Biography

Omar Epps

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Overview

Born
July 20, 1973 · Brooklyn, New York, USA
Birth name
Omar Hashim Epps
Height
5′ 10½″ (1.79 m)

Biography

Omar Epps is an American actor, starring on the ABC drama Resurrection (2013).

Epps was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised by his mother, Bonnie Maria Epps, an elementary school principal. No stranger to the big screen, Epps has appeared in lead roles in feature films, including Paramount's Against the Ropes (2004), in which he starred opposite Meg Ryan, Paramount's Alfie (2004), opposite Jude Law and Susan Sarandon, Paramount/MTV's The Wood (1999), Miramax's In Too Deep (1999), John Singleton's Higher Learning (1995) and Juice (1992). His supporting roles include Breakfast of Champions (1999), opposite Bruce Willis and Nick Nolte, Major League II (1994), opposite Charlie Sheen, and The Program (1993) with Halle Berry. Omar was also seen in Hollywood's best-kept secret, Scream 2 (1997), MGM's remake of The Mod Squad (1999), with Claire Danes, and Love & Basketball (2000). He also starred in Takeshi Kitano's Brother (2000) for Sony Classics.

He co-starred on the critically-acclaimed FOX medical drama, House (2004), for which he received an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" in 2007. He was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" in 2005, as well, as "Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series" in 2006. Epps was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Best Actor for his performance in the December 2002 Showtime Original movie, Conviction (2002), in which he portrayed "Carl Upchurch", a hardened criminal from South Philadelphia, who spent most of his adult life in prison. It is the story of one man's journey from prisoner to peacemaker. Omar has starred in three HBO Original movies, First Time Felon (1997), directed by Charles S. Dutton (Roc), Deadly Voyage (1996), produced by Danny Glover, and Daybreak (1993), co-starring Cuba Gooding Jr.. "First Time Felon" and "Deadly Voyage" are based on true stories. Epps also portrayed "Dr. Dennis Gant" on the Emmy Award-winning NBC drama, ER (1994). As a surgical resident, he teamed up with "Dr. Carter" (Noah Wyle) and "Dr. Benton" (Eriq La Salle). In one of the most talked about departures, Omar left audiences wondering if his character committed suicide or not.
- IMDb mini biography by: N. Chabot

Family

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Parents

Trivia

Was a back-up dancer for Queen Latifah.
He and actor Marlon Wayans have been friends since childhood.
Is a member of a hip-hop group called Wolfpak, which he formed with his cousin in 1991.
Began writing poetry at age ten.
Attended the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in New York, NY, a school formed from the merger of two New York City high schools for the arts, one of which was the school on which the movie and TV show, Fame (1980), was based.

Quotes

[1999, in an interview in "Newsday"] I'm going to be the first black President of the United States. If [Ronald Reagan can do it, I know I can.
I've been writing since I was a kid. Short stories, poetry, and all of that, and acting is just an extension of that. It just came naturally. So it's coming full circle.
People don't want to pay eight or nine dollars to go see a problem that they have in their life, on screen. They pay to get away from that. That's why they watch soap operas.
The only limitations that I can have are the ones that I set on myself.
The whole Black Hollywood thing doesn't exist for me anymore. Once someone says that to themselves, they subject themselves to those rules.