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Eriq La Salle

 
Actor: Eriq La Salle
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Jul 23, 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut
  • Occupation: Actor, Director, Writer
  • Active: '80s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Thriller
  • Career Highlights: The Salton Sea, Crazy as Hell, Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault
  • First Major Screen Credit: Rappin' (1985)

Biography

Forceful yet smooth actor Eriq La Salle worked on the stage and on television before breaking into films, directing, and producing his own projects. He is perhaps best known for his role of the confident Dr. Peter Benton on the NBC series ER, which has earned him several Emmy nominations. He grew up in New England and got a prestigious education at Juilliard and N.Y.U. Living in New York, he made a living doing Broadway, off-Broadway, and soap operas. He worked intermittently between film and television for a few years, with one of his first movies being the breakdancing drama Rappin' with Mario Van Peebles. During this time, he made numerous TV guest appearances, briefly joined the cast of the NBC soap Another World, and played the role of Jeri-curled Darryl in Coming to America. A couple TV movies later, he strayed away from comedy and got a small part in the drama Jacob's Ladder. In 1991 he moved to L.A. for a part in the series The Human Factor, giving him an introduction to the prolific world of medical dramas. He also played two detectives in a row for the thrillers Empty Cradle and Color of Night, and appeared in the crime series Under Suspicion. In 1994, he joined the cast of ER and got his first starring role in the drama Drop Squad, produced by Spike Lee. In 1996, he made his directorial debut with the HBO movie Rebound, about the life of basketball player Earl "The Goat" Manigault, which he also appeared in. The same year he directed the short film Psalms From the Underground. He moved on to producing for the made-for-TV thriller Mind Prey, which he also starred in. Along with some small roles in Biker Boyz and One Hour Photo, 2002 saw La Salle make his first feature as director, producer, and star with the psychological thriller Crazy as Hell. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
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Eriq La Salle

La Salle at the 1995 Emmy Awards
Born Erik Ki La Salle
July 23, 1962 (1962-07-23) (age 47)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation Actor/Director
Years active 1985–present

Eriq Ki La Salle (born July 23, 1962) is an American actor and director, known for his portrayals of Darryl in the 1988 comedy film Coming to America and Dr. Peter Benton on the NBC drama series ER.

Contents

Biography

Early life

La Salle, one of four children, was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut by his mother, Ada Haynes [1] La Salle studied at Juilliard for two years, then moved on to New York University's theater program in 1984, but did not complete either degree. After leaving school, he was cast in the first of several productions for Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park theater company. Soon after, he found continuous acting work on Broadway, off-Broadway and in the daytime TV drama One Life to Live as reporter Mike Rivers.

Career

In 1994 the medical drama ER premiered on NBC with La Salle starring as Dr. Peter Benton. He held the role until leaving during the eighth season. In 2009, La Salle returned to ER for two episodes (including the series finale) during its 15th and final season. He also returned to direct one episode.[2]

In 1996, La Salle directed and acted in the HBO made-for-TV movie Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault, starring Don Cheadle. After ER, La Salle has had relatively small roles in movies such as One Hour Photo and has also directed for Soul Food: The Series on Showtime. La Salle played a Jamaican gangster in the independent film Johnny Was [3] opposite Vinnie Jones, Samantha Mumba, Lennox Lewis, and Roger Daltrey. La Salle lived in Belfast for four weeks filming the movie, which he supported recently at the North American premiere of the film, at the American Black Film Festival in Miami.

La Salle directed & starred in the movie Crazy As Hell. He has recently directed an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

After a fairly extensive absence from acting, La Salle starred in the Hallmark Channel original movie, Relative Stranger, which premiered on March 14, 2009. Also in the movie were La Salle's former ER castmates Michael Michele (Dr. Cleo Finch) and Michael Beach (Al Boulet).

References

  1. ^ Eriq La Salle Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  2. ^ Eriq La Salle Back in the ER — to Direct" TV Guide. November 5, 2008. Retrieved on November 5, 2008.
  3. ^ MySpace.com - Johnny Was - 37 - Garçon - LOS ANGELES, California - www.myspace.com/johnnywasmovie

External links

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