# Dulé Hill

Karim Dulé Hill (/ˈduːleɪ/; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series The West Wing, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and pharmaceutical salesman–private detective Burton "Gus" Guster on the USA Network television comedy-drama Psych. He also had minor roles in the movies Holes, The Guardian, and She's All That and a recurring role on Ballers. He joined the cast of Suits for the last 2 seasons, and played patriarch Bill Williams in the 2021 remake of The Wonder Years. Hill also serves as a member of the SAG-AFTRA Board of Directors.

## Early life

Hill was born in Orange, New Jersey, to Jamaican parents and was raised in Sayreville, New Jersey. He studied ballet at a young age, and appeared in the musical The Tap Dance Kid as Savion Glover's understudy on Broadway, a part he subsequently played on the show's national tour. Hill graduated from Sayreville War Memorial High School in 1993, and studied business finance at Seton Hall University and acting at William Esper Studio. While at Seton Hall, he accepted a role on Jim Henson's CityKids.

## Career

In 1985, 10-year-old Hill performed a tap dance number on the MDA telethon. When the music could not be found for his routine, telethon host Jerry Lewis helped by having the orchestra play another song while Hill performed. His first film role was in Sugar Hill in 1993 during his senior year of high school. While in college at Seton Hall, he was cast in a starring role in Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk on Broadway.
In 1999, Hill was cast on The West Wing as Charlie Young, the personal aide to President Josiah Bartlet, who was played by Martin Sheen. During the sixth season of the series, Charlie became a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. Hill starred as Charlie for six seasons before he chose to leave the show at the beginning of the seventh season (September 2005) to star in the pilot for the new television show Psych for the USA Network, which premiered July 7, 2006. However, when the announcement was made that The West Wing would be ending in May 2006, Hill returned for the show's last episodes.
Hill also had roles in the 1999 film She's All That starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook, both of whom he later reunited with on Psych, as a Los Angeles doctor named Owen in the movie. He was in the series 10.5, the Disney movie Holes (2003) as Sam the Onion Man (the movie itself was referenced in the Psych episode "65 Million Years Off"), and in the 2006 movie The Guardian (this was referenced in the Psych episode "You Can’t Handle this"). He also joined the cast of Suits for Season 8 and 9.
Hill also appeared on Broadway in Stick Fly from December 2011 to February 2012 and After Midnight in November 2013.
As a voice actor, Hill was part of the cast of the 2021 animated feature Night of the Animated Dead.
In the 2024 PBS documentary series, The Express Way with Dulé Hill, Hill narrates and participates in exploring art and diverse cultures.

## Personal life

Hill married actress Nicole Lyn in 2004. They had no children. Hill filed for legal separation from Lyn in 2012 citing irreconcilable differences.
On April 14, 2017, Hill became engaged to girlfriend and Ballers co-star Jazmyn Simon. In early 2018, Hill married Simon and later adopted her daughter. In 2019, Hill and his wife announced the birth of their son.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood | Robert E. Lee | |
| 1994 | Sugar Hill | Young Romello |
| 1999 | She's All That | Preston | |
| 2000 | Men of Honor | Red Tail | |
| 2003 | Holes | Sam | |
| 2004 | Sexual Life | Jerry | |
| 2005 | Edmond | Sharper | |
| 2005 | The Numbers | Brady | Short |
| 2006 | The Guardian | Ken Weatherly | |
| 2007 | Whisper | Detective Miles | |
| 2008 | Remarkable Power | Reggie | |
| 2012 | Gayby | Adam | |
| 2012 | Nostalgia | Gabe Robinson Jr. | Short |
| 2012 | Gator Farm | Jay | Short |
| 2013 | Miss Dial | Popcorn Caller | |
| 2015 | Gravy | Delroy | |
| 2016 | Sleight | Angelo | |
| 2021 | Locked Down | David | |
| 2021 | Night of the Animated Dead | Ben (voice) | |
| 2021 | Hypnotic | Detective Wade Rollins | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1986 | The Dick Cavett Show | Himself | with Hinton Battle and Harold Nicholas promoting The Tap Dance Kid |
| 1992 | Ghostwriter | Basketball Boy | Episode: "To Catch a Creep: Part 1" |
| 1993 | CityKids | John | Main cast |
| 1993 | American Playhouse | | Episode: "Hallelujah" |
| 1994 | New York Undercover | Georgie | Episode: "CAT" |
| 1995 | All My Children | Simon | Episode: "6 July 1995" |
| 1995 | New York News | Raymond Gates | Episode: "New York News" |
| 1997 | The Ditchdigger's Daughters | Young Donald | TV movie |
| 1997 | Color of Justice | Kameel | TV movie |
| 1997 | Cosby | Marcus | Episode: "Shall We Dance?" |
| 1998 | Smart Guy | Calvin Tierney | Episode: "Gotta Dance" |
| 1999 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Featured Dancer | Episode: "Taps for Royal" |
| 1999 | Love Songs | Leroy | TV movie |
| 1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | | Episode: "Mother's Day" |
| 1999–2006 | The West Wing | Charlie Young | Main cast |
| 2004 | 10.5 | Dr. Owen Hunter | Miniseries |
| 2006–14 | Psych | Burton "Gus" Guster | Main cast |
| 2015–17 | Ballers | Larry Seifert | Recurring cast (seasons 1–3) |
| 2017 | Seven Bucks Digital Studios | Larry Siefert | Episode: "Get Pumped Up for 'Ballers' Season 3 with the Rock" |
| 2017 | Doubt | Albert Cobb | Main cast |
| 2017 | Psych: The Movie | Burton "Gus" Guster | TV movie |
| 2017–19 | Suits | Alex Williams | Recurring cast (s. 7), main cast (s. 8–9) |
| 2019–21 | Muppet Babies | Mr. Manny (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | Psych 2: Lassie Come Home | Burton "Gus" Guster | TV movie |
| 2020 | Black Monday | Marcus Duane Wainwright III | Recurring cast (season 2) |
| 2021 | Psych 3: This Is Gus | Burton "Gus" Guster | TV movie |
| 2021–23 | The Wonder Years | Bill Williams | Main cast |
| 2022 | This Is Us | Kenny Brooks | Episode: "The Train" |
| 2024 | The Express Way with Dulé Hill | Himself | Miniseries |
| 2025 | Good American Family | Brandon Drysdale | Recurring role |

## Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
| 1984 | The Tap Dance Kid | Willie | Broadway National Tour |
| 1996 | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | The Kid | |
| 2007 | Dutchman | Clay | |
| 2011 | Stick Fly | Spoon (Kent) LeVay | |
| 2013 | After Midnight | The Host | |
| 2017 | Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole | Nat "King" Cole | People's Light and Theatre |
| 2019 | Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole | Nat "King" Cole | Geffen Playhouse |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
| 2001 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Won |
| 2001 | Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2002 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Won |
| 2002 | Emmy Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2002 | Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2003 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2004 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2004 | Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2005 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2005 | Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2005 | Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | 10.5 (miniseries) | Nominated |
| 2006 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Nominated |
| 2008 | Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Psych | Nominated |
| 2009 | Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Psych | Nominated |