Carl Lumbly
| Carl Lumbly | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Carl Winston Lumbly August 14, 1951 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
South High School Macalester College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse(s) |
(her death) |
| Children | 1 |
Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951)[1] is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as NYPD Detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama Cagney & Lacey, CIA Agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC espionage drama series Alias, and as the voice of the Martian Manhunter for the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, as well as the direct-to-DVD animated film Justice League: Doom and the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us.[2] He currently plays Martian Manhunter's father, M'yrnn, on Supergirl.
Early life
Born to Jamaican immigrants in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lumbly graduated from South High School there and Macalester College in nearby St. Paul.
Lumbly began his professional career as a journalist in Minnesota. While on assignment for a story about a workshop theatre he was cast as an actor and stayed with the improvisational company for two years (along with then-unknown Danny Glover).
Career
His first major role was Detective Marcus Petrie on the television series Cagney & Lacey (1982–1988). In 1985 he appeared as Theseus in "The Gospel At Colonus," an African-American musical iteration of the Oedipus legend, which starred Morgan Freeman and The Blind Boys Of Alabama, on PBS' 'Great Performances' series.
In 1987, he garnered positive reviews for his portrayal of Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale in the HBO television movie Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8. In 1989-90, he portrayed ongoing character Earl Williams (named for the prisoner in Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's story The Front Page), a teacher falsely accused of the rape/murder of a female student, in the hit TV series L.A. Law.
From 1994-1995, Lumbly starred as the main character in the short-lived science fiction series M.A.N.T.I.S. Perhaps his most visible role was as Marcus Dixon in the American television series Alias (2001–2006). Other prominent roles include providing the voice for the Martian Manhunter in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited,. This was the reasoning to cast him as the father of the same charecter in 2017 for the TV show Supergirl. He also appeared in Superman: The Animated Series as the voice of the Mayor of Metropolis on the episode "Speed Demons" in 1997, and as an alien military general in the episode "Absolute Power" in 1999. He also appeared as the voice of the villain Stalker on Batman Beyond.
In 2000, Lumbly portrayed activist and Congressman Ron Dellums in the Disney Channel original movie, The Color of Friendship. Although the movie was focused on Dellums' daughter's friendship with a white South African girl, the film also discussed Dellums' role in ending apartheid in South Africa.
Also in 2000, Lumbly guest starred in a season one episode of The West Wing entitled "Six Meetings Before Lunch" as Jeff Breckenridge, a nominee for U.S. Assistant Attorney General who supports reparations for slavery.
Lumbly appeared as Lt. Daniel "Bulldog" Novacek in the 2004 television series Battlestar Galactica. He also plays a role in the video game Command and Conquer 3 's expansion pack Kane's Wrath. Most recently, Lumbly played police captain Joe Rucker on TNT's Southland.
