Dennis Haysbert - wikipedia Dennis Haysbert Dennis Haysbert Haysbert in March 2015 Dennis Dexter Haysbert ( 1954 - 06 - 02 ) June 2, 1954 ( age 63 ) San Mateo, California, U.S. Occupation Actor Years active 1978 -- present Spouse ( s ) Elena Simms ( 1980 -- 1984 ) Lynn Griffith ( 1989 -- 2001 ) Children Dennis Dexter Haysbert ( born June 2, 1954 ) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his appearances in commercials for Allstate Insurance. He is also known for portraying baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, Secret Service Agent Tim Collin in the 1997 political thriller film Absolute Power, and Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the drama series The Unit. He is also known for playing U.S. Senator ( later President ) David Palmer on the first 5 seasons of 24 and has appeared in the films Love Field, Heat, Far from Heaven and the science fiction series Incorporated. Contents 1 Personal life 2 Career 2.1 Television 2.2 Film 2.3 Commercials 2.4 Video games 2.5 Theater 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Television 4 References 5 External links Personal life Haysbert was born in San Mateo, California, the son of Gladys ( née Minor ), a homemaker and house cleaner, and Charles Whitney Haysbert, Sr., a deputy sheriff and airline security guard. He is the eighth of nine children, having two sisters and six brothers. His parents were from Louisiana. Haysbert was raised Baptist. Haysbert graduated from San Mateo High School in 1972. After high school, being 6 ft 5 in tall, he was offered athletic scholarships but instead chose to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Haysbert is a twice divorced father of two. He announced in April 2009 that he was starting a TV, film, and documentary production company. His first project was to be a documentary for HBO about an up - and - coming boxer. During the 2010 California elections, Haysbert supported Democratic Senatorial incumbent Barbara Boxer by appearing with her at campaign events, as well as recording radio commercials. Career Television Haysbert has been acting in film and television since 1978, starting with a guest role in The White Shadow. His television guest starring roles include Lou Grant, Growing Pains, Laverne & Shirley, The A-Team, Night Court, Dallas, The Incredible Hulk, Magnum, P.I., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and Duckman. In 1993, he had a featured role in Return to Lonesome Dove as outlaw Cherokee Jack Jackson. In 1999, Haysbert starred with Eric Close in Now and Again, which was cancelled after its first season. In 2001, Haysbert became best known when he was cast in 24 as U.S. Senator David Palmer, who served as the first African American U.S. President ( in the context of the show ) during the second and third seasons. He also returned as a guest star in the last six episodes of season 4 and the first episode of season 5. He was nominated for a Golden Globe and for a Golden Satellite Award in 2002 for this role. Haysbert stated in an interview for the show that the three men he admires most -- Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Colin Powell -- collectively embody his idea of what a President should be. Haysbert believes that his playing of David Palmer on 24 helped Barack Obama -- whom Haysbert supported -- to win the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Haysbert was the first actor to portray DC Comics character Kilowog, a member of the Green Lantern Corps, in a medium outside of comics. He provided the voice of Kilowog on various episodes of Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. On March 4, 2006, Haysbert guest starred on the Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Natalie Portman as the host of a live action / animated TV Funhouse cartoon called `` Belated Black History Moment ''. In his role, Haysbert paid homage to fictional short - lived