Obba Babatundé
Known for Acting · 119 credits
- Born
- 1951-12-01 (age 74)
- Place of birth
- Queens, New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Obba Babatundè · Obba Babatunde
Biography
Obba Babatundé (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C. White in the original cast of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls.
Babatundé was a protege of Sammy Davis, Jr., who said of him, "This is the only cat who can do everything I can do." Babatundé does dance, sing, play instruments, execute impersonations, including his portrayal of Davis, aided by their similarity in energy, size and talent, tap dancing and performing on multiple instruments. In fall 2009, Babatundé played Davis in the title role of "Sammy: Once in a Lifetime," a world premiere musical at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
Early in 2000, Babatundé partnered with writer/producer Ruth Adkins Robinson for a series of TV projects including "TV in Black: The First 50 Years," "Oscar's Black Odyssey: From Hattie to Hallie" and "Dorthy Dandridge: An American Beauty". The pair have projects that will take them through 2011.
His TV roles have often portrayed authority figures, such as a recurring guest-starring role as a high school principal on Dawson's Creek, an appearance as a judge in a two-part episode of Any Day Now, and as the father of the main characters on Half & Half. He also played Harvard college Dean Cain in the movie How High, as well as the role of Willie Long in the movie Life, and co-starred as an attorney in Philadelphia and as a senator in the 2004 reprise of The Manchurian Candidate. He also played the director in season 3 of Friends in an episode titled "The One with All the Jealousy". Other TV shows he has had recurring roles on include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Chicago Hope, Rocket Power, Static Shock, and Karen Sisco. He played a small but pivotal role as a doorman/bellhop in the film That Thing You Do! and also appeared in The Wild Thornberrys Movie as the voice of Boko. He played a famous producer known as Gordy Berry on two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In the 1998 miniseries, The Temptations, he played the founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy.
Babatundé is adept at American sign language and had used this talent in many roles including on one NYPD Blue.
Known For
TV Shows (39)
Grey's Anatomy
2005
as Dan Gates
NCIS
2003
as Joe Banks
S.W.A.T.
2017
as Daniel Harrelson, Sr.
Friends
1994
as Director
Chicago Med
2015
as Dr. James Coleman
Psych
2006
as David Gaffney
Private Practice
2007
as Dr. Larry Cannon
Dawson's Creek
1998
as Howard Green
Boston Legal
2004
as Dr. Victor Rivers
Chicago Hope
1994
as Charles Ellis
The Good Fight
2017
as Danny Quinn
Everwood
2002
as Jason
Madam Secretary
2014
as President Silvanus Fabre
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Carter Evans
Matlock
1986
as Backstage Man
The Outer Limits
1995
as Dr. Joseph Lennox
Sliders
1995
as Cezanne Brown
Goliath
2016
as Ivan Tillinger
Girlfriends
2000
as Attendant
Tales from the Crypt
1989
as Lieutenant Jamison
A Different World
1987
as Frank Benning
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990
as Gordy Berry
Ballers
2015
as J.D. Pritchard
Family Law
1999
as Philip Hamilton
Saving Grace
2007
as Doc
Static Shock
2000
as Watch Store Salesman (voice) / Singer (voice)
Kingdom
2014
as Detective Gaines
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
1993
as Mongoose
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
1992
as Jameson Walker
For the People
2018
as Philip Kaws
Dear White People
2017
as Dean Fairbanks
Max Steel
2000
as (voice)
Little Fires Everywhere
2020
as George Wright
Enlisted
2014
as General Murray
Forever
2018
as Gregory
Detroiters
2017
as Mr. Duvet
Spy Game
1997
as Lieutenant Wardell
The Human Factor
1992
The Temptations
1998
as Berry Gordy
Movies (80)
The Notebook
2004
as Band Leader
John Q
2002
as Sgt. Moody
Life
1999
as Willie Long
Philadelphia
1993
as Jerome Green
The Silence of the Lambs
1991
as TV Anchor Man
The Net
1995
as FBI Agent
How High
2001
as Dean Carl Cain
The Eye
2008
as Dr. Haskins
After the Sunset
2004
as Zacharias
That Thing You Do!
