‏Carl Lumbly‏

From stage to screen, Carl Lumbly is an actor respected for his steadfast talent, versatility and class. His prolific career includes over 50 credits in television, film and the theatre and extensive critical acclaim.He portrayed CIA agent 'Marcus Dixon,' the gentle, mild-mannered field partner to agent 'Sydney Bristow' (Jennifer Garner) for five seasons on ABC's hit drama series, "Alias.Lumbly has been cast in a recurring role in Dick Wolf's new drama series, "Chicago Med." Lumbly plays 'Bert Goodwin,' the husband of S. Epatha Merkerson's character 'Sharon,' the venerable head of Chicago Med Hospital. 'Bert' is a once virile robust man who suddenly comes down with a physical ailment that ultimately factors into his relationship with his wife and the hospital where she presides.He has a recurring role in CBS' summer drama series "Zoo," which has been renewed for a second season. Based on the best-selling novel by James Patterson, "Zoo" is a global thriller about a wave of violent animal attacks against humans which is sweeping the planet. Lumbly plays 'Delavenne,' an enigmatic, veteran Interpol agent embedded within the hierarchy of the General Secretariat, who takes matters into his own hands, when faced with what he believes to be a global animal crisis.He recently appeared in the ensemble cast of A&E's suspense series "The Returned." The show focused on a small town that is turned upside down when several local people, who have long been presumed dead, suddenly reappear, bringing them into positive and detrimental consequences. Lumbly played 'Pastor Leon Wright,' a kindly, perceptive minister.Lumbly has wrapped production in Berlin on a role in director Gore Verbinski's upcoming supernatural horror feature, "The Cure for Wellness," which will be distributed worldwide through New Regency's deal with 20th Century Fox.His extensive feature credits include a role opposite Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. in "Men of Honor," portraying the father of the first black diver in U.S. Navy history. In "Everybody's All-American" with Jessica Lange and Dennis Quaid, he starred as a former football player affected by the segregated South. Other film credits include "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "South Central," "Pacific Heights," "To Sleep With Anger," "The Bedroom Window," "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai," "Caveman" and "Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation."For the stage, Lumbly most recently received glowing reviews for his 2015 performance of 'Pops Washington' in "Between Riverside and Crazy" at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco. States the Huffington Post, "Pops is portrayed with torrents of fury and flashes of gentleness by the marvelous Carl Lumbly. He is one of seven characters in Stephen Adly Guirgis's play, which won this year's Pulitzer Prize for drama, but he provides the fuel that energizes all."Earlier in 2015, Lumbly starred as 'Alfred' in Kwame Kwei-Armah's "Let There Be Love" at ACT and as 'Leo Price' in the San Francisco Playhouse's premiere of "Tree," by Julie Hebert. In 2014, he starred as 'Chester Kimmich' in John Patrick Shanley's "Storefront Church" at the San Francisco Playhouse and as 'Troy' in August Wilson's "Fences" at the Marin Theatre Company.In 2013, Lumbly starred Off-Broadway at Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre in the Pershing Square Signature Center in "stop. reset," directed by Regina Taylor. "stop. reset." tells the story of 'Alex Ames' (Lumbly), the owner of Chicago's oldest African-American book publishing company. As e-books begin to outsell printed copies, 'Ames' must question his employees to determine who is still relevant in a rapidly changing world.Also in 2013, Lumbly starred in the San Francisco Playhouse's West Coast Premiere of the raucous comedy, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat," directed by Bill English. He played drug and parole counselor 'Ralph D.,' the role Chris Rock played on Broadway in 2011.He starred in the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre's (LHT) 2012 production of British playwright Joe Penhall's comedy drama "Blue/Orange" in San Francisco. He portrayed an enigmatic psychiatric patient who claimed to be the son of an African dictator - a story that becomes more and more unnervingly plausible as the play progresses.He was featured in the San Francisco Playhouse's 2010 production of Cormac McCarthy's "Sunset Limited." In 2007, he starred in the SF Playhouse's production of "Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train," directed by Bill English. For his remarkable performance, he was honored with a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Performance by an Actor.Lumbly was born in Minnesota, the son of Jamaican immigrants. His father was an avid reader, which inspired Lumbly's early appreciation for literature. After graduating from Macalester College with a degree in English, he landed a job writing for the Associated Press in Minneapolis. He also supplemented his income by doing freelance writing assignments for various periodicals and magazines.While on assignment for a story on Dudley Rigg's Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre, Lumbly attended a public audition and was handed an audition card. "I thought it would be a great perspective from which to write the story," he says. After a three-week audition process, the company offered Lumbly a coveted spot in its cast. He stayed for two years doing improvisational comedy flavored with political satire.Lumbly moved to San Francisco intending to continue his work as a journalist for the Associated Press. Just two days after arriving, he came across a newspaper ad seeking "two black actors for South African political plays." He went to the audition and met the other actor already cast -- an unknown Danny Glover. He landed the part and toured with Glover in productions of Athol Fugard's "Sizwe Bansi is Dead" and "The Island."The plays brought Lumbly to Los Angeles, where he signed with an agent, followed by a move to New York. He landed his first significant on-screen role in a movie-of-the-week, "Cagney and Lacey," which turned into the hit series. Lumbly starred as 'Detective Mark Petrie' for the show's seven-year run.Lumbly's versatility spans a range of characters, from his NAACP Image Award-nominated work in TNT's "Buffalo Soldiers," produced by Danny Glover, to a wealthy, black entrepreneur in "Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding," starring opposite Halle Berry. He starred in the Showtime telefilm "Just a Dream," directed by Danny Glover, about a 12-year-old doctor's son and his unlikely relationship with a rodeo cowboy/auto mechanic (Lumbly). In addition, he has starred in the telefilms "Color of Friendship" (directed by Kevin Hooks), "Little Richard," "On Promised Land," "The Ditchdigger's Daughters," "Nightjohn" and "Sounder," ABC's telefilm remake of the 1972 classic. Of his critically-acclaimed performance in "Sounder," the Houston Chronicle stated, "Carl Lumbly plays 'Father', and his performance is a stunner: Dignity and anguish come together to touch your heart." According to director Kevin Hooks (one of the stars of the original film), Lumbly is "one of the most underrated actors out there." Hooks also believes that Lumbly is "the epitome of sensitivity and compassion as an artist, and it spills over into the characters he's playing."He also starred in the drama series "M.A.N.T.I.S," where he played an independently wealthy paraplegic scientist/crimefighter, marking the first black superhero on series television. In 2012, he had a recurring role on the TNT cop drama, "Southland," where he played old-school, no-nonsense LAPD Captain 'Joel Rucker.' He has made numerous guest-starring appearances on such popular television series as "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," "Chuck," "Grey's Anatomy," "Cold Case," "Battlestar Galactica," "The West Wing," "ER" and "The X-Files."Lumbly also starred as the voice of action hero 'J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter,' in the Cartoon Network's animated series "Justice League." The series followed the adventures of the greatest superhero team of all time.Lumbly works out regularly to keep in shape for his demanding roles. In his free time, he enjoys writing, as well as working in his garden, running, playing basketball and doggedly lowering his handicap in golf.