Personal life
Lumbly was married to actress Vonetta McGee from 1987 until her death in 2010. Together they have one son named Brandon Lumbly born in 1988.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension | John Parker | |
| 1998 | Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero | Additional Voices | Direct-to-video |
| 2008 | Immigrants | Splits Jackson (voice) | English Dub |
| 2012 | Justice League: Doom | Martian Manhunter/ J'onn J'onzz / Ma'alefa'ak (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2015 | Justice League: Gods and Monsters | Silas Stone (voice) | Direct-to-video |
- Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
- Lifepod (1981)
- Caveman (1981)
- The Bedroom Window (1987)
- Everybody's All-American (1988)
- To Sleep with Anger (1990)
- Pacific Heights (1990)
- Brother Future (1991)
- South Central (1992)
- Nightjohn (1996)
- The Ditchdigger's Daughters (1997)
- How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
- Men of Honor (2000)
- The Color of Friendship (2000)
- Just a Dream (2002)
- Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007)
- The Alphabet Killer (2008)
- A Cure for Wellness (2016)
- Doctor Sleep (2020)[3]
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The X-Files | Marcus Duff | Episode: "Teliko" |
| 1997 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Colonel William Marcus (voice) | Episode: "Other Space" |
| 1997-1998 | Superman: The Animated Series | Alterus / Mayor (voice) | 2 Episodes |
| 1999-2000 | Batman Beyond | Stalker (voice) | 2 Episodes |
| 1999-2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Red Colobus Monkey / Tumbulu (voice) | 2 Episodes |
| 2003 | Static Shock | Anansi the Spider / Martian Manhunter/ J'onn J'onzz (voice) | 4 Episodes |
| 2001-2004 | Justice League | Martian Manhunter/ J'onn J'onzz (voice) | 46 Episodes |
| 2004-2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Martian Manhunter/ J'onn J'onzz (voice) | 18 Episodes |
| 2009 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Tornado Champion / Tornado Tyrant (voice) | Episode: "Hail the Tornado Tyrant" |
| 2010 | Black Panther | Uncle S'Yan (voice) | 6 Episodes |
| 2014 | Family Guy | Loan Officer (voice) | Episode: "Baking Bad" |
| 2017-2018 | Supergirl | M'yrnn J'onzz | 10 Episodes |
- Lou Grant (episode titled - "Hazard" - aired March 24, 1980)
- Cagney and Lacey (1982–1988)
- Great Performances - "The Gospel at Colonus" (1985) … Theseus
- Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987)
- L.A. Law - 6 episodes as Earl Williams: "Captain Hurt" (1989), "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" (1989), "The Mouse That Soared" (1989), "Placenta Claus Is Coming to Town" (1989), Ex-Wives and Videotapes (1990), and "Blood, Sweat and Fears" (1990)
- M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994)
- Out of Darkness (1994)
- On Promised Land (1994)
- Nightjohn (1996)
- The Ditchdigger's Daughters (1997)
- Buffalo Soldiers (1997)
- The Wedding (1998)
- The West Wing (2000)
- The Color of Friendship (2000)
- Little Richard (2000)
- Alias (2001–2006)
- Sounder (2003)
- Martin Scorsese presents The Blues: Episode 4 (2003)
- Battlestar Galactica (2006)
- Grey's Anatomy (one episode) (2008)
- Cold Case (Season 6, Episode 3; 2008)
- Chuck (2008)
- Trauma (2010)
- Criminal Minds (Season 6, Episode 6; 2010)
- NCIS - Navy Rear Admiral Beau Hindley (Episode: "Tell-All", 2011)
- The Returned (2015)
- Zoo (2015)
- NCIS: Los Angeles - Charles Langston (2 episodes, 2017)
Theatre
- Eden (1980)
- The Motherfucker with the Hat (2013)
- Storefront Church (2013)
- Let There Be Love (2015)
- Between Riverside and Crazy (2015)
- Red Velvet (2016)
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Alias | Agent Marcus Dixon (voice) | |
| 2008 | Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath | Brother Marcion | |
| 2010 | BioShock 2 | Charles Milton Porter (voice) | |
| BioShock 2: Minerva's Den | |||
| 2012 | Diablo III | Witch Doctor - Male (voice) | |
| 2013 | Injustice Gods Among Us | Martian Manhunter/ J'onn J'onzz (voice) | Uncredited |
| 2014 | Diablo III: Reaper of Souls | Witch Doctor - Male (voice) | |
| 2015 | Heroes of the Storm | Nazeebo (voice) | |
| 2017 | Tacoma | Odin (voice) | |
Awards and recognition
- 1980: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Lead Performance - Eden[4]
References
- ↑ According to the State of Minnesota. Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002. At Ancestry.com
- ↑ Hillard, Kyle. "Martian Manhunter Coming To Injustice: Gods Among Us". Game Informer.
- ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (August 1, 2018). "'Doctor Sleep' Gets Carl Lumbly For Dick Halloran, Alex Essoe For Wendy Torrance". Deadline. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ↑ "1980-1989 Awards". United States: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
External links
- Carl Lumbly on IMDb
