Delroy Lindo | |
|---|---|
 Lindo in 2008 | |
| Born | Delroy George Lindo (1952-11-18)18 November 1952 (age 73) |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Delroy George Lindo (born 18 November 1952) is an American actor.[1][2][3] Starting his career in the 1975 stage production ofOf Mice and Men, he later earned aTony Award nomination forBest Featured Actor for his work in the 1988 production ofJoe Turner's Come and Gone. He received wider recognition with roles in severalSpike Lee films, playing West Indian Archie inMalcolm X (1992), Woody Carmichael inCrooklyn (1994), Rodney Little inClockers (1995), and Paul, aVietnam War veteran, inDa 5 Bloods (2020), the latter of which earned him theNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and theNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. For his role as Delta Slim inRyan Coogler'sSinners (2025), he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Lindo is also known for playing Bo Catlett inGet Shorty (1995), Arthur Rose inThe Cider House Rules (1999), Detective Castlebeck inGone in 60 Seconds (2000), Isaak O'Day inRomeo Must Die (2000) Joe Black inThis Christmas (2007), andBass Reeves inThe Harder They Fall (2021). He also voiced the character Beta in thePixar animated filmUp (2009).
On television, he portrayedMatthew Henson in the 1998 television filmGlory & Honor, andSupreme Court JusticeClarence Thomas inStrange Justice (1999). Lindo later starred as Alderman Ronin Gibbons in the seriesThe Chicago Code (2011), as Winter in the fantasy drama seriesBelieve (2014), and as Adrian Boseman inThe Good Fight (2017–2021).
Delroy George Lindo was born on 18 November 1952 in theUniversity Hospital Lewisham inLewisham,London, England,[1][4] the son ofJamaican parents who were part of theWindrush generation. His mother had immigrated to the UK in 1951 to work as a nurse,[5] and his father worked in various jobs.[6] Lindo grew up in nearbyEltham and attendedWoolwich Polytechnic School for Boys. He became interested in acting as a child when he appeared in anativity play at school.
When he was a teenager, Lindo moved with his mother toToronto, Ontario, Canada. When he was 16, they moved to the United States, toSan Francisco.[7] At the age of 24, Lindo began his studies in acting at theAmerican Conservatory Theater, graduating in 1979.[8]
Lindo made his film debut in 1976 with the CanadianJohn Candy comedyFind the Lady. He played an army sergeant inMore American Graffiti (1979).[9]
For a decade from the early 1980s, Lindo's career was more focused on theatre acting than film, although he has said this was not a conscious decision.[9] In 1982, he debuted on Broadway in"Master Harold"...and the Boys, directed by the play's South African authorAthol Fugard. By 1988, Lindo had earned aTony nomination for his portrayal of Herald Loomis inAugust Wilson'sJoe Turner's Come and Gone.[10][11]
Lindo returned to film in the science fiction filmSalute of the Jugger (1990), which has become a cult classic.[citation needed] Although he had turned downSpike Lee for a role inDo the Right Thing,[citation needed] Lee cast him as West Indian Archie, a psychotic gangster, inMalcolm X (1992) and Woody Carmichael in the dramaCrooklyn (1994), which brought Lindo notice. He also played a starring role as a neighborhood drug dealer in Lee'sClockers.
