Wood Harris | |
|---|---|
 Harris (center) in 2011 | |
| Born | Sherwin David Harris (1969-10-17)October 17, 1969 (age 56) |
| Education | Northern Illinois University (BA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Steve Harris (brother) |
Sherwin David "Wood"Harris (born October 17, 1969) is an American actor. He first garnered attention for his role as Motaw in theJeff Pollack filmAbove the Rim (1994), before portraying high school football player Julius Campbell in theWalt Disney Pictures filmRemember the Titans (2000) andJimi Hendrix in theShowtime television filmHendrix (2000). He attained further recognition for his portrayal of drug kingpinAvon Barksdale on theHBO crime dramaThe Wire (2002–2008). Harris also played the role of cocaine dealer Ace, based on the life ofAzie Faison, in the crime filmPaid in Full (2002).
His other notable film work includes the dark comedyNext Day Air (2009), the science fiction filmsDredd (2012) andBlade Runner 2049 (2017), theMarvel Studios superhero filmAnt-Man (2015), and the sports dramaCreed (2015), along with its sequelsCreed II (2018) andCreed III (2023). In 2025, he portrayed Laredo in the filmOne Battle After Another.
On television, Harris starred as Barry Fouray on theVH1 miniseriesThe Breaks (2016–2017), Brooke Payne on theBET miniseriesThe New Edition Story (2017), Damon Cross on theFox seriesEmpire during its fifth and sixth seasons, and the drug lord "Pat" in theStarz seriesBMF (2021–2025).
Harris, who is ofAfrican American heritage, was born inChicago, Illinois, the son of seamstress Mattie and bus driver John Henry Harris.[1] He is the younger brother of actorSteve Harris.[2] He was given the nickname "Wood" by friends in his neighborhood because "Sherwin" was too difficult for some to pronounce.[3] Harris discovered a passion for the arts as early as age twelve when he focused on drawing and painting.[1] He played basketball for St. Joseph's School, the subject of the award-winning documentary,Hoop Dreams.[4]
He holds aBachelor of Arts inTheater Arts fromNorthern Illinois University (NIU), where he also played on the school's basketball team.[4] Harris earned aMaster of Fine Arts fromNew York University.[5][6][7] At one point, Harris was dismissed from NYU for tardiness; however, his classmates successfully petitioned to have him reinstated.[1]
While enrolled inNIU, Harris starred in his first major film role in the basketball dramaAbove the Rim, oppositeDuane Martin and co-starringTupac Shakur,[5] and appeared in many theatrical stage productions of various off-Broadway plays. Harris subsequently guest-starred in a variety of television and film venues before portraying legendary rock guitaristJimi Hendrix inShowtime's 2000 film,Hendrix.[5]
Later that year, Harris received his firstNAACP Image Award nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture" along with the Blockbuster Movie Award nomination for "Favorite Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture" for his role as Julius "Big Ju" Campbell inRemember the Titans.[8] In 2002, he starred in theDame Dash produced cult-classic filmPaid in Full, based on the true story of three Harlem drug dealers with Harris playing the real-lifekingpinAzie Faison.[9]
He starred asAvon Barksdale, loosely based on the real-lifeNathan Barksdale, in theHBO's original seriesThe Wire.[6][7][10] He also produced his own debut album,Beautiful Wonderful, which was intended for release in 2005.[citation needed]
In June 2008, director Martin Guigui revealed that Harris was cast asNate "Sweetwater" Clifton inSweetwater, a movie about the first black player in the NBA; however, the movie was not released until 2023 with another actor in the starring role.[11][12]
