Born in New York City's Harlem district and raised in East Elmhurst, in the Queens section of the city, I realized I wanted to act after playing the cowardly lion in my school's production of "The Wizard of Oz". Later, enrolling in New York's High School of the Performing Arts and studies at Juilliard. After graduation I was hired as an understudy for Tullus Aufidius in William Shakespeare's "Coriolanus". In '92 I received a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for my role in the Broadway play "Jelly's Last Jam".