Between 1995 and 2000, Lindo co-starred in a string of box office hits includingBarry Sonnenfeld'sGet Shorty (1995), Ron Howard'sRansom (1996),John Woo'sBroken Arrow (1996),Lasse Hallström'sThe Cider House Rules (1999),Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), andRomeo Must Die (2000). Lindo also had memorable uncredited cameos inCongo (1995) andThe Devil's Advocate (1997).[12]
Additionally, Lindo co-starred as African-American explorerMatthew Henson, in the TV filmGlory & Honor, directed byKevin Hooks. It portrayed Henson's nearly 20-year partnership with CommanderRobert Peary in Arctic exploration, and their effort to find theGeographic North Pole in 1909. Lindo received a Satellite Award for best actor for his portrayal of Henson.[citation needed]
In the early 2000s, Lindo co-starred in a series of poorly receivedbox office bombs includingThe Last Castle (2001),The Core (2003),Domino (2005), andSahara (2005). During this time, he also starred in the British independent filmWondrous Oblivion (2003), directed byPaul Morrison, Lindo starred as Dennis Samuels, the father of a Jamaican immigrant family in London in the 1950s. Lindo said he made the film in honour of his parents, who had similarly moved to London in those years.[7]
In 2006, Lindo transitioned to television and was seen on the short-lived NBC dramaKidnapped.[13] Following the series' cancellation, Lindo began an association withBerkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley,California in 2007, when he directedTanya Barfield's playThe Blue Door. He played Joe Black inThis Christmas in 2007.[14] In the autumn of 2008, Lindo revisitedAugust Wilson's playJoe Turner's Come and Gone, directing a production at the Berkeley Rep.[15] In 2010, he played the role of elderly seer Bynum inDavid Lan's production ofJoe Turner at theYoung Vic Theatre in London.[16]
Lindo was in the main cast of a string of short-lived series includingFox crime dramaThe Chicago Code (2011), theNBC fantasy seriesBelieve (2014), and the ABC soapBlood & Oil (2015). In 2017, Lindo began playing Adrian Boseman in theCBS legal dramaThe Good Fight, a role he would star in for the series' first four seasons and reprise as a guest star in its fifth season.[17][18] Lindo was cast as the lead in anABC drama pilotHarlem's Kitchen in March 2020.[19] In 2015, Lindo was expected to playMarcus Garvey in a biopic of the black nationalist historical figure that had beenin pre-production for several years.[20][21][22] Lindo also appeared in a series of poorly received films such asPoint Break (2015), the dramaBattlecreek (2017), and the horror filmMalicious (2018).
In 2020, Lindo starred inDa 5 Bloods in another collaboration with Spike Lee. For his role inDa 5 Bloods, Lindo received critical acclaim and a number of accolades.[23][24] Lindo later credited Lee andDa 5 Bloods for his career resurgence and eventual Oscar nomination.[25]
In 2021, Lindo appeared inThe Harder They Fall asBass Reeves. He was also cast in theMarvel Studios filmBlade in an undisclosed role.[26] It was announced in July 2021 that Lindo would star as Mr. Nancy in the BritishAmazon Prime miniseries adaptation ofNeil Gaiman'sAnansi Boys alongsideMalachi Kirby.[27] Following sexual misconduct allegations against Gaiman, Lindo said in April 2025 that he did not believe the show "[would] ever see the light of day".[28] A couple years later, Lindo starred in the comedy showUnprisoned and his performance was well received. Kristen Baldwin ofEntertainment Weekly wrote: "Delroy Lindo is so good it should be illegal."[29]
In 2025, Lindo played the supporting role of Delta Slim inRyan Coogler's critically acclaimed and commercially successful filmSinners, with his performance receiving praise and earning him a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[30][31][32]
Lindo married his wife Nashormeh in 1990. They settled inOakland, California, in 1996, having moved fromNew York City and preferring theSan Francisco Bay Area toLos Angeles. Their son Damiri was born in 2001.[33][34]
Lindo is a football fan and supportsManchester United.[35]
Upon learning more about theWindrush generation, both through his mother's account and his own role as a Jamaican immigrant inWondrous Oblivion, Lindo became inspired to study the subject and history further. In 2014, he completed a master's thesis fromNew York University'sGallatin School.[36]
