Courtney B. Vance
Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. Vance started his career on the Broadway stage in the original productions of August Wilson's Fences in 1985, John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation in 1990 and Nora Ephron's Lucky Guy in 2013 for which he won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He is known for his roles in films such as Hamburger Hill (1987), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Preacher's Wife (1996), Cookie's Fortune (1999), Terminator Genisys (2015), and Isle of Dogs (2018).
Vance is also known for work on television on shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, where he portrayed Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He also guest-starred on Law & Order, Picket Fences, The Closer, Revenge, Scandal, and Masters of Sex. He won acclaim for his portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in the FX limited series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016) for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He recently appeared in the HBO television film, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017), National Geographic's limited series Genius: Aretha (2020), and the HBO drama series Lovecraft Country (2020) the latter of which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
He has been married to actress Angela Bassett since 1997. Vance is on the Board of Directors for The Actors Center in New York City, and is an active supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In 2019, Vance was appointed as the President of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.
Known For










Credits
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Lilo & Stitch 2025Cobra Bubbles★ 7.3
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Grotesquerie 2024Marshall Tryon★ 7.3
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Heist 88 2023Jeremy Horne★ 6.7
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61st Street 2022Franklin Roberts★ 6.9
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Self★ 7.9
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Lovecraft Country 2020George Freeman★ 7.1
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Project Power 2020Captain Craine★ 6.4
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Uncorked 2020Louis★ 6.1
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The Photograph 2020Louis Morton★ 6.4
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Self - Narrator★ NR
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On Broadway 2019Self (archive footage)★ 8.7
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Self - Host★ NR
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Ben Is Back 2018Mr. Beeby★ 6.6
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The Groveland Four 2018Self - Narrator★ 9
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Isle of Dogs 2018Narrator (voice)★ 7.8
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The Mummy 2017Colonel Greenway★ 5.5
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Genius 2017C.L. Franklin★ 7.7
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Sir Lord Keenan Coefield★ 6.5
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Walter Davis★ 5.7
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American Crime Story 2016Johnnie Cochran★ 7.6
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Terminator Genisys 2015Miles Dyson★ 5.9
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Masters of Sex 2013Dr. Charles Hendricks★ 7.1
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Graceland 2013Sam Campbell★ 7.1
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Let It Shine 2012Jacob★ 6.9
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Scandal 2012Clarence Parker★ 7.1
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Finding Your Roots 2012Self★ 6.8
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Joyful Noise 2012Pastor Dale★ 6.4
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The Divide 2012Delvin★ 5.9
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Revenge 2011Benjamin Brooks★ 7.6
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Final Destination 5 2011Agent Block★ 6.1
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Marcus Temple★ 6.3
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Hurricane Season 2009Mr. Randolph★ 6.7
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FlashForward 2009Stanford Wedeck★ 7
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Agent O'Hara★ 7
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Corey (segment "Fences")★ NR
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The Closer 2005Chief Tommy Delk★ 7.8
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The Fight 2005Narrator (voice)★ 7
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Other Voices (voice)★ 7.1
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Vivien Thomas (voice)★ 6
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Clarence Brandley★ NR
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D-Tox 2002Reverend Jones★ 5.6
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Ron Carver★ 7.6
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Boston Public 2000Walter Harrelson★ 7.6
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Space Cowboys 2000Roger Hines★ 6.4
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The Acting Class 2000Self★ 5.5
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Eddie Jones★ 5
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Cookie's Fortune 1999Otis Tucker★ 6.4
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Officer James Halloran★ 2.7
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Blind Faith 1998John Williams★ 6.4
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Officer James Halloran★ 3.7
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The Wild Thornberrys 1998Makai (voice)★ 6.9
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Any Day Now 1998★ 7.4
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Ambushed 1998Jerry Robinson★ 4.9
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12 Angry Men 1997Foreman★ 7.7
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The Preacher's Wife 1996Reverend Henry Biggs★ 5.8
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The Boys Next Door 1996Lucien P. Singer★ 6.6
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The Affair 1995Travis Holloway★ 3.8
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The Last Supper 1995Luke★ 6.5
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The Tuskegee Airmen 1995Lt. Glenn★ 7.1
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Dangerous Minds 1995Mr. George Grandey★ 7
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Panther 1995Bobby Seale★ 6.2
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The Piano Lesson 1995Lymon★ 7.2
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ER 1994Russell Banfield★ 7.8
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Holy Matrimony 1994Cooper★ 5.3
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Thomas★ 5.3
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Percy & Thunder 1993Wayne 'Thunder' Carter★ NR
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Beyond the Law 1993Conroy Price★ 6.2
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Jim★ 6.2
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Justice Butler★ 5
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(voice)★ NR
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(voice)★ NR
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Reader★ 5.7
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Law & Order 1990Mayor's Assistant★ 7.4
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Petty Officer Ronald 'Jonesy' Jones (USS Dallas)★ 7.4
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American Experience 1988Narrator (voice)★ 7.4
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thirtysomething 1987★ 6.3
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Hamburger Hill 1987Spc. Abraham 'Doc' Johnson★ 6.6
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First Affair 1983Male Student #2★ 1
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NOVA 1974Narrator★ 7
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Lucien P. Singer★ 8.6