Blair Underwood is a multifaceted individual who has made a significant impact in the entertainment industry as an actor, director, and producer. He has recently returned to Broadway, starring alongside David Alan Grier in the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "A Solider's Play" under the direction of Kenny Leon and the Roundabout Theatre Company.
In addition to his Broadway success, Underwood will also be seen in Justin Simien's "Bad Hair", which is set to premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Furthermore, he will star alongside Octavia Spencer and Tiffany Haddish in Netflix's highly anticipated limited series "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker", which is scheduled to be released on March 20.
Underwood's recent television credits include a recurring role on the Netflix comedy series "Dear White People" and a starring role in Clark Johnson's "Juanita", opposite Alfre Woodard, both for Netflix. He also spent two years as a series regular on the ABC drama series "Quantico", while having a recurring role on another hit ABC drama "MARVEL AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. ". Additionally, he had a co-starring role in "The After Party", from writer/director Ian Edelman, which was released by Netflix in 2018.
Prior to his recent work, Underwood had a series regular role on "Dirty Sexy Money", "The New Adventures of Old Christine", "In Treatment", "The Event", and "L.A. Law". His film credits include "Deep Impact", "Set It Off", "Rules of Engagement", "Just Cause", "Madea's Family Reunion", and Steven Soderbergh's "Full Frontal". Underwood also co-starred alongside Cicely Tyson in the Lifetime telefilm and theatre production of "A Trip to Bountiful", based on the Tony Award-winning play.
In 2012, Underwood made his Broadway debut in the iconic role of Stanley in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire", for which he earned a 2012 Drama League Distinguished Performance Award nomination. He also starred in "Paradise Blue" at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and "Othello" at the Old Globe Theatre.
As a director, Underwood has several projects in development, including "Viral", a feature film based on a Joe McClean script. In 2010, he made his feature film directing debut with "The Bridge to Nowhere", which starred Ving Rhames, Danny Masterson, Bijou Phillips, and Alex Breckenridge.
Throughout his career, Underwood has received numerous awards and nominations, including an Emmy Award as a producer of the philanthropy-centered NBC Saturday morning series "Give", two Golden Globe Award nominations, and 17 NAACP Image Award nominations, of which he has won seven. He also won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word as co-narrator of Al Gore's audiobook, An Inconvenient Truth.
