COURTNEY VANCE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Courtney Vance was born on March 12th, 1960 in Detroit, Michigan with the middle name Bernard, born to Leslie and Conroy Vance.  After high school he earned a degree from both Harvard University as well as a Masters from Yale Drama School. 
 
Some of his early film roles include, "Hamburger Hill" (1987) starring with Dylan McDermott, Steven Weber, Don Cheadle and Michael Boatman, "The Hunt for Red October" (1990) starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones, Fred Thompson and Sam Neill, "The Tuskegee Airmen" (1995) starring Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., John Lithgow and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, "The Last Supper" (1995) starring with Cameron Diaz, Ron Eldard, Annabeth Gish and Jonathan Penner, "Dangerous Minds" (1995) starring Michelle Pfeiffer, "The Adventures of Huck Finn" (1993) co-starring Elijah Wood, Anne Heche, Jason Robards, Ron Pearlman and Robbie Coltrane, "The Preachers Wife" (1996) starring alongside Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, Gregory Hines, Jenifer Lewis and Lionel Richie, "Cookie's Fortune" (1999) starring an ensemble cast including Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Liv Tyler, Patricia Neal, Charles S. Dutton and Chris O'Donnell and "Space Cowboys" (2000) starring Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Donald Sutherland, Tommy Lee Jones, Marcia Gay Harden and William Devane.
 
Alongside his film work he has appeared on a number of television series such as, "Thirty Something", "Law & Order", "Picket Fences", "ER", "Revenge", "Boston Public", "State of Minds", "Flash Forward" and "The Closer". 
 
Vance has also added such television movie credits as, "Percy & Thunder" (1993), "The Piano Lesson" (1995), "The Boys Next Door" (1996) and "Let it Shine" (2012).
 
Along with his film and television work he has also appeared as a stage actor earning awards such as being nominated twice for a Broadway Tony Award as Best Actor for, "Fences" and "Six Degrees of Separation".  He also earned an Obie Award for his work in the production, "My Children! My Africa!".
 
Courtney Vance has married only once to actress Angela Bassett in 1997 and they have two children through a surrogate and remain married today.  Most recently he has appeared in the television movie, "Graceland" (2012) and the film in pre-production, "The Farm".  
 
 
Filmography

2014   The Farm 

2013   Graceland

2012   Let It Shine
 
2012   Revenge

2012   Joyful Noise

2011   Final Destination 5 
 
2010-2011  The Closer

2011   The Divide

2009-2010  FlashForward 
 
2010   Extraordinary Measures

2009   Hurricane Season 

2008-2009  ER 
 
2009   The Spectacular Spider-Man

2008   Nothing But the Truth

2007   State of Mind
 
2001-2006  Law & Order: Criminal Intent

2002-2004  The American Experience

2002   Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story

2002   D-Tox

2000   Boston Public
 
2000   Space Cowboys 

2000   Parting the Waters 

1999   Love and Action in Chicago 
 
1999   Cookie's Fortune 

1998   Naked City: A Killer Christmas 

1998   The Wild Thornberrys 
 
1998   Naked City: Justice with a Bullet 

1998   Any Day Now 

1998   Ambushed
 
1998   Blind Faith

1997   12 Angry Men 

1996   The Preacher's Wife 
 
1996   The Boys Next Door 

1995   The Affair

1995   The Last Supper
 
1995   The Tuskegee Airmen 

1995   Dangerous Minds

1995   Panther 
 
1995   Picket Fences 

1995   The Piano Lesson 

1990-1995  Law & Order
 
1994   Holy Matrimony 

1994   Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad 

1993   Percy & Thunder 
 
1993   Beyond the Law 

1993   The Adventures of Huck Finn 

1992   In the Line of Duty: Street War
 
1992   Nonesense and Lullabyes: Nursery Rhymes

1992   Nonesense and Lullabyes: Poems
 
1991   The Emperor's New Clothes 

1990   The Hunt for Red October 

1989   thirtysomething
 
1987   Hamburger Hill

1983   First Affair