Saturday morning cartoons featuring black characters, such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo in Outer Space. He also portrayed Nelson Mandela in Goodbye Bafana ( also released under the name The Color of Freedom ). Haysbert portrayed the lead character Jonas Blane in the CBS action - drama The Unit. He hosted and narrated the Military History Channel presentation of Secrets of Pearl Harbor, which documented his scuba dives with a film team on World War II - era Japanese and American warships in the Pacific Theater. In March 2013, Haysbert narrated the documentary The World According to Dick Cheney on the Showtime television channel. In 2015, Haysbert played Detective John Almond in Backstrom. In November 2016, Haysbert began his co-starring role in Incorporated. Set in a dystopian future run by corporations, Haysbert plays Julian, a ruthless security head working for one of the larger corporations. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are co-executive producers on the series, which was shot in British Columbia, Canada, and airs on Showcase in Canada and Syfy in the U.S. Film In 1989, Haysbert made his first major role as Pedro Cerrano, a voodoo - practicing Cuban refugee baseball player, in Major League. Haysbert followed that up with a role in 1990 's Navy SEALs, which also starred Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn, before moving on to another baseball movie, Mr. Baseball with Tom Selleck. In 1991, he also starred in K - 9000, where he played a police officer named Nick Sanrio. In 1992, he co-starred with Michelle Pfeiffer in Love Field, a film about a series of events occurring contemporaneously with the assassination and funeral of President John F. Kennedy. In 1994, Haysbert reprised his role as Cerrano in Major League II. This was followed by low - key appearances in Waiting to Exhale, Heat, and Absolute Power. In 1998, Haysbert made another appearance as Cerrano in Major League : Back to the Minors. In 1999, Haysbert played a police detective in three different films : The Minus Man, The Thirteenth Floor, and Random Hearts. In 2000, Haysbert played the role of Zeke McCall in Love & Basketball. In 2002, Haysbert played the role of gardener Raymond Deagan in Far From Heaven. He won three awards ( Satellite Award, Black Reel Award, and Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award ) for Best Supporting Actor for that role. In 2005, he had a supporting role in Sam Mendes 's film, Jarhead. In 2007, Haysbert returned to the big screen to portray Nelson Mandela in Goodbye Bafana and an FBI agent in Breach. In 2012, he voiced General Hologram in Wreck - It Ralph and served as an official judge for the Noor Iranian Film Festival. He replaced the deceased Michael Clark Duncan as Manute in Sin City : A Dame to Kill For ( 2014 ). In 2014, Haysbert played the role of Dean Fairbanks in Dear White People and Dead Rising : Watchtower. Commercials Haysbert is the official spokesman for the Allstate Insurance Company. His commercials typically end with one of the two Allstate Corporation official slogans, either `` Are you in good hands ? '' or `` That 's Allstate 's stand. '' More recently however his commercials have combined the two with `` That 's Allstate 's stand. Are you in good hands ? ''. He has also appeared in Spanish - language commercials with the line `` Con Allstate, Estás En Buenas Manos. '' ( With Allstate, you 're in good hands. ) In 2009 -- 2010, Allstate used the Neil Sedaka song `` Breaking Up Is Hard to Do '' in television commercials to promote Allstate 's car insurance. Breaking up is hard to do, the ads averred, unless one has an Allstate agent to undertake the deed for the customer ( switching from another insurer to Allstate ). The viewer learned that `` breaking up is easy to do '' as reassured on the screen by Haysbert. In his role as spokesman for Allstate, Haysbert officiated the