In 2009, Harris starred in the filmJust Another Day, as a successful fictional rapper named A-maze.[13] The film centers on a clash between a young up-and-coming rapper and an older one at the top of his game, the former played byJamie Hector (whose characterMarlo Stanfield had a similar role with respect to Harris' character inThe Wire).[14] In 2012, Harris narrated theESPN30 for 30 filmBenji. In the same year he also played Harold "Mitch" Mitchell in the Broadway revival ofA Streetcar Named Desire byTennessee Williams; alongsideBlair Underwood,Nicole Ari Parker, andDaphne Rubin-Vega.[5] In 2015, he reunited withThe Wire cast memberMichael B. Jordan for his role as Tony "Little Duke" Evers inCreed, reprising the role inits sequels.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Above the Rim | Motaw | |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Cafe 24 Busboy | |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Al Swayze | |
| The Siege | Officer Henderson | ||
| 2000 | Committed | Chicky | |
| The Gold Cup | Clayton | ||
| Are You Cinderella? | - | Short | |
| Remember the Titans | Julius Campbell | ||
| Train Ride | Will | ||
| 2002 | Paid in Full | Ace | |
| 2004 | Joy Road | Tony Smalls | |
| 2005 | Dirty | Brax | |
| 2006 | Southland Tales | Dion Element | |
| The Heart Specialist | Dr. Sidney Zachary | ||
| 2007 | 4 Life | Dayvon | Video |
| 2008 | Jazz in the Diamond District | Gabriel Marx | |
| 2009 | Not Easily Broken | Darnell Gooden | |
| Dough Boys | Julian France | ||
| Next Day Air | Guch | ||
| Just Another Day | A-Maze | ||
| 2012 | The Babymakers | Darrell | |
| Dredd | Kay | ||
| 2015 | Ant-Man | Gale | |
| Creed | Tony "Little Duke" Evers | ||
| 2017 | Once Upon a Time in Venice | Prince | |
| 9/11 | Michael | ||
| Blade Runner 2049 | Nandez | ||
| 2018 | Creed II | Tony "Little Duke" Evers | |
| Gangland: The Musical | Reeby | ||
| 2020 | Always and Forever | Danny | |
| 2021 | Ransun Games | Henchman #1 | |
| Space Jam: A New Legacy | Coach C | ||
| 2023 | Creed III | Tony "Little Duke" Evers | |
| Shooting Stars | Dru Joyce II | ||
| 2025 | One Battle After Another | Laredo | |
| TBA | Weekend Warriors | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | NYPD Blue | Hector | Episode: "Moby Greg" |
| 1997 | Oz | Officer Gordon Wood | Episode: "Plan B" |
| Cosby | Tony | Episode: "The Rules" | |
| 1998 | New York Undercover | Shadow | Episode: "Going Native" |
| 1999 | Spenser: Small Vices | Ellis Alves | TV movie |
| 2000 | Hendrix | Jimi Hendrix | TV movie |
| Rhapsody | Billy Dixon | TV movie | |
| 2002 | Def Poetry Jam | Himself | Episode: "Episode #2.7" |
| 2002–2008 | The Wire | Avon Barksdale | Main cast (season 1–3), guest (season 5) |
| 2003 | The Twilight Zone | Marvin Gardens/Dwayne Grant | Episode: "Another Life" |
| 2007 | Numb3rs | Murphy 'Pony' Fuñez | Episode: "The Art of Reckoning" |
| 2008 | Black Poker Stars Invitational | Himself | Main guest |
| House | Bowman | Episode: "Last Resort" | |
| 2009 | Played by Fame | - | Episode: "The Jealous Boyfriend" |
| 2010 | Southland | Trinney Day | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Russell Ellison | Episode: "Nalowale" | |
| 2012 | 30 for 30 | Himself | Episode: "Benji" |
| 2013 | The Watsons Go to Birmingham | Daniel Watson | TV movie |
| 2014 | Justified | Jay | Recurring cast (season 5) |
| 2016 | The Breaks | Barry Fouray | TV movie |
| 2017 | The New Edition Story | Brooke Payne | Main cast |
| The Breaks | Barry Fouray | Main cast | |
| 2017–2021 | Bronzeville | Everett Copeland | Recurring cast (season 1), guest (season 2) |
| 2018–2020 | Empire | Damon Cross | Recurring cast (season 5), main cast (season 6) |
| 2019 | Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television | Vince Vincetti | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2021 | Soul of a Nation | Himself | Episode: "Shut Up And..." |
| BMF | Pat | Recurring cast | |
| The Last O.G. | Percy | Recurring cast (season 4) | |
| 2022–2023 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Spencer Haywood | Recurring cast |
| 2025–present | Forever | Eric | Main role |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Benji |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
