Fishburne, Laurence

in full Laurence John Fishburne III

(born July 30, 1961, Augusta, Georgia, U.S.) American actor noted for the intensity of his performances. In 1992 he won a Tony Award for his work in August Wilson's play Two Trains Running, and in 1993 he won an Emmy Award for his guest appearance on the television show Tribeca. He is probably best known for his role as Morpheus in the Matrix film trilogy.

Fishburne began acting as a child, making his film debut in Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975) at age 14. He then lied about his age to win the part of Clean, a gunner on a swift boat in Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now (1979). The experience of filming in the Philippines with a veteran moviemaking cast and crew had a profound impact on Fishburne, who became committed to succeeding in Hollywood. Initially he found only roles as hoodlums, and he was happy to take the part of the lighthearted Cowboy Curtis on the children's television show Pee-Wee's Playhouse. He worked again with Coppola in Rumble Fish (1983) and Cotton Club (1984) and with directors Steven Spielberg in The Color Purple (1985) and Spike Lee in School Daze (1988). In the 1990s he hit his stride, turning in noteworthy performances in King of New York (1990), Boyz 'n the Hood (1991), Deep Cover (1992), and Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993). His portrayal of musician Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. In 1995 he became the first African American to play Shakespeare's Othello in a major film. He also starred in two acclaimed television films, The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) and Miss Evers' Boys (1997).