coin toss prior to the 2007 Sugar Bowl between LSU and Notre Dame. In 2008, Haysbert was featured in national television ads to raise public awareness about lending discrimination. The ads were commissioned by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. In one of these ads, Haysbert warns consumers about lenders ' targeting minorities for inferior loan products. For the 2006 college football season, Haysbert did voice work for ticket sales promotions for Brigham Young University. He did it as a favor to his younger brother Adam, who played wide receiver at BYU in the early 1980s. Haysbert also voices the Military Channel 's commercials with their official slogan : `` The Military Channel. Go Behind the Lines. '' Video games Haysbert has also done voice work for various video games, such as Irving Lambert in Tom Clancy 's Splinter Cell : Pandora Tomorrow, the narrator in Call of Duty : Finest Hour and David Palmer in 24 : The Game. Theater In June 2010, Haysbert joined the cast of David Mamet 's Race on Broadway as character Henry Brown, performing alongside actors Eddie Izzard, Richard Thomas and Afton Williamson. The play ran until August 21, 2010. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1979 Scoring Lt. Harrigan 1989 Major League Pedro Cerrano Navy Seals Chief Special Warfare Operator Billy Graham Mr. Baseball Max `` Hammer '' Dubois Love Field Paul Cater 1993 Suture Clay Arlington Alex Haley 's Queen Davis Major League II Pedro Cerrano 1995 Heat Donald Breedan Waiting to Exhale Kenneth Dawkins Amanda Seven / Sir Jordan Absolute Power Tim Collin 1998 How to Make the Cruelest Month Manhattan Parks Major League : Back to the Minors Pedro Cerrano Standoff Ty ' Bama ' Jones 1999 The Minus Man Graves The Thirteenth Floor Detective Larry McBain Random Hearts Detective George Beaufort 2000 What 's Cooking ? Ronald Williams Love & Basketball Zeke McCall 2002 Far from Heaven Raymond Deagan Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated -- Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actor 2003 Sinbad : Legend of the Seven Seas Kale Voice 2005 Jarhead Major Lincoln 2007 Goodbye Bafana Nelson Mandela Breach Dean Plesac 2011 The Details Lincoln Kung Fu Panda 2 Master Storming Ox Voice 2012 LUV Mr. Fish Wreck - It Ralph General Hologram Voice 2013 Welcome to the Jungle Mr. Crawford Battledogs Lt. General Christopher Monning 2014 Mr. Peabody & Sherman Judge Voice Think Like a Man Too Uncle Eddie Life of a King Searcy Sin City : A Dame to Kill For Manute Men, Women & Children Secretluvur Sniper : Legacy The Colonel Dear White People The Dean How Murray Saved Christmas Narrator 2015 Experimenter Ossie Davis Dead Rising : Watchtower General Lyons Digital film Ted 2 Fertility Doctor 2016 Jarhead 3 : The Siege Major Lincoln Direct to video Sniper : Ghost Shooter The Colonel Direct to video 2017 Fist Fight Superintendent Johnson The Dark Tower Steven Deschain Naked Reginald Swope Kodachrome Larry Television Year Title Role Notes 1978 Lou Grant Victor Episode : `` Schools '' 1979 The White Shadow Basketball Player Episode : `` Wanna Bet ? '' Laverne & Shirley Navy Shore Patrolman Episode : `` What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor ? '' 1980 Quincy M.E. Fred Episode : `` New Blood '' The Incredible Hulk Guard Episode : `` Nine Hours '' Galactica 1980 Imperious Leader Episode : `` Space Croppers '' 1980 -- 81 Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Various 5 episodes 1981 Quincy M.E. Driver Episode : `` Headhunter '' Grambling 's White Tiger James `` Shack '' Harris Television movie 1981 -- 82 Code Red Stuff Wade 8 episodes The A-Team Psych Ward Staff Episode : `` One More Time '' 1984 Dallas Dr. Forbes Episode : `` Killer at Large '' Riptide Odell Episode : `` Father 's Day '' Gimme a Break ! Rev. Winfield Episode : `` Baby of the Family '' 1984 -- 85 Off the Rack Cletus Maxwell 7 episodes 1985 Magnum P.I. Lieutenant