode titled "The One with All the Jealousy". Other TV shows he has had recurring roles on include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Chicago Hope, Rocket Power, Static Shock, and Karen Sisco. He played a small but pivotal role as a doorman/bellhop in the film That Thing You Do! and also appeared in The Wild Thornberrys Movie as the voice of Boko. He played a famous producer known as Gordy Berry on two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In the 1998 miniseries, The Temptations, he played the founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy. Babatundé is adept at American sign language and had used this talent in many roles including on one NYPD Blue. His recorded work includes a performance with the New York pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs on the 2007 album Sack Full of Dreams. The actor/producer is also an avid horseman and is a highly regarded rider and trainer in the Rodeo Circuit, including the annual Bill Pickett Rodeol. ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Played in movies:

Trapped: Haitian Nights

Score: 8.7

King: Man of Peace in a Time of War

Score: 8.5

The Silence of the Lambs

Score: 8.3

Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History

Score: 8.0

The Notebook

Score: 7.9

Philadelphia

Score: 7.7

Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire

Score: 7.7

The Visit

Score: 7.6

Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty

Score: 7.5

John Q

Score: 7.1

Black Dynamite

Score: 7.1

Baryshnikov on Broadway

Score: 7.0

Joy Road

Score: 7.0

That Thing You Do!

Score: 6.9

All Star Superman

Score: 6.9

Life

Score: 6.7

Redeemer

Score: 6.6

Kinky

Score: 6.5

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge

Score: 6.5

The Manchurian Candidate

Score: 6.5

City of Lies

Score: 6.4

How High

Score: 6.3

Miss Evers' Boys

Score: 6.3

God Bless the Child

Score: 6.3

Pup Star: Better 2Gether

Score: 6.2

After the Sunset

Score: 6.2

Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups

Score: 6.1

Miami Blues

Score: 6.0

The Net

Score: 6.0

Undercover Blues

Score: 6.0

Married to the Mob

Score: 6.0

Necronomicon

Score: 6.0

'Til Death Do Us Part

Score: 5.9

Jingle Belle

Score: 5.9

The Eye

Score: 5.9

The Apartment Complex

Score: 5.8

The Last Fall

Score: 5.8

Multiplicity

Score: 5.8

Noble Intentions

Score: 5.7

Trigger

Score: 5.5

The Millennial

Score: 5.5

The Cherokee Kid

Score: 5.3

The Watcher

Score: 5.3

Material Girls

Score: 5.3

Born to Be Wild

Score: 5.3

Cover

Score: 5.2

Pup Star

Score: 5.2

Carpool

Score: 5.1

The Celestine Prophecy

Score: 5.1

Soul of the Game

Score: 4.9

The Tomorrow Man

Score: 4.6

Why Am I Doing This?

Score: 4.5

M.A.N.T.I.S.

Score: 4.5

Lap Dance

Score: 4.4

Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.!

Score: 4.1

TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

Score: 4.0

Death's Door

Score: 3.9

Fatal Pursuit

Score: 2.8

I Do... I Did!

Score: 2.8

Leonard Part 6

Score: 2.8

American Bad Boy

Score: 2.5

April Fools

Score: 2.0

The Trap Door

Score: 2.0

Dolls of Voodoo

Score: 1.5

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Score: 0.0

Mississippi Scholar

Score: 0.0

Run

Score: 0.0

An Evening with Liza Minnelli

Score: 0.0

Treemonisha

Score: 0.0

Revival!

Score: 0.0

If I Tell You I Have to Kill You

Score: 0.0

Children of the Dead (Concept Trailer)

Score: 0.0

The Importance of Being Earnest

Score: 0.0

People Not Places

Score: 0.0

One Special Moment

Score: 0.0

Start Without Me

Score: 0.0

Played in tv shows:

Friends

Score: 8.4

Chicago Med

Score: 8.3

Grey's Anatomy

Score: 8.2

Family Law

Score: 8.2

Max Steel

Score: 8.2

S.W.A.T.

Score: 8.1

Static Shock

Score: 8.1

Static Shock

Score: 8.1

The Temptations

Score: 8.0

Tales from the Crypt

Score: 8.0

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Score: 7.9

Psych

Score: 7.9

The Outer Limits

Score: 7.7

NCIS

Score: 7.6

Sliders

Score: 7.6

The Good Fight

Score: 7.6

Little Fires Everywhere

Score: 7.6

Goliath

Score: 7.6

Everwood

Score: 7.6

Private Practice

Score: 7.5

Dawson's Creek

Score: 7.3

For The People

Score: 7.3

Chicago Hope

Score: 7.2

Girlfriends

Score: 7.2

Touched by an Angel

Score: 7.2

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Score: 7.1

A Different World

Score: 7.0

Madam Secretary

Score: 7.0

Spy Game

Score: 7.0

Kingdom

Score: 6.9

Ballers

Score: 6.8

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

Score: 6.4

Forever

Score: 6.3

Enlisted

Score: 6.3

Dear White People

Score: 6.1

The Human Factor

Score: 6.0