His father was from Grenada; his mother was from Trinidad; he was raised in North London
Was inspired to pursue a career in the arts at age 9 after seeing Sidney Poitier in 1967's In the Heat of the Night
Studied social work at the University of North London, but switched concentration to dance, and later joined London's Explosive Dance Theatre Company; a leg operation forced him to give up dancing for acting
Made professional acting debut in 1983's Labelled With Love, a musical based on the songs of British pop band Squeeze
Introduced to U
S
television audiences as Kareem Said in the gritty HBO prison drama Oz
Played John Othello in an updated 2002 version of Shakespeare's Othello that aired as an episode of Masterpiece Theatre
Debuted on Broadway as Marc Antony in the 2005 production of Julius Caesar opposite Denzel Washington
Portrayed blues singer Howlin' Wolf in 2008's Cadillac Records, about the music produced at Chess Records