Danny Glover

Involved with civil rights groups as a teen, Glover got involved in the dramatic arts as a way to spread the message. An alumnus of the Black Actor's Workshop of the American Conservatory Theatre, he made his film debut in Escape from Alcatraz (1979) and followed up with parts in three more major movies: Places in the Heart (1984), The Color Purple (1984), and Witness (1985). Best known for his four Lethal Weapon flicks (1987-1998), playing opposite Mel Gibson, Glover has also worked behind the camera, directing several cable movies, including Buffalo Soldiers for Turner Network Television and Mandela (in which he played the title role), Dead Man Out, and Deadly Voyage for HBO. He has been nominated for three Emmy Awards for his roles in miniseries. He played Joshua Deets in the 1989 miniseries Lonesome Dove and the lead character in the 1989 American Playhouse revival of A Raisin in the Sun. A graduate of San Francisco State College, Glover was awarded an honorary doctorate from San Francisco State University in 1997. In 1998, he was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program. He also appeared in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Saw (2004), and Dreamgirls (2006).