Jameson, USN Episode : `` Blood and Honor '' What 's Happening Now ! ! Policeman Episode : `` I 'll Be Homeless for Christmas '' Growing Pains Police Officer Episode : `` Weekend Fantasy '' 1986 The Fall Guy Jeremy Wolf Episode : `` Trial by Fire '' 227 Sgt. Banks Episode : `` Redecorating Blues '' Scarecrow and Mrs. King Kimambo Episode : `` Billy 's Lost Weekend '' The Young and the Restless Ron Clark 8 episodes Growing Pains Officer Wright Episode : `` Gone But Not Forgottten '' Knots Landing Police Officer Episode : `` The Unraveling '' Easy Street Chip Episode : `` The Country Club '' Valerie Dr. Ervin Episode : `` Oedipus Wrecks '' Our House Unknown Episode : `` Sounds from a Silent Clock : Part 2 '' The Facts of Life Sgt. Evans Episode : `` Before the Fall '' Growing Pains Frank Episode : `` State of the Union '' Crime Story Franklin Himes 2 episodes 1988 -- 89 Just the Ten of Us Coach Duane Johnson 9 episodes 1989 Night Court James Morgan Episode : `` Pen Pal '' The Robert Guillaume Show Mr. Peterson Episode : `` Guaranteed Not to Shrink '' 1991 K - 9000 Nick Sanrio Television movie 1993 Alex Haley 's Queen Davis Television movie Return to Lonesome Dove Jack Jackson 3 episodes American Playhouse Rev. Oliver Crawford Episode : `` Hallelujah '' 1998 The New Batman Adventures Barkley James Episode : `` Mean Seasons '' 1998 -- 99 Superman : The Animated Series Agent # 1 / Doctor # 1 2 episodes : `` Where There 's Smoke '' and `` Unity '' 1999 -- 2000 Now and Again Dr. Theodore Morris 22 episodes Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television Nominated -- Satellite Award for Best Actor -- Television Series Drama Soul Food Rick Grant 2 episodes The Outer Limits Joshua Finch Episode : `` Rule of Law '' 2001 -- 06 24 David Palmer 81 episodes Nominated -- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated -- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Television Series Nominated -- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series ( 2003, 2004 ) Nominated -- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated -- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series ( 2003, 2005 ) 2001 -- 02 Static Shock Chief Barnsdale 4 episodes 2001 -- 04 Justice League Kilowog 4 episodes 2006 -- 09 The Unit Jonas Blane 69 episodes Nominated -- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series ( 2007 -- 2009 ) 2013 Newsreaders Det. Fenster Landau Episode : `` CCSI : Boston '' Trophy Wife Russ Bradley Morrison 2 episodes 2014 The Boondocks Sturdy Harris Episode : `` Freedom Ride or Die '' 2015 Blue Bloods Deputy Chief Donald Kent Episode : `` New Rules '' Backstrom Detective Almond Recurring 2016 Undercover Rudy Jones 5 episodes 2016 Brooklyn Nine - Nine Bob Annnderson Episodes : `` Bureau '', `` Greg and Larry '' 2016 -- 17 Incorporated Julian Regular 2017 Reverie Charlie Ventana References Jump up ^ Dennis Haysbert Biography. TVGuide.com. Author unknown ( date unknown ). Jump up ^ Author unknown ( date unknown ). Deaths : Haysbert, Charles Whitney. NewsLibrary Search Result ; access to original article restricted to subscribers. ^ Jump up to : Avery, Laura ( 2007 ). Excerpt from Newsmakers 2007 Cumulation. Jump up ^ `` San Mateo High School Alumni ''. San Mateo High School. Retrieved January 15, 2013. Jump up ^ http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/04/14/70662.html Jump up ^ http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/04/14/70663.html Jump up ^ Retrieved from http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16416407?nclick_check=1. Jump up ^ Video on YouTube Jump up ^ ' 24 ' Exposed ( Part 1 ) featurette. ' 24 ' season 2 bonus DVD. Jump up ^ `` Haysbert Says ' 24 ' Role Paved the Way for Presidential Hopeful Barack Obama ''. buddytv.com. Jump up ^ `` Haysbert : ' 24 ' role may have helped Obama ''. Archived from the original on October 31, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Dennis Haysbert ''. Noted Guys. Archived from the original on 2009 - 10 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Watch the `` Dead Rising : Watchtower '' Movie Right Here, Right NOW ! - ``. bloody-disgusting.com. Jump up ^ Kit, Borys ( 5 December 2012 ). `` Dennis Haysbert Replaces Michael Clarke Duncan in ' Sin City 2 ' ( Exclusive ) ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` Dead Rising : Watchtower ''. DC. