Courtney B. Vance is an award-winning actor who is a powerful presence from the stage to the screen. His debut as Spc. Abraham ‘Doc’ Johnson in Hamburger Hill launched a prolific cinematic career that includes historically noteworthy films such as The Hunt for Red October, The Preacher’s Wife, and The Adventures of Huck Finn.
From Courtney’s stunning portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in FX’s The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, to the beloved and pivotal character “Uncle George” in HBO’s critically acclaimed drama horror series Lovecraft Country, to his star turn in NatGeo’s Genius: Aretha as Rev. C.L. Franklin, he has earned two EMMYs, a TONY, a Critics Choice Award, a Black Reel TV Award, and multiple NAACP Image Awards, as well as SAG, Golden Globe, and Hollywood Critics Association nominations.
Courtney’s feature film, Heist 88, in which he stars and is produced by Bassett Vance Productions, aired on Showtime Networks, was one of 2023’s most watched original films on the network, and Paramount+. The film earned three NAACP Image Award nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Television Movie for Courtney, Outstanding Television Movie Drama, and won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Television Movie Drama.
Courtney is the recipient of the Bounce Trumpet Awards Excellence in Entertainment Honor, the ABFF Honors Award for Excellence in the Arts, and he earned a Grammy nomination for his narration of Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s book, ACCESSORY TO WAR.
He recently starred on 61st Street, a criminal justice drama, which began airing its second season on the CW Network in Summer 2024 for which he earned an AAFCA TV Honors Award. He currently co-stars alongside Niecy Nash-Betts in Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie, a horror drama series on Hulu. His upcoming film, the sci-fi comedy feature Lilo & Stitch in which he plays Cobra Bubbles, is due in theaters May 2025.
Courtney and Angela’s Bassett Vance Productions is in partnership with 20th Television to develop and executive produce comedy, drama, limited series, and TV movies for linear networks and streamers, with an emphasis on platforms across Disney Entertainment Television.
Courtney’s book, THE INVISIBLE ACHE: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power, with Dr. Robin L. Smith and written by award-winning journalist Charisse Jones earned him the Author of the Year Award at the National Book Club Conference in 2024. He is also Chairman of the SAG AFTRA Foundation and was announced as part of the 2025 class of notables for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.