Jeffrey Wright

Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor.

He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award.

Wright was born on December 7, 1965, in Washington, D.C., the son of Barbara Evon Whiting-Wright, a customs lawyer, and James Charles Wright Jr., who died when Jeffrey was a child.

He graduated from St. Albans School and attended Amherst College, receiving a bachelor's degree in political science, planning to attend law school, but chose instead to study acting.

After attending the MFA acting program at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts for two months in 1988, he left to appear in Les Blancs at Arena Stage before transferring with it to the Huntington Theatre Company and deciding to be an actor full-time.

Wright began appearing off-Broadway in New York City and Washington, D.C. In 1990, he appeared in his first major film as an attorney in Alan J. Pakula's legal drama Presumed Innocent.

He guest-starred in George Lucas's The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as a fictionalized Sidney Bechet and Homicide: Life on the Street in the early to late 1990s.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, he appeared in leading and supporting roles in such films as Woody Allen's satirical comedy Celebrity (1998), and Ang Lee's western Ride with the Devil (1999).

In 1991, he joined John Houseman's national touring repertory company The Acting Company in productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Athol Fugard's Blood Knot.

He also had small roles in the films Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1992), Faithful (1996), and Critical Care (1997).

Wright began his career in theater where he gained prominence for his role in the Broadway production of Tony Kushner's Angels in America (1993), for which he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

In 1993 and 1994, he appeared as Norman "Belize" Arriaga in Tony Kushner's award-winning play Angels in America.

His portrayal of a gay nurse forced to take care of Roy Cohn as he dies of AIDS won him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

His first starring film role was as Jean-Michel Basquiat in Basquiat (1996).

In 1996, Wright starred in his first leading film role, portraying painter Jean-Michel Basquiat in the film Basquiat, to critical acclaim.

Critic Roger Ebert praised Wright as "[giving] a performance of almost mystical opacity".

For his performance, he earned a Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance nomination.

His other notable films include Shaft (2000), Syriana (2005), Lady in the Water (2006), Cadillac Records (2008), The Ides of March (2011), and Rustin (2023).

He also acted in the Wes Anderson films The French Dispatch (2021), and Asteroid City (2023), and has played Felix Leiter in the James Bond films Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), and No Time to Die (2021), Beetee Latier in The Hunger Games films, and Jim Gordon in The Batman (2022).

He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in American Fiction (2023).

In 2000, he starred in three films, Shaft, Hamlet, and Crime and Punishment in Suburbia.

He also starred in Clark Johnson's HBO television film Boycott (2001) as Martin Luther King Jr., for which he received an AFI Award.

He starred opposite Carmen Ejogo and Terrence Howard.

The following year, he portrayed Howard Bingham in Michael Mann's biographical sports drama Ali (2001).

The film also starred Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and Jon Voight.

The following year, he returned to Broadway playing Lincoln in the Suzan-Lori Parks play Topdog/Underdog (2002).

He starred opposite Mos Def who played Booth.

Wright for his performance earned a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play nomination.

He reprised his role in the acclaimed 2003 HBO miniseries adaptation, earning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

In 2003, he reprised his role as Norman "Belize" Arriaga in HBO's award-winning adaptation of Angels in America, garnering him an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

In 2004, he appeared in Jonathan Demme's remake of The Manchurian Candidate, starring Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington.

In February 2005, Wright returned to HBO Films in Lackawanna Blues.

In 2005, he played Washington attorney Bennett Holiday in Syriana and Bill Murray's eccentric Ethiopian neighbor Winston in Broken Flowers, the latter of which earned Wright a Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male nomination.

That same year, he also starred in the play This Is How It Goes and appeared as one of the tenants in M. Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller Lady in the Water (2006).

In 2006, he appeared as Felix Leiter in the James Bond film Casino Royale.

He reprised the role in Quantum of Solace and No Time to Die.

In 2007, Wright starred in the alien invasion suspense thriller The Invasion.

In 2008, he portrayed Colin Powell in Oliver Stone's biographical drama film W. He portrayed Muddy Waters in Cadillac Records, a biopic, loosely based on the rise and fall of Chess Records.

Wright earned acclaim for his role as Valentin Narcisse in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (2013–2014) and robot programmer Bernard Lowe in the HBO series Westworld (2016–2022), the latter of which earned him three Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

He also lent his voice as Isaac Dixon in the video game The Last of Us Part II (2020) and the Watcher in the Marvel Studios animated series What If...? (2021–present).