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` Allstate ads to remain in Haysbert 's ' good hands ' for three more years ''. World News. Jump up ^ `` HUD Archives : HUD FAIR LENDING PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO SHOWCASE IN MOVIE THEATRES ACROSS THE NATION ''. hud.gov. Jump up ^ Video on YouTube Jump up ^ Scott Taylor ( 15 September 2006 ). `` BYU connection yields strong voice ''. DeseretNews.com. Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4614960/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_7 Jump up ^ `` Undercover : Episode 1 : Credits ''. BBC Online. Retrieved 3 April 2016. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dennis Haysbert. Dennis Haysbert 's Official Website & DH6 Gear Store Official Dennis Haysbert page on Facebook The World According To Dick Cheney - The A.V. Club Dennis Haysbert on IMDb Haysbert Bio at The Unit BostonHerald Race on Broadway Awards for Dennis Haysbert Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor -- Motion Picture Musical or Comedy ( 1996 -- 2005, retired ) Cuba Gooding Jr. ( 1996 ) Rupert Everett ( 1997 ) Bill Murray ( 1998 ) William H. Macy ( 1999 ) Willem Dafoe ( 2000 ) Jim Broadbent ( 2001 ) Michael Constantine ( 2002 ) Eugene Levy ( 2003 ) Thomas Haden Church ( 2004 ) Val Kilmer ( 2005 ) Motion Picture Drama ( 1996 -- 2005, retired ) Armin Mueller - Stahl ( 1996 ) Burt Reynolds ( 1997 ) Donald Sutherland ( 1998 ) Harry Lennix ( 1999 ) Bruce Greenwood ( 2000 ) Ben Kingsley ( 2001 ) Dennis Haysbert ( 2002 ) Djimon Hounsou ( 2003 ) Christopher Walken ( 2004 ) Danny Huston ( 2005 ) Motion Picture ( 2006 -- present ) Leonardo DiCaprio ( 2006 ) Casey Affleck / Tom Wilkinson ( 2007 ) Michael Shannon ( 2008 ) Christoph Waltz ( 2009 ) Christian Bale ( 2010 ) Albert Brooks ( 2011 ) Javier Bardem ( 2012 ) Jared Leto ( 2013 ) J.K. Simmons ( 2014 ) Christian Bale ( 2015 ) Jeff Bridges ( 2016 ) Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television Dennis Haysbert ( 1999 ) James Marsters ( 2000 ) Michael Rosenbaum ( 2001 ) Victor Garber ( 2002 ) James Marsters ( 2003 ) Terry O'Quinn ( 2004 ) James Callis ( 2005 ) Masi Oka ( 2006 ) Michael Emerson ( 2007 ) Adrian Pasdar ( 2008 ) Aaron Paul ( 2009 ) John Noble ( 2010 ) Aaron Paul ( 2011 ) Jonathan Banks ( 2012 ) Aaron Paul ( 2013 ) Laurence Fishburne ( 2014 ) Richard Armitage ( 2015 ) Ed Harris ( 2016 ) VIAF : 14983189 LCCN : n93085992 ISNI : 0000 0000 7823 4334 GND : 139627472 SUDOC : 081232128 BNF : cb14186057z ( data ) BIBSYS : 3117603 IATH : w6966z3w Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dennis_Haysbert&oldid=815427413 '' Categories : 1954 births Living people Male actors from the San Francisco Bay Area American male film actors American male stage actors American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American male voice actors African - American male actors American male television actors People from San Mateo, California 20th - century American male actors 21st - century American male actors Allstate Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from November 2012 Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Български Dansk Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano Kiswahili Magyar მარგალური Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 14 December 2017, at 19 : 47. 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Question: who is the actor who does the allstate commercials
Answer: Dennis Dexter Haysbert