Charles Dutton

Charles S. Dutton's life experiences have shaped him into the man he is today. Turmoil and trouble marked his childhood, and after dropping out of school he routinely found himself in reform schools. At the age of 17, Dutton was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for stabbing a man to death in a street fight. The turning point in his life came when he was stabbed in the neck with an ice pick in prison, yet refused to retaliate. Instead, he decided to rise above the violence and negativity that held down many of his fellow inmates.

Dutton decided to filter his energy into something positive, and soon developed a passion for acting. He joined several other inmates in a drama group, where he found his calling. After being released from prison, Dutton was accepted into the Yale School of Drama where he would study under the watchful eye of director Lloyd Richards.

Before long, Dutton found himself starring in the role of Levee in the Broadway production of August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." He received Tony nominations for this role as well as his role in Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." From there Dutton"s career blossomed. He has since appeared in dozens of movies, most notably Cry, A Time to Kill, and Rudy. More recently he's appeared in such films as The Express, Fame and Legion, with Paul Bettany and Denis Quaid.

Dutton starred in and executive produced the Fox comedy/drama Roc, produced by HBO, for which he received several NAACP Image Award nominations. He won Emmys for his guest starring roles in Without a Trace and The Practice and as director for HBO's The Corner.

He has numerous television credits, including the miniseries The Murder of Mary Phagan, The '60s, Deadlock, and Aftershock. His episodic appearances include House, The Sopranos, and the HBO series Oz, among others. Today, Dutton finds himself back on the stage performing Shakespeare at the African Grove. He has an incredible ability to bring to life characters from some of Shakespeare's most notable plays, including "Richard III," "King Lear," and "Othello."