Vondie Curtis-Hall
Encyclopedia
Vondie Curtis-Hall is an American
actor
and film director
.
As an actor, he is best known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS
medical drama
Chicago Hope
created by David E. Kelley
.
, the son of Angeline, a nurse, and Curtis, who owned a construction company. Initially a stage actor, Curtis-Hall was a member of the original cast of the Broadway
musical Dreamgirls. He originated the role of Marty, James "Thunder" Early's original manager.
The designer, Kevan Hall is the brother of Vondie. They also have a sister, Sherrie. All of them attended Our Lady of Victory grade school in Detroit where they were taught by the Oblate Sisters, the only all African American order of nuns in the United States.
, Sugar Hill
, Crooklyn
, Drop Squad
, Eve's Bayou
, and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. His credits as a director include the films Gridlock'd
, Glitter
, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story
, Waist Deep
, as well as episodes of television shows The Shield
, Firefly
, Chicago Hope
, MDs, and The Sopranos
. In 2000, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Danny Glover
(who portrayed Marty in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls
) both appeared in the TNT
made-for-television movie Freedom Song.
He has had recurring roles on TV series such as Soul Food, I'll Fly Away
, and ER
. His recurring role as Roger McGrath on ER earned him an Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
His most prominent role as an actor to date is as a supporting character on the main cast of the medical drama Chicago Hope named Dennis Hancock.
He is married to actress/director Kasi Lemmons
and they have a son, Henry Hunter, and a daughter, Zora.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
As an actor, he is best known for his role as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
created by David E. Kelley
David E. Kelley
David Edward Kelley is an American television writer and producer, known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Harry's Law, as well as several films. Kelley is one of the only screenwriters to have had a show created by him run on...
.
Early life
Curtis-Hall was born in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, the son of Angeline, a nurse, and Curtis, who owned a construction company. Initially a stage actor, Curtis-Hall was a member of the original cast of the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical Dreamgirls. He originated the role of Marty, James "Thunder" Early's original manager.
The designer, Kevan Hall is the brother of Vondie. They also have a sister, Sherrie. All of them attended Our Lady of Victory grade school in Detroit where they were taught by the Oblate Sisters, the only all African American order of nuns in the United States.
Career
Curtis-Hall has appeared in numerous films including One Good CopOne Good Cop
One Good Cop is a 1991 American crime film written and directed by Heywood Gould and starring Michael Keaton, Rene Russo, Anthony LaPaglia and Benjamin Bratt.-Plot:...
, Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill (1994 film)
Sugar Hill is a 1994 American crime film starring Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright as brothers Roemello and Raynathan Skuggs. The film focuses on the two brothers, who are major drug dealers in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.-Plot:...
, Crooklyn
Crooklyn
Crooklyn is a 1994 semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York and the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. Its primary focus is a young girl, Troy , and her family...
, Drop Squad
Drop Squad
Drop Squad is an American film released in 1994. The film depicts a team of African Americans who kidnap fellow black people who have betrayed their community and seek to "deprogram" them so that they will change their ways. In the film, the squad's acronym DROP stands for "Deprogramming and...
, Eve's Bayou
Eve's Bayou
Eve's Bayou is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who made her directorial debut with this feature. Samuel L...
, and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. His credits as a director include the films Gridlock'd
Gridlock'd
Gridlock'd is a 1995 crime dramedy starring Tupac Shakur, Tim Roth, and Thandie Newton. It was the directorial debut of Vondie Curtis-Hall, who also wrote the story and screenplay. The film's opening was relatively low, despite critical acclaim; its opening weekend netted only $2,678,372 and it...
, Glitter
Glitter (film)
Glitter is a 2001 film starring R&B singer, songwriter Mariah Carey. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall. It centers on the life and times of a struggling singer from the early club music scene in the 1980s.-Production:Carey has said about...
, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story
Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story
Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story is a TV-movie starring Jamie Foxx and Lynn Whitfield. The film was directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall...
, Waist Deep
Waist Deep
Waist Deep is a 2006 drama-action film directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good. It is loosely based on the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, including some similar subplots including the two main characters on the road, trying to avoid police, and committing bank...
, as well as episodes of television shows The Shield
The Shield
The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
, Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
, Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
, MDs, and The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. In 2000, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
(who portrayed Marty in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls (film)
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
) both appeared in the TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
made-for-television movie Freedom Song.
He has had recurring roles on TV series such as Soul Food, I'll Fly Away
I'll Fly Away (TV series)
I'll Fly Away is a television series set during the late 1950s and early 1960s, in an unspecified Southern U.S. state. It aired on NBC from 1991 to 1993 and starred Regina Taylor as Lilly Harper, a black housekeeper for district attorney Forrest Bedford and his family...
, and ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. His recurring role as Roger McGrath on ER earned him an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
His most prominent role as an actor to date is as a supporting character on the main cast of the medical drama Chicago Hope named Dennis Hancock.
He is married to actress/director Kasi Lemmons
Kasi Lemmons
Kasi Lemmons is an American film director and actress, most notable for her work on the films Eve's Bayou, The Caveman's Valentine and Talk to Me....
and they have a son, Henry Hunter, and a daughter, Zora.