1996
as Lamarr
The Manchurian Candidate
2004
as Senator Wells
Multiplicity
1996
as Paul
Undercover Blues
1993
as Sawyer
The Wild Thornberrys Movie
2002
as Boko (voice)
City of Lies
2018
as Chief of Police
Married to the Mob
1988
as The Face of Justice
Necronomicon
1993
as Paul
Black Dynamite
2009
as Osiris
All Star Superman
2011
as Judge / Bibliobot (voice)
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
1999
as Harold Nicholas
The Celestine Prophecy
2006
as Miguel
Miss Evers' Boys
1997
as Willie Johnson
Carpool
1996
as Jeffery
Material Girls
2006
as Craig
Pup Star
2016
as Big Ears (voice)
Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups
2012
as Mayor Denny
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
2012
as Vampire Actor #4 (voice)
Miami Blues
1990
as Blink Willie
Soul of the Game
1996
as Cum Posey
Born to Be Wild
1995
as Interpreter
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years
2004
as Self
The Cherokee Kid
1996
as Isom Dart
Cover
2007
as Attorney Miller
I Do... I Did!
2009
as Mr. Johnson
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
2008
as Self
Pup Star: Better 2Gether
2017
as Big Ears (voice)
'Til Death Do Us Part
2017
as John Harris
King: Man of Peace in a Time of War
2007
as Narrator
Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.!
2004
as Chief Ankamuti (voice)
Kinky
2018
as Mr. Bernard
The Christmas Showdown
2025
as Jesse
Lap Dance
2014
as Roscoe
The Apartment Complex
1999
as Chett
Love the Skin You're In
2025
as Arnold
Run
2025
as President
M.A.N.T.I.S.
1994
as Cornell
The Watcher
2016
as Stark
Leonard Part 6
1987
as Bongo Drummer
If I Tell You I Have to Kill You
2015
as Jonathan Black
Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
2003
as Host
Why Am I Doing This?
2009
as Cliff
Jingle Belle
2018
as Charles Williams
Start Without Me
as Leo
Trapped: Haitian Nights
2011
as Ikliff
Trigger
2020
as Chief Keaton
Joy Road
2011
as Dr. Howard Perkins
The Tomorrow Man
1996
as Brian Parish
God Bless the Child
1988
as Raymond Watkins
Redeemer
2002
as Charles Henderson
American Bad Boy
2015
as Pastor Lovely
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
2025
as Captain Green
Fatal Pursuit
1995
as Trinidad
Revival!
2018
as Nicodemus
Noble Intentions
2023
as Pastor Stevens
The Visit
2001
as Tony
The Importance of Being Earnest
1992
as Lane
The Last Fall
2012
as Larry Armstrong
April Fools
2007
as Detective Combs
Mississippi Scholar
as Reginald
People Not Places
Baryshnikov on Broadway
1980
as Dancer
The Millennial
2022
as Mr. Burke
An Evening with Liza Minnelli
1980
as Self - Dancer
Kiss Me for Christmas
2020
as Mr. Porter
The Trap Door
2011
as Mesmer
Death's Door
2015
as Mesmer
One Special Moment
2001
All The Men In My Life
Dolls of Voodoo
2013
as Iklif
Treemonisha
1982
as Zodzetrick
About Obba Babatundé
Obba Babatundé (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C. White in the original cast of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Babatundé was a protege of Sammy Davis, Jr., who said of him, "This is the only cat who can do everything I can do." Babatundé does dance, sing, play instruments, execu… With 119 credits spanning from 1980 to 2025, Obba Babatundé has appeared in 80 films and 39 TV shows.
Fans searching for Obba Babatundé movies, Obba Babatundé filmography, or the latest projects starring Obba Babatundé can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Obba Babatundé Movies
- The Notebook (2004) — as Band Leader
- John Q (2002) — as Sgt. Moody
- Life (1999) — as Willie Long
- Philadelphia (1993) — as Jerome Green
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — as TV Anchor Man
Where to Watch Obba Babatundé Films
Most Obba Babatundé movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Obba Babatundé, check our movies catalogue and browse page.