His ruddy complexion suggests menace, yet Vondie Curtis Hall, while playing his share of thugs, has also appeared on TV as Dr. Dennis Hancock on the CBS medical drama "Chicago Hope" (from 1995 to 1999) and as a poignant drag queen who commits suicide in an episode of NBC's "ER" during the 1994-95 season. Classically trained at Juilliard, the Los Angeles-raised Curtis Hall made it to Broadway in 1985 with "Dreamgirls" and also scored critical praise for his work in the off-Broadway production of "Williams and Walker" (1986).After bit roles in "Shakedown" and "Coming to America" (both 1988),
