Ernie Hudson's childhood in Benton Harbor, Michigan, was marked by a passion for creative expression, as he spent his formative years crafting short stories, poems, and songs, driven by the dream that his words might one day come to life on stage.
After serving a brief stint in the Marine Corps, Hudson relocated to Detroit, where he became the resident playwright at Concept East, the oldest Black theatre in the country. Simultaneously, he enrolled at Wayne State University to hone his writing and acting skills, and co-founded the Actors' Ensemble Theatre, a platform that allowed him and fellow talented young Black writers to direct and perform in their own original works.
Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State, Hudson was awarded a full scholarship to the esteemed Master of Fine Arts program at Yale School of Drama. During his time at Yale, he performed with the school's repertory company, and was subsequently asked to appear in the Los Angeles production of Lonne Elder III's musical "Daddy Goodness," an opportunity that led to his meeting Gordon Parks, who offered him a costarring role in the feature film Leadbelly (1976).
However, Hudson's early experiences in Hollywood were marked by a series of "bit parts" and harsh lessons, which ultimately led him to enroll in another academic program at the University of Minnesota. Although he did not complete the program, Hudson's time at the University of Minnesota proved to be a pivotal moment of self-discovery, as he realized that there were those who spent their lives studying the craft, and those who spent their lives doing it. Hudson, determined to be in the latter group, continued to pursue his passion for acting.
His subsequent career was marked by a series of starring and guest roles on popular television shows, including Fantasy Island, The Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Diff'rent Strokes, Taxi, One Day at a Time, Gimme a Break!, The A-Team, and Webster, as well as costarring roles in TV movies such as White Mama, Roots: The Next Generations, Women of San Quentin, California Girls, Mad Bull, and Love on the Run.
Hudson's feature film credits include The Jazz Singer, The Main Event, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, Penitentiary II, Going Berserk, Joy of Sex, and, of course, the iconic Ghostbusters (1984).