He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Arts and Humanities fromVirginia Union University.[37]
In a 2025 interview, Lindo stated he doesn't view himself as British, stating "My career has been birthed and nurtured in America. I was born in Lewisham hospital, my family's from Jamaica, and my mom was part of the Windrush generation. I am British to that extent, that is my reality."[1]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Partners | Drug Kingpin | Film debut |
| Find the Lady | Sam | ||
| 1978 | Voice of the Fugitive | Prisoner | Short film |
| 1979 | More American Graffiti | Army Sergeant | |
| 1990 | The Blood of Heroes | Mbulu | |
| Mountains of the Moon | Mabruki | ||
| Bright Angel | Harley | ||
| 1991 | The Hard Way | Captain Brix | |
| 1992 | Malcolm X | West Indian Archie | |
| 1993 | Blood In Blood Out | "Bonafide" | |
| Mr. Jones | Howard | ||
| 1994 | L'exil du roi Behanzin | Behanzin | |
| Crooklyn | Woody Carmichael | ||
| 1995 | Clockers | Rodney Little | |
| Congo | Captain Wanta | Uncredited | |
| Get Shorty | Bo Catlett | ||
| 1996 | Ransom | FBI Special Agent Lonnie Hawkins | |
| Broken Arrow | Colonel Max Wilkins | ||
| Feeling Minnesota | "Red" | ||
| The Winner | Kingman | ||
| 1997 | A Life Less Ordinary | Jackson | |
| The Devil's Advocate | Phillipe Moyez | Uncredited | |
| 1999 | Pros & Cons | Kyle Pettibone | |
| The Cider House Rules | Arthur Rose | ||
| 2000 | The Book of Stars | Professor | |
| Gone in 60 Seconds | Detective Roland Castlebeck | ||
| Romeo Must Die | Isaak O'Day | ||
| 2001 | The One | Agent Harry Roedecker / Arri | |
| Heist | Bobby Blane | ||
| The Last Castle | Brigadier General Jim Wheeler | ||
| 2003 | The Core | Dr. Ed "Braz" Brazzleton | |
| Wondrous Oblivion | Dennis Samuel | ||
| 2005 | Domino | Claremont Williams | |
| Sahara | Carl | ||
| 2007 | This Christmas | Joe Black | |
| 2009 | Up | Beta (voice) | |
| Dug's Special Mission | Short film | ||
| 2011 | The Big Bang | Skeres | |
| 2014 | Cymbeline | Belarius | |
| 2015 | Do You Believe? | Malachi | |
| Point Break | FBI Instructor Hall | ||
| 2017 | Battlecreek | Arthur | |
| 2018 | Malicious | Dr. Clark | |
| 2020 | Da 5 Bloods | Paul | |
| LX 2048 | Donald Stein | ||
| 2021 | The Harder They Fall | Bass Reeves | |
| 2025 | Sinners | Delta Slim | |
| 2027 | Godzilla x Kong: Supernova† | TBA | Post-production[38] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Beauty and the Beast | Isaac Stubbs | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Mark Slater | Episode: "Vendetta" |
| Perfect Witness | Berger | Television film | |
| 1991 | Against the Law | Ben | Episode: "Hoops" |
| 1996 | Soul of the Game | Satchel Paige | Television film |
| 1997 | First Time Felon | Calhoun | |
| 1998 | Glory & Honor | Matthew Henson | |
| 1999 | Strange Justice | Clarence Thomas | |
| 2002 | The Simpsons | Gabriel | Voice; episode: "Brawl in the Family" |
| 2003 | Profoundly Normal | Ricardo Thornton | Television film |
| 2005 | Lackawanna Blues | Mr. Lucious | |
| The Exonerated | Delbert Tibbs | ||
| 2006–2007 | Kidnapped | Latimer King | Main cast; 13 episodes |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Detective Victor Moran | Episode: "Baggage" |
| Mercy | Dr. Alfred Parks | Episode: "Can We Get That Drink Now?" | |
| 2011 | The Chicago Code | Alderman Ronin Gibbons | Main cast; 11 episodes |
| 2013 | Robot Chicken | Dopey Smurf, Scorpion Cashier (voices) | Episode: "Papercut to Aorta" |
| 2014 | Believe | Dr. Milton Winter | Main cast; 13 episodes |
| 2015 | Blood & Oil | "Tip" Harrison | Main cast; 10 episodes |
| 2016 | Marvel's Most Wanted | Dominic Fortune | Unaired pilot |
| 2017–2021 | The Good Fight | Adrian Boseman | Main cast; 40 episodes |
| 2017 | This Is Us | Judge Ernest Bradley | Episode: "The Most Disappointed Man" |
| 2023–2024 | Unprisoned | Edwin Alexander | Main cast; also executive producer |
| 2024 | Anansi Boys | Mr Nancy | Unaired[28] |
| 2026 | Finding Your Roots | Himself | Documentary; Season 12, episode 3[39] |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Up | Beta (voice) |
... US actor ...
... British-born American ...
