Carl Lumbly Biography

Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his roles as NYPD Detective Marcus Petrie on the CBS police drama Cagney & Lacey, CIA Agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC espionage drama series Alias, and as the voice of the Martian Manhunter for the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, as well as the direct-to-DVD animated film Justice League: Doom and the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Biography

Born to Jamaican immigrants in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lumbly graduated from South High School there and Macalester College in nearby St. Paul.

At one time he was a journalist in Minnesota, when he got an acting job while on assignment for a story about a workshop theatre and stayed with the improvisational company for two years (along with then-unknown Danny Glover).

His first major role was Detective Marcus Petrie on the television series Cagney & Lacey (1982"1988). In 1985 he appeared as Theseus in "The Gospel At Colonus," an African-American musical iteration of the Oedipus legend, which starred Morgan Freeman and The Blind Boys Of Alabama, on PBS' 'Great Performances' series.

In 1987, he garnered positive reviews for his portrayal of Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale in the HBO television movie Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8. In 1989-90, his ongoing character Earl Williams (named for the prisoner in Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's story The Front Page) was a teacher falsely accused of the rape/murder of one of his female students, in the hit TV series L.A. Law.

From 1994-1995, Lumbly starred as the main character in the short-lived science fiction series M.A.N.T.I.S. Perhaps his most visible role was as Marcus Dixon in the American television series Alias (2001"2006). Other prominent roles include providing the voice the for Martian Manhunter on Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, and a recurring role on L.A. Law as a college professor unjustly accused of first-degree murder. He also appeared in Superman: The Animated Series as the voice of the Mayor of Metropolis on the episode "Speed Demons" in 1997, and as an alien military general in the episode "Absolute Power" in 1999. He also appeared as the voice of the villain Stalker on Batman Beyond.

In 2000, Lumbly portrayed activist and Congressman Ron Dellums in the Disney Channel original movie, The Color of Friendship. Although the movie was focused on Dellums' daughter's friendship with a white South African girl, the film also discussed Dellums' role in ending apartheid in South Africa.

Also in 2000, Lumbly guest starred in a season one episode of The West Wing entitled "Six Meetings Before Lunch" as Jeff Breckenridge, a nominee for U.S. Assistant Attorney General who happens to support reparations for slavery.

Lumbly appeared as Lt. Daniel "Bulldog" Novacek in the 2004 television series Battlestar Galactica. He also plays a role in the video game Command and Conquer 3 's expansion pack Kane's Wrath. He most recently played police captain Joe Rucker on TNT's Southland.

Works

Film

• Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
• Lifepod (1981)
• Caveman (1981)
• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
• The Bedroom Window (1987)
• Everybody's All-American (1988)
• To Sleep With Anger (1990)
• Pacific Heights (1990)
• Brother Future (1991)
• South Central (1992)
• Nightjohn (1996)
• The Ditchdigger's Daughters (1997)
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)
• Men of Honor (2000)
• The Color of Friendship (2000)
• Just a Dream (2002)
• Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007)
• The Alphabet Killer (2008)
• Justice League: Doom (2012)

Television

• Lou Grant ( Episode Titled - Hazard - Aired March 24, 1980)
• Cagney and Lacey (1982"1988)
• Great Performances (TV series) - "The Gospel at Colonus" (1985) ? Theseus
• Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987)
• L.A. Law (TV series) - 7 Episodes as Earl Williams: Blood, Sweat and Fears (1990), Ex-Wives and Videotape (1990),

Placenta Claus Is Coming to Town (1989), One Rat, One Ranger (1989) and The Mouse That Soared (1989)

• M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994)
• Out of Darkness (1994)
• On Promised Land (1994)
• Nightjohn (1996)
• The X-Files: "Teliko" (Season 4, Episode 3; 1996)
• The Ditchdigger's Daughters (1997)
• Buffalo Soldiers (1997)
• Superman: The Animated Series (1997, 1999)
• The Wedding (1998)
• Batman Beyond (1999)
• The West Wing (2000)
• The Color of Friendship (2000)
• Little Richard (2000)
• Justice League (2001"2004)
• Alias (2001"2006)
• Static Shock (2003)
• Sounder (2003)
• Martin Scorsese presents The Blues: Episode 4 (2003)
• Justice League Unlimited (2004"2006)
• Battlestar Galactica (2006)
• Grey's Anatomy (one episode) (2008)
• Chuck (2008)
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2009)
• Black Panther (2010)
• Trauma (2010)
• Criminal Minds (Season 6, Episode 6 ; 2010)

Theatre

• Eden (1980)
• The Motherfucker with the Hat (2013)

Video games

• Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath (2008)
• BioShock 2: Minerva's Den (2010)
• Diablo III (2012)
• Injustice Gods Among Us (2013)

Awards and recognition

• 1980: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Lead Performance - Eden