Name: Laurence Fishburne

Birth Name: Laurence Fishburne III

Birthdate: July 30, 1961

Birthplace: Augusta, Ga.

Though born in the South, Fishburne was transplanted to Brooklyn by his mother after his parents divorced. At 12, he won a recurring role on the soap, One Life to Live and subsequently made his film debut in Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975). Francis Ford Coppola cast him in Apocalypse Now (1979), Rumble Fish (1983) and The Cotton Club (1984), but it was his lead role in Boyz n the Hood (1991) that first garnered him name recognition, a fact only reinforced by his Oscar nod for his powerful portrayal of Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). Perhaps best known for the role of Morpheus in the mega-successful sci-fi trilogy, The Matrix (1999), Fishburne is also an accomplished stage actor, screenwriter and film director.


1. He studied acting at the Lincoln Square Academy in New York which closed in the 1980s.
2. He changed his name from Larry to Laurence in his films in 1991.
3. When he was cast in the title role of Othello (1995), it marked the first time an African-American was cast as Othello in a theatrical film.
4. He is often mistaken for Samuel L. Jackson and vice versa; even standing next to each other, people still call them by the wrong names.
5. He met Paul Reubens at the Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles (where he never officially studied), and Reubens cast him as Cowboy Curtis in the children's series Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986).


"Shakespeare? Baddest s--t that's ever been written in the English language. You can't argue with that s--t, you know what I'm saying?"
— Cigaraficionado.com, 2000


Wives: Hajna O. Moss, married 1985; divorced 1990s; Gina Torres, married 2002
Son: Langston, born 1987 (mother: Moss)
Daughter: Montana, born 1991 (mother: Moss)

1996: Golden Globe nomination: Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, The Tuskegee Airmen

1994: Academy Award nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role, What's Love Got to Do with It

 

FILMS

21 - (2008) - Actor
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - (2007) - Voice
TMNT - (2007) - Narrator
Mission: Impossible III - (2006) - Actor
Bobby - (2006) - Actor
Akeelah and the Bee - (2006) - Actor, Producer
Assault on Precinct 13 - (2005) - Actor
Biker Boyz - (2003) - Actor
The Matrix Reloaded - (2003) - Actor
The Matrix Revolutions - (2003) - Actor
Mystic River - (2003) - Actor
Osmosis Jones - (2001) - Voice
Apocalypse Now Redux - (2001) - Actor
Once in the Life - (2000) - Director, Actor, Producer, Screenwriter
The Matrix - (1999) - Actor
Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned - (1998) - Actor
Welcome to Hollywood - (1998) - Cameo
Miss Evers' Boys - (1997) - Actor
Hoodlum - (1997) - Actor, Producer
Event Horizon - (1997) - Actor
The Tuskegee Airmen - (1996) - Actor
Fled - (1996) - Actor
Bad Company - (1995) - Actor
Just Cause - (1995) - Actor
Othello - (1995) - Actor
Alien Warrior - (1994) - Actor
Higher Learning - (1994) - Actor
What's Love Got to Do With It - (1993) - Actor
Searching for Bobby Fischer - (1993) - Actor
Deep Cover - (1992) - Actor
Boyz N the Hood - (1991) - Actor
King of New York - (1990) - Actor
Decoration Day - (1990) - Actor
Cadence - (1989) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse: V. 1 - (1988) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse: V. 5 - (1988) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse: V. 12 - (1988) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse: V. 13 - (1988) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse: V. 14 - (1988) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse: V. 15 - (1988) - Actor
Gardens of Stone - (1987) - Actor
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - (1987) - Actor
School Daze - (1987) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse - Vols. 1-4 - (1987) - Actor
Pee-Wee's Playhouse - Vols. 5-8 - (1987) - Actor
Band of the Hand - (1986) - Actor
Quicksilver - (1986) - Actor
The Cotton Club - (1984) - Actor
For Us, the Living - The Story of Medgar Evers - (1983) - Actor
Rumble Fish - (1983) - Actor
Willie & Phil - (1980) - Actor
Fast Break - (1979) - Actor
Apocalypse Now - (1979) - Actor
Cornbread, Earl and Me - (1975) - Actor
Five Fingers - () - Actor, Producer