Spent two years in reform school

Boxed in amateur matches as "Roc"

Convicted of manslaughter at age 17 for fatally stabbing a man in a street fight ("A guy came at me in a fight and stabbed me eight times and I killed him"); served 7 1/2-year prison term at Maryland State Penitentiary

Was paroled and returned to prison 18-months later for possession of deadly weapons (August 20)

Founded, acted and directed theater workshops while in prison

Decided to change life when fellow prison inmate stabbed him in the neck with an ice-pick and he chose not to retaliate because of his interest in theater, as he told USA Today in an April 1990 interview: "I thought if I lived through this, I'm retiring from that career. It was the greatest pressure I faced in my life. But that time I had found something else to believe in -- the theater."

Performed stand-up comedy with partner Reg E. Cathy in New York; in 1985 ABC signed the duo to development deal that did not work out

Professional stage acting debut on Broadway in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"; received Tony Award nomination

Created role of Herald Loomis in Yale Repertory premiere production of August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone"

Feature film debut, "No Mercy"

Appeared in "Crocodile Dundee II"

Starred on Broadway in August Wilson's play "The Piano Lesson"

Played a Baltimore garbageman in the Fox sitcom "Roc" (his real nickname); served as executive producer of the show in its last season (1993-1994)

Formed Roc Productions to develop and produce film and TV projects

Co-starred in "Alien3"

TV debut as an executive producer, "Laurel Avenue" (HBO)

Had two-scene cameo in the Hughes brothers' "Menace II Society"

Played supporting role in three of the "Jack Reed" TV-movies, starring Brian Denehey

Earned critical praise and an Emmy nomination for reprising his stage role in the CBS adaptation of "The Piano Lesson"

Appeared in the Showtime movie "Zooman"

Co-starred in the feature remake of "Cry, the Beloved Country" and in the thriller "Nick of Time"

Portrayed the local sheriff in the film adaptation of John Grisham's novel "A Time to Kill"

Was a member of the ensemble of Spike Lee's "Get on the Bus" about a group traveling to the Million Man March in Washington, DC

TV directorial debut, the HBO original movie "First Time Felon"

Co-starred in the thriller "Mimic"

Garnered praise for his turn as a righteous policeman whose son is accused of murder in "Blind Faith" (Showtime); released theatrically in 1999

Made memorable guest appearance on HBO's prison drama "Oz" as a government official investigating a riot and murder; received Emmy nomination as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Played the civil rights advocate and minister in the NBC miniseries "The 60's"

Offered a terrific turn as the caretaker for a family of eccentrics in "Cookie's Fortune", directed by Robert Altman

Directed the acclaimed HBO miniseries "The Corner"; received Emmy Award

Starred as a desperate man who holds a jury hostage and demands a prosecutor uncover evidence that would clear his son of rape and muder in the TNT movie "Deadlocked"

Portrayed jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in the HBO biopic "For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story"

Co-starred in the Showtime true-life drama "Conviction" (lensed 2001)

Played the FBI agent partner of Sylvester Stallone in "D-Tox"; released in Europe

Supported Andre Braugher in the Showtime feature "10,000 Black Men Named George", about A. Philip Randolph's efforts to form a union of black train workersx

Received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series for his role on "Without A Trace"

Co-Starred in the supernatural thriller "Gothika", which also starred Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jr.

Directed and starred in the film "Against the Ropes" a fictional story inspired by North America's most famous female boxing promoter, Jackie Kallen who is portrayed by Meg Ryan

Cast opposite Johnny Depp in "The Secret Window," a film by David Koepp

Appeared in Season 2 of the Showtime series, "The L Word"

Co-starred in the short-lived CBS science fiction series, "Threshold"

Guest starred on "House" (Fox) as the father of Doctor Eric Foreman (Omar Epps)

Guest-starred on "Sleeper Cell: American Terror" as the father of undercover FBI agent Darwyn Al-Sayeed; also directed episodes; earned a nomination from the Directors Guild of America