Obba Babatundé
Dec 1, 1951 (74)
Queens, New York City, New York, USA
61 Movies
35 Series
Born in Queens, New York City, New York, USA, Obba Babatundé is an actor. Their performance in The Silence of the Lambs as TV Anchor Man remains one of the most memorable of their filmography. They have also starred in The Notebook and Philadelphia. Over more than 46 years they have gathered close to 61 films and 35 TV productions, working mainly across genres like drama, thriller, crime.
74Age
61Movies
35Series
Obba Babatundé
61 Movies
35 Series
Born in Queens, New York City, New York, USA, Obba Babatundé is an actor. Their performance in The Silence of the Lambs as TV Anchor Man remains one of the most memorable of their filmography. They have also starred in The Notebook and Philadelphia. Over more than 46 years they have gathered close to 61 films and 35 TV productions, working mainly across genres like drama, thriller, crime.
74
Age
61
Movies
35
Series
Movies
The Notebook
2004
The Silence of the Lambs
1991
Philadelphia
1993
John Q
2002
That Thing You Do!
1996
Life
1999
The Net
1995
Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups
2012
How High
2001
Lap Dance
2014
After the Sunset
2004
Material Girls
2006
The Wild Thornberrys Movie
2002
The Manchurian Candidate
2004
City of Lies
2018
The Celestine Prophecy
2006
The Eye
2008
Revival!
2018
Run
2025
Married to the Mob
1988
Multiplicity
1996
Black Dynamite
2009
Kinky
2018
Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire
2012
Necronomicon
1993
Undercover Blues
1993
The Millennial
2022
Born to Be Wild
1995
American Bad Boy
2015
Cover
2007
Miami Blues
1990
Trapped: Haitian Nights
2011
The Watcher
2016
Death's Door
2015
'Til Death Do Us Part
2017
Carpool
1996
Leonard Part 6
1987
Pup Star: Better 2Gether
2017
Noble Intentions
2023
Kangaroo Jack: G'Day, U.S.A.!
2004
The Visit
2001
Pup Star
2016
A Reason to Believe
1995
Fatal Pursuit
1995
The Last Fall
2012
Joy Road
2011
I Do... I Did!
2009
Baryshnikov on Broadway
1980
TV Shows
S.W.A.T.
2017
Dear White People
2017
Goliath
2016
Kingdom
2014
Forever
2018
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990
Little Fires Everywhere
2020
Boston Legal
2004
Detroiters
2017
Friends
1994
Chicago Med
2015
Family Law
1999
Static Shock
2000
Tales from the Crypt
1989
Grey's Anatomy
2005
Psych
2006
The Outer Limits
1995
Max Steel
2000
The Good Fight
2017
A Different World
1987
Ballers
2015
Sliders
1995
For the People
2018
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
1993
Everwood
2002
Enlisted
2014
Touched by an Angel
1994
Private Practice
2007
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
1992
Spy Game
1997
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Love the Skin You're In
Full Filmography
Love the Skin You're In
Arnold
2025
Film
Run
President
2025
Film
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Captain Green
2025
Film
Mississippi Scholar
Reginald
2024
Film
Noble Intentions
Pastor Stevens
2023
Film
All The Men In My Life
Simon Helms
2022
Film
The Millennial
Mr. Burke
2022
Film
Kiss Me for Christmas
Mr. Porter
2020
Film
Trigger
Chief Keaton
2020
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Obba Babatundé and where are they from?
Obba Babatundé is 74 years old, born on December 1, 1951 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA.
What are the most famous roles of Obba Babatundé?
Obba Babatundé is best known for roles in The Silence of the Lambs, The Notebook, Philadelphia.
How many movies has Obba Babatundé been in?
Over a 46-year career (since 1980), Obba Babatundé has appeared in 79 movies and 39 TV shows.
What was Obba Babatundé's first movie?
The career of Obba Babatundé began with An Evening with Liza Minnelli (1980).
What is Obba Babatundé's most recent movie or series?
Obba Babatundé's most recent release is Love the Skin You're In, which premiered on December 17, 2025.
What TV shows has Obba Babatundé appeared in?
On television, Obba Babatundé has appeared in Grey's Anatomy, Friends, NCIS, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Obba Babatundé
1951-12-01 · Queens, New York City, New York, USA
Obba Babatundé (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C. White in the original cast of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls.
Babatundé was a protege of Sammy Davis, Jr., who said of him, "This is the only cat who can do everything I can do." Babatundé does dance, sing, play instruments, execute impersonations, including his portrayal of Davis, aided by their similarity in energy, size and talent, tap dancing and performing on multiple instruments. In fall 2009, Babatundé played Davis in the title role of "Sammy: Once in a Lifetime," a world premiere musical at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
Early in 2000, Babatundé partnered with writer/producer Ruth Adkins Robinson for a series of TV projects including "TV in Black: The First 50 Years," "Oscar's Black Odyssey: From Hattie to Hallie" and "Dorthy Dandridge: An American Beauty". The pair have projects that will take them through 2011.
His TV roles have often portrayed authority figures, such as a recurring guest-starring role as a high school principal on Dawson's Creek, an appearance as a judge in a two-part episode of Any Day Now, and as the father of the main characters on Half & Half. He also played Harvard college Dean Cain in the movie How High, as well as the role of Willie Long in the movie Life, and co-starred as an attorney in Philadelphia and as a senator in the 2004 reprise of The Manchurian Candidate. He also played the director in season 3 of Friends in an episode titled "The One with All the Jealousy". Other TV shows he has had recurring roles on include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Chicago Hope, Rocket Power, Static Shock, and Karen Sisco. He played a small but pivotal role as a doorman/bellhop in the film That Thing You Do! and also appeared in The Wild Thornberrys Movie as the voice of Boko. He played a famous producer known as Gordy Berry on two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In the 1998 miniseries, The Temptations, he played the founder of Motown Records Berry Gordy.
Babatundé is adept at American sign language and had used this talent in many roles including on one NYPD Blue.
His recorded work includes a performance with the New York pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs on the 2007 album Sack Full of Dreams. The actor/producer is also an avid horseman and is a highly regarded rider and trainer in the Rodeo Circuit, including the annual Bill Pickett Rodeol.