Overview (2)

Mini Bio (1)

Born and raised in Washington DC, Jeffrey Wright graduated from Amherst College in 1987. Although he studied Political Science while at Amherst, Wright left the school with a love for acting. Shortly after graduating he won an acting scholarship to NYU, but dropped out after only two months to pursue acting full-time. With roles in Aus Mangel an Beweisen (1990), and the Broadway production of Angels in America, (in which he won a Tony award), within a relatively short time Wright was able to show off his exceptional talent and ability on both stage and screen alike. His first major on-screen performance came in 1996 in the Julian Schnabel directed film Basquiat (1996). Wright's harrowing performance as the late painter Jean Michele Basquiat was critically acclaimed. Wright later had a continuing role in the HBO dramatic series Boardwalk Empire (2010).

- IMDb Mini Biography By: hconrad

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (2)

Deep, smooth voice



Often plays intelligent characters



Trivia (21)

Studied Political Science at Amherst College in Massachusetts.



Graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1987.





Won Broadway's 1994 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for Tony Kushner 's "Angels In America: Perestroika," a role he recreated in the television mini-series version, Engel in Amerika (2003). In 2002, he was nominated for Tony's Best Actor (Play) Award for "Topdog/Underdog."

Attended New York University on a theatre scholarship, but dropped out after only two months to act full time.



He received an honorary degree from Amherst College in 2004.





Although he alters aspects of his physical appearance for each role, his voice is often unrecognizable from one role to the next. The voices of Belize, with his intelligent, acerbic wit in Engel in Amerika (2003), to Peoples Hernandez whose vicious macho confidence is conveyed through his Latino accent in Shaft - Noch Fragen? (2000) to Al Melvin Der Manchurian Kandidat (2004), whose deep grumblings heartbreakingly represent the state of a destroyed man.

His cousin, Brian Wright, was the boy who portrayed young 'Basquiat' at the beginning of that film. The production team needed a child to portray Basquiat who also looked like Jeffrey Wright. Because of this, Jeffrey asked his cousin to do the job.



Graduated from prestigious St. Albans School for Boys in Washington, DC.





Is friends with Adrian Pasdar

Has one son, Elijah.





The only original cast member from the play Angels In America to appear in the film version Engel in Amerika (2003).

Father died when he was a year old and was raised by his mother, who was a lawyer before working at the U.S. Customs Department, and his aunt, a one-time nurse.



He was awarded the 1994 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for "Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika," on Broadway in New York City.



He was awarded the 1994 New York Drama Desk Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play for "Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika," on Broadway in New York City.



Has one daughter Juno.





Nominated for the 2018 Emmy Award in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for his role as Bernard Lowe in Westworld (2016), but lost to Matthew Rhys from The Americans (2013).

He has played the role of James Bond's ally Felix Leiter in three films, more than any other actor.



Personal Quotes (3)

I do have characters who are more well known than I am, which suits me fine.





About Cement (2000) - "That was a film that Adrian Pasdar directed. He's been a good friend of mine. It's kind of a cops and criminals film, but it's hard to decipher who's who. We shot it guerrilla-style, mostly out in Long Beach, California. My character's struggling to maintain his balance in an imbalanced, criminal underground."