Category:
Richest Celebrities › Actors
Net Worth:
$8 Million
Salary:
$120 Thousand Per Episode
Birthdate:
Aug 25, 1964 (60 years old)
Birthplace:
Tacoma
Gender:
Male
Height:
5 ft 10 in (1.8 m)
Profession:
Nationality:
United States of America
Blair Underwood is an American actor who has a net worth of $8 million. Blair Underwood is perhaps best known for playing the headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins on the NBC legal drama “L.A. Law.” He made his film debut at age 21 in “Krush Groove” (1985). In 2008, he starred in the HBO series “In Treatment.”
Underwood was born on August 25, 1964, in Tacoma, Washington, to parents Marilyn Ann Scales and Frank Eugene, Sr. His mother worked as an interior designer, while his father was a colonel in the United States Army. Because of his father’s job, Underwood lived on various Army bases throughout his childhood, both in the United States and abroad. He attended Petersburg High School in Petersburg, Virginia. He then went on to attend the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.
Underwood began his film career in the 1985 musical film, “Krush Grove.” He then booked an appearance on “The Cosby Show” and landed a short three-month stint on the ABC soap opera, “One Life to Live.” He then appeared in the CBS crime drama series “Downtown” from 1986 to 1987. Additionally, he guest-starred on “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” and “21 Jump Street.”
When Underwood was 23 years old in 1987, he was cast as the character Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama “L.A. Law” For his work in this role, he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film in 1991. He remained on the show until it ended in 1994.
While on “L.A. Law,” he also booked a role in the film “Murder in Mississippi” in 1990. In 1993, he co-starred in the western film “Posse” alongside Mario Van Peebles. He then had a number of starring roles in films like the legal thriller “Just Cause” in 1995. He also played the love interest in “Set It Off” opposite Jada Pinkett. Throughout the end of the 1990s, he appeared in other films like “Gattaca” and “Deep Impact.”
Additionally, during this time, Underwood continued working in television. He appeared in the ABC drama series “High Incident” and co-starred opposite Cicely Tyson in the 1998 miniseries “Mama Flora’s Family.” In 2000, he appeared in a leading role in the medical drama “City of Angels.” The same year, he was voted one of “People” magazine’s “Most Influential Faces of the 90s.” In 2003, he appeared in four episodes of “Sex and the City” in which he played the love interest of Cynthia Nixon. The next year, he played the opposite of Heather Locklear in the NBC drama “LAX.”
In 2006, he was cast in Tyler Perry’s second film, “Madea’s Family Reunion.” He also landed a recurring role as a school teacher in the CBS sitcom, “The New Adventures of Old Christine” opposite Julia Louis-Dreyfus from 2006 until 2008. In 2007, he participated in the mammoth Bible project, “Inspired ByThe Bible Experience,” an 89-hour fully dramatized audio Bible. He also co-authored the book “Casanegra: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel” along with Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due.
The next year, Underwood starred in the first season of the HBO Drama series “In Treatment.” He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film at the 2009 Golden Globes. He also appeared on several seasons of the ABC prime-time soap opera, “Dirty Sexy Money” from 2007 to 2009. He also voiced a role in “The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon.”
In 2010, Underwood portrayed the United States president on the NBC drama series, “The Event. A couple of years later, he appeared in the Broadway revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” In 2013, Underwood appeared in the remake of “Ironside,” though the show was canceled after three episodes. He then appeared in “The Trip to Bountiful” and won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries, or Dramatic Special category. He landed a recurring role in the ABC series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” from 2015 to 2016. He was then cast in a main role in the ABC series “Quantico.” He remained on the show for three seasons until the series was canceled.
In 2019, Underwood appeared in the Netflix miniseries, “When They See Us.” In 2020, he co-starred opposite Octavia Spence on another Netflix miniseries, “Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker.” The same year, he appeared on stage in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, “A Soldier’s Play.” For his work, he received a Tony Award nomination in the Best Actor in a Play category.
Underwood married his spouse, Desiree DaCosta, in 1994. The couple separated in 2021 but had three children together during their relationship. Underwood is involved in a number of charitable organizations. In 1993, he won the Humanitarian Award for his work with the Los Angeles chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He also has served as a spokesperson for YouthAIDS and is involved with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Clinic in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he serves as a Trustee for the Robey Theatre Company in Los Angeles, a non-profit theatre group founded by Danny Glover that focuses on plays about the Black experience.
