Biography - Laurence Fishburne

Though he was already a well-known and respected leading man at the time, Laurence Fishburne became a superstar with the famous words, ‘What is the Matrix’ in the Wachowski Brothers’ 1999 sci-fi extravaganza. An authoritative and commanding actor, Fishburne is famous for playing intimidating characters, and the powerful Tony and Emmy-award winning star has impressed audiences in a variety of stage and film roles for the past 20 years.

Born in Augusta, Georgia on July 31, 1961, Fishburne started acting at a young age, starring in the soap opera “One Life to Live” for three years beginning in 1973. His breakthrough came in his young adulthood with a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola’s dreamlike war film “Apocalypse Now” in 1979. After a few small television and film roles, Fishburne worked again with Coppola in 1983’s “Rumble Fish” and 1984’s “The Cotton Club”. His star continued to rise with a role in Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple” and as popular character Cowboy Curtis in the children’s TV series “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse”. Major roles in films like “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors”, “School Daze”, and “Red Heat” followed, but it was 1991’s “Boyz n the Hood” that made Fishburne a marquee star for the 90s.

His role as Ike in the popular Tina Turner biopic “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” made him a veritable icon and earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Fishburne has also won two Emmys, for 1993’s “Tribeca” and as a producer for 1997’s “Miss Evers’ Boys”, and won a Tony in 1992 for “Two Trains Running” on Broadway.

Appearances such as “Searching for Bobby Fischer”, “Fled”, “Just Cause”, “Event Horizon”, and as the first African-American actor to portray the titular role in “Othello” on screen made Fishburne a sought-after star, but it was nonetheless only a warm-up to his “Matrix” fame in 1999. His character in the enormously successful film trilogy, the prophetic mentor Morpheus, formed the thematic backbone of the films. Fishburne’s famous sunglasses in the film also became emblematic of the film’s huge influence on contemporary fashion, ushering in a never-ending wave of black leather-wearing “Matrix” drones. Fishburne then appeared in the ensemble cast of Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River” in 2003, and alongside Ethan Hawke in the 2005 remake of “Assault on Precinct 13”. Fishburne’s latest film, the heartwarming “Akeelah and the Bee”, is currently in theatres, as is “Mission: Impossible 3” in which Fishburne plays Tom Cruise’s corrupt boss. Later this year he will appear in the all-star cast of "Bobby" alongside Lindsay Lohan, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, and more.