Courtney B. Vance
Biography
Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor born on March 12, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career on the Broadway stage, appearing in original productions of Fences in 1985, Six Degrees of Separation in 1990, and Lucky Guy in 2013, winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the latter. In film, Vance is known for his roles in Hamburger Hill, The Hunt for Red October, The Preacher's Wife, Cookie's Fortune, Terminator Genisys, and Isle of Dogs. On television, he portrayed Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver on Law and Order: Criminal Intent and also made guest appearances on other shows.
Career overview
Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor born on March 12, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career on the Broadway stage, appearing 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 his performance in Lucky Guy, Vance won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
In addition to his stage work, Vance has appeared in numerous films. His film credits include Hamburger Hill in 1987, The Hunt for Red October in 1990, The Preacher's Wife in 1996, Cookie's Fortune in 1999, Terminator Genisys in 2015, and Isle of Dogs in 2018.
Vance is also recognized for his work on television. He portrayed Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver on the television show Law and Order Criminal Intent, and he has also made television guest appearances.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
103 titles- Girl Dad (2026)
- W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause (2026) as Self
- Lilo & Stitch (2025) as Cobra Bubbles
- Grotesquerie (2024) as Marshall Tryon
- Grotesquerie (2024) Executive Producer
- Death Wish (2024) as Pilot (voice)
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023) as Zeus
- Heist 88 (2023) as Jeremy Horne
- Heist 88 (2023) Executive Producer
- The Jennifer Hudson Show (2022) as Self
- Sherri (2022) as Self - Guest
- 61st Street (2022) as Franklin Roberts
- Amend: The Fight for America (2021) as Self
- Project Power (2020) as Captain Craine
- Lovecraft Country (2020) as George Freeman
- The Photograph (2020) as Louis Morton
- Uncorked (2020) as Louis
- Between the World and Me (2020) as Self
- Hollywood's Architect: The Paul R. Williams Story (2020) as Self - Narrator
- Tamron Hall (2019) as Self - Guest
- On Broadway (2019) as Self (archive footage)
- Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America (2019) as Self - Host
- Isle of Dogs (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- Ben Is Back (2018) as Mr. Beeby
- The Groveland Four (2018) as Self - Narrator
- Genius (2017) as C.L. Franklin
- The Mummy (2017) as Colonel Greenway
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) as Sir Lord Keenan Coefield
- American Crime Story (2016) as Johnnie Cochran
- Office Christmas Party (2016) as Walter Davis
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self - Guest
- Terminator Genisys (2015) as Miles Dyson
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (2014) as Self
- Masters of Sex (2013) as Dr. Charles Hendricks
- Graceland (2013) as Sam Campbell
- Scandal (2012) as Clarence Parker
- Finding Your Roots (2012) as Self
- Let It Shine (2012) as Jacob
- The Divide (2012) as Delvin
- Joyful Noise (2012) as Pastor Dale
- Revenge (2011) as Benjamin Brooks
- Final Destination 5 (2011) as Agent Block
- Extraordinary Measures (2010) as Marcus Temple
- Hurricane Season (2010) as Mr. Randolph
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009) as Self - Guest
- FlashForward (2009) as Stanford Wedeck
- Nothing but the Truth (2008) as Agent O'Hara
- The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays (2006) as Corey (segment "Fences")
- The Closer (2005) as Chief Tommy Delk
- The Closer (2005) as Chief Tommy Delk (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The Fight (2005) as Narrator (voice)
- Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004) as Other Voices (voice)
- Gary the Rat (2003)
- Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives (2003)
- D-Tox (2002) as Reverend Jones
- Partners of the Heart (2002) as Vivien Thomas (voice)
- Whitewash: The Clarence Brandley Story (2002) as Clarence Brandley
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) as Ron Carver
- Boston Public (2000) as Walter Harrelson
- Space Cowboys (2000) as Roger Hines
- The Acting Class (2000) as Self
- The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story (2000)
- Cookie's Fortune (1999) as Otis Tucker
- Love and Action in Chicago (1999) as Eddie Jones
- The Wild Thornberrys (1998) as Makai (voice)
- Any Day Now (1998)
- Ambushed (1998) as Jerry Robinson
- Blind Faith (1998) as John Williams
- Naked City: Justice with a Bullet (1998) as Officer James Halloran
- Naked City: A Killer Christmas (1998) as Officer James Halloran
- The View (1997) as Self
- The View (1997) as Self - Guest
- 12 Angry Men (1997) as Foreman
- The Preacher's Wife (1996) as Reverend Henry Biggs
- The Boys Next Door (1996) as Lucien P. Singer
- Dangerous Minds (1995) as Mr. George Grandey
- Panther (1995) as Bobby Seale
- The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) as Lt. Glenn
- The Last Supper (1995) as Luke
- The Affair (1995) as Travis Holloway
- The Piano Lesson (1995) as Lymon
- ER (1994) as Russell Banfield
- Holy Matrimony (1994) as Cooper
- Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad (1994) as Thomas
- The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) as Jim
- Beyond the Law (1993) as Conroy Price
- Percy & Thunder (1993) as Wayne 'Thunder' Carter
- Picket Fences (1992) as Warren Grier
- Nonsense and Lullabyes: Nursery Rhymes (1992) as (voice)
- Nonsense and Lullabyes: Poems (1992) as (voice)
- The Emperor's New Clothes (1992) as Scribe (voice)
- In the Line of Duty: Street War (1992) as Justice Butler
- Memorial: Letters from American Soldiers (1991) as Reader
- Law & Order (1990) as Mayor's Assistant
- Law & Order (1990) as Benjamin Greer
- The Hunt for Red October (1990) as Petty Officer Ronald 'Jonesy' Jones (USS Dallas)
- American Experience (1988) as Narrator (voice)
- thirtysomething (1987)
- Hamburger Hill (1987) as Spc. Abraham 'Doc' Johnson
- First Affair (1983) as Male Student #2
- NOVA (1974) as Narrator
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Lucien P. Singer
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Audience Member
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Courtney B. Vance best known for?
Courtney B. Vance is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Girl Dad (2026), Lilo & Stitch (2025), Grotesquerie (2024), Grotesquerie (2024).
When and where was Courtney B. Vance born?
Courtney B. Vance was born on March 12, 1960 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
How many credits does Courtney B. Vance have?
Courtney B. Vance has accumulated over 103 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1944 to 2026.
What is Courtney B. Vance's background in cinema and television?
Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor born on March 12, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career on the Broadway stage, appearing in original productions of Fences in 1985, Six Degrees of Separation in 1990, and Lucky Guy in 2013, winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the latter. In fi...