Ernie Hudson Biography

Fast Facts

• Joined the U
• S
• Marine Corps after graduating from high school, but was dismissed less than three months later due to asthma
• Initially focused more on writing than acting; was the resident playwright at Detroit's Concept East Theater, one of the oldest black theaters in the country
• Established Wayne State University's Actors Ensemble Theater so he and other black writers and performers could showcase their work
• Earned a full scholarship to the Yale School of Drama
• Enrolled in a University of Minnesota program that would lead to a PhD, but he dropped out to star in a Minneapolis production of The Great White Hope
• Made his film debut in 1976's Leadbelly, which was followed by a myriad of television appearances before his breakout role in 1984's Ghostbusters
• Lost the role of Winston to Arsenio Hall in 1986 for The Real Ghostbusters, an animated adaption of the movie
• Became a sergeant in the special service bureau of the San Bernardino County police force in California in 1994 after studying for three acting roles with the police
• Appeared with son Ernie Jr
• in the HBO series Oz
• Received the 2007 Award for Excellence in Film, Television and Beyond at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival in California