Steve Harris (actor)
Steve Harris (born December 3, 1965) is an American actor. He has played Eugene Young on the legal drama The Practice,[1] Detective Isaiah "Bird" Freeman on the NBC drama Awake, and Charles McCarter in Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman.
Steve Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 3, 1965 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Relatives | Wood Harris (brother) |
Early life
Harris was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of John Harris, a bus driver and Mattie Harris, a housewife. He is the older brother of actor Wood Harris.[2] He attended St. Joseph High School in Westchester, IL, a private school with a reputation for developing star athletes. Harris was a running back, and later played linebacker for Northern Illinois University, where he studied drama.[3] His athletic career was cut short due to a torn ligament in his ankle. After graduating from Northern Illinois University in 1989, Harris obtained a master's degree in acting at the University of Delaware.[1][2]
Career
Harris appeared on Law & Order and earlier had a role in Homicide: Life on the Street's pilot.[1][2] In 2006, he appeared in the now-cancelled TV series Heist.[4][5] He also appeared in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. He appeared in several episodes of New York Undercover.[1] He has appeared in a number of films including; Quarantine, Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Bringing Down the House, The Rock,[1] The Mod Squad,[2] Takers, and Minority Report.
Harris starred in actress Regina King's directorial debut Let The Church Say Amen which was adapted from ReShonda Tate Billingsley's 2005 best selling novel. The film premiered on Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 2013. He appeared in the TNT show Legends, which aired on TNT from August 13, 2014 to December 28, 2015, playing Nelson Gates, the boss of troubled FBI agent Martin Odum (Sean Bean).
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Don't Mess With My Sister | Radio Announcer | |
| 1988 | Seven Hours to Judgment | Reardon's Van Driver | |
| 1993 | Sugar Hill | Ricky Goggles | |
| 1996 | The Rock | Private McCoy | |
| 1997 | Lesser Prophets | Brick Thrower | |
| 1998 | Lovers and Liars | FBI Agent | |
| 1999 | The Mod Squad | Briggs | |
| 2000 | The Skulls | Detective Sparrow | |
| 2001 | Beyond the City Limits | Troy | |
| 2002 | Minority Report | Jad | |
| 2003 | Bringing Down the House | Widow | |
| 2004 | Death and Texas | Bobby 'Barefoot Bobby' Briggs | |
| 2005 | Diary of a Mad Black Woman | Charles McCarter | |
| The Unseen | Roy | ||
| 2006 | Silas Hunt: A Documentary | Narrator | |
| 2008 | Ball Don't Lie | Rob | |
| Quarantine | Scott Percival | ||
| 2009 | 12 Rounds | George Aiken | |
| 2010 | Takers | Lieutenant Carver | |
| 2014 | The Gable 5 | Lt. Wade | Short |
| In Your Eyes | Giddons | ||
| 2015 | Chi-Raq | Ole Duke | |
| 2017 | Burning Sands | Dean Richardson | |
| 2018 | The First Purge | Freddy |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Bernard | Episode: "Gone for Goode" |
| The Good Policeman | Big Blue | Television film | |
| 1994 | Against the Wall | Cecil | Television film |
| Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III | Magic Magee | Miniseries | |
| New York Undercover | Bulldog | Episode: "The Friendly Neighborhood Dealer" | |
| 1994–95 | Law & Order | Joey 'Dogs' Lang / Calvin Tiller | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Murder One | Daryl Jackson | Episode: "Chapter Two" |
| New York Undercover | Terry Ellers | 2 episodes | |
| Dark Eyes | Jay Staples | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1997 | Chicago Hope | A.S.A. Charles Lamb | Episode: "Lamb to the Slaughter" |
| George Wallace | Neal | Television film | |
| 1997–2004 | The Practice | Eugene Young | Main cast |
| 1998 | Nightmare Street | Detective Miller | Television film |
| Ally McBeal | Eugene Young | Episode: "The Inmates" | |
| 2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Makai | Voice, episode: "Critics Masai" |
| King of the World | Sonny Liston | Television film | |
| 2004–06 | The Batman | Ethan Bennett / Clayface | Voice, recurring role |
| 2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Sports Coach Hero | Voice, episode: "Havin' a Ball" |
| 2006 | Heist | James Johnson | Main cast |
| Grey's Anatomy | Omar Troussant | Episode: "Time Has Come Today" | |
| 2007 | Protect and Serve | Dennis Harvey | Television film |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Jayson Turk | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| Good Behavior | Will Stone | Television film | |
| 2009–10 | Friday Night Lights | Virgil Merriweather | Recurring cast (season 4) |
| 2011 | Harry's Law | Jeffrey Rollins | Episode: "Innocent Man" |
| Eden | Max Hunt | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2012 | Awake | Detective Isaiah 'Bird' Freeman | Main cast |
| 2013 | Let the Church Say Amen | Simon Jackson | Television film |
| 2014 | Justified | Roscoe | Recurring cast (season 5) |
| Legends | Nelson Gates | Main cast (season 1) | |
| 2015 | NCIS | Gerald Tanner | Episode: "Cadence" |
| 2017 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Captain Jackson #2 | Episode: "Jane D'oh!" |
| Type A | Carson | Television film | |
| 2018 | Santa Clarita Diet | Bill Ramirez | Episode: "Halibut!" |
| The Crossing | Beaumont | Recurring cast | |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | Neil Harrison | Episode: "Replay" |
| Tales | McBride | Episode: "Slippery" | |
| 2020 | Chicago P.D. | Brian Rochester | Episode: "Before The Fall" |
| Filthy Rich | Franklin Lee | Main cast | |
| 2021 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Ellsworth Lee | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| BMF | Detective Bryant | Main cast | |
| 2022 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Dr. Thomas Day | Recurring cast |
Awards
Harris was nominated six times for an NAACP Image Award for his work on The Practice and won in 2004.
References
- Givhan, Robin (September 26, 1999). "HARRIS CHALLENGES STEREOTYPES ON THE PRACTICE". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- "Putting Honor Into 'Practice'". Washington Post. September 5, 1999. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- "Emmy-nominated NIU alum Matt Walsh part of a line of accomplished actors". Daily Chronicle. September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- Stanley, Alessandra (March 22, 2006). "Dougray Scott and Orlando Jones Are Stars in 2 New Crime Series". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- Wilkes, Neil (April 11, 2006). "NBC pulls plug on 'Heist'". Archived from the original on April 12, 2006.