# Geoffrey Owens

Geoffrey Louis Owens (born March 18, 1961) is an American actor known for his role as Elvin Tibideaux on The Cosby Show (1985–1992). He is the son of the United States Congressman Major Owens.

## Early life and education

Owens was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Ethel (née Werfel), a music and literature teacher, and Major Owens, a librarian who later went on to serve in the New York State Senate and the United States House of Representatives. He has two brothers and two half-siblings from his father's second marriage. Owens attended the High School of Performing Arts for a year and graduated cum laude from Yale University in 1983.

## Career

One of Owens's earliest roles was in an Arcata High School theater performance where he played the title role in a performance of Peter Pan. This initial outing was what galvanized him to become an actor later in life.
In 1985, Owens made his television debut on the second season of the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show as Sondra Huxtable's boyfriend Elvin Tibideaux. Tibideaux married Sondra and became a regular character in 1987 and appeared on the series until it ended in 1992.
He has appeared as a lawyer on season 6 episode 1 of Elementary. He has appeared as himself on the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In the season 3 episode "The Gang Gets Invincible" he appears at the Philadelphia Eagles' public tryouts as an actor pretending to be Donovan McNabb doing a plug for McDonald's but the gang recognize him as "that guy from The Cosby Show" who played "Sondra's husband ... Alvin [sic]". In the season 7 episode "Frank's Pretty Woman" he plays the same character, this time pretending to be Tiger Woods. Dee, however, recognizes him and calls him out as the guy who pretended to be McNabb at the Eagles' tryouts. He then admits he is not Tiger Woods but then claims to be actor Don Cheadle. In the second episode of Season 15, "The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7", he appears as the same character, but is given the role to play as Roger Murtaugh in the gang’s Lethal Weapon 7 movie.
In 2007, Owens guest-starred as Eddie's father in the That's So Raven episode "The Way We Were". He also appeared on the season premiere of NBC's Las Vegas.
In 2008, he appeared alongside Paul Campbell, Andy Griffith, Doris Roberts, Liz Sheridan, Marla Sokoloff and Juliette Jeffers in the romantic comedy Play The Game.
In 2010, he appeared on ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager as a court-appointed mediator. He also appeared on the ABC show FlashForward in the episode "The Garden of Forking Paths", playing a researcher.
In 2011, Owens portrayed the role of Casca at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in its Free-For-All production of Julius Caesar.
In 2015, he acted in an episode of the NBC drama series The Slap.
In 2017, he portrayed an assistant dean on the FOX drama series Lucifer, in an episode entitled "Deceptive Little Parasite".
In 2018, photos of Owens working in a Trader Joe's were published by The Daily Mail, which many characterized as "job shaming." Owens agreed with the "job shaming" characterization, eventually quitting due to the unwanted attention. The story led producer Tyler Perry to offer Owens a ten-episode role in The Haves and the Have Nots. Owens also booked a guest-starring role on NCIS: New Orleans and supporting roles in the films Fatale and Hide and Seek. In 2024, Owens revealed ongoing career and financial challenges.
In 2020, he starred in the film Impossible Monsters, where he played a police detective. "I’m usually cast as dads, lawyers, doctors, teachers, and so to play a detective it was really fun," he said. He played a supporting role in Power Book II: Ghost.

### Teaching

Owens is the founder and artistic director of The Brooklyn Shakespeare Company. He has taught acting and Shakespeare at Columbia University, Yale, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, the Adult School of Montclair and Pace University. In addition to developing his own private Shakespeare workshop, he has been a guest teacher at universities, theaters, studios, and middle and high schools in the New York metropolitan area. He has also served as a judge for the National Shakespeare Competition semi-finals at Lincoln Center for at least 25 years.

## Personal life

In 1995, Owens married his wife, Josette. Together they have one son.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | The Paper | Lou | |
| 1995 | The Amistad Revolt: All We Want Is Make Us Free | Joseph Cinqué (voice) | Short |
| 1999 | Stonebrook | Marty | |
| 1999 | Forgiven | Stan | Short |
| 2001 | The Cross | Featured Apostle | |
| 2009 | Play the Game | Rob Marcus | |
| 2010 | Sami's Cock | - | Short |
| 2011 | Wilde Salomé | Tigellinus | |
| 2013 | Dreams | Mr. Welch | |
| 2014 | Romeo and Juliet | Prince Escalus | |
| 2016 | Youth in Oregon | Dr. Roma | |
| 2019 | Impossible Monsters | Jacobs | |
| 2019 | klutz. | Harold | Short |
| 2020 | Hibiscus | Tad | |
| 2020 | Victor in Paradise | Simon | Short |
| 2020 | Fizzle | Man Who Sneezes | Short |
| 2020 | Fatale | Bill Cranepool | |
| 2021 | Hide and Seek | Lyle | |
| 2022 | Somewhere in Queens | Scotty | |
| 2022 | Susie Searches | President Andrews | |
| 2023 | Ezra | Robert Segal | |
| 2024 | Taxon | Ray | Short |
| 2024 | Mr. Santa: A Christmas Extravaganza | Mr. Santa | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1985–92 | The Cosby Show | Elvin Tibideaux | Recurring Cast: Season 2-3, Main Cast: Season 4-8 |
| 1990 | ABC Afterschool Special | Mr. Singer | Episode: "Stood Up!" |
| 1997 | Built to Last | Robert Watkins | Main Cast |
| 1999 | Law & Order | Langer | Episode: "Refuge: Part 2" |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Constantino | Episode: "Dolls" |
| 2007 | That's So Raven | Michael Thomas | Episode: "The Way They Were" |
| 2007 | The Wedding Bells | Dr. Harris | Episode: "The Most Beautiful Girl" |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Dr. Mitch Morris | Episode: "Beauty and the Beast" |
| 2007 | Las Vegas | Dr. Eric Haber | Episode: "Shrink Rap" |
| 2007 | The Journeyman | Matthew Tarbell | Episode: "The Year of the Rabbit" |
| 2007–21 | It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Various Roles | Guest Cast: Season 3 & 7 & 15 |
| 2008 | Medium | Unemployment Evaluator | Recurring Cast: Season 4 |
| 2008 | I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant | Hospital Staff | Episode: "Special #1" |
| 2008 | Without a Trace | Jay Costas | Episode: "Live to Regret" |
| 2010 | FlashForward | Dr. Julian Ebbing | Episode: "The Garden of Forking Paths" |
| 2010–11 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Mediator/Judge | Guest Cast: Season 2-3 |
| 2014 | The Leftovers | Kind Man | Episode: "The Prodigal Son Returns" |
| 2014 | The Affair | Victor | Episode: "Episode #1.10" |
| 2015 | The Slap | Dr. Fletcher | Episode: "Richie" |
| 2015 | Deadbeat | Arthur | Episode: "Table for Sue" |
| 2016 | Divorce | Gerald | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 2017 | Blue Bloods | Sergeant Weller | Episode: "Love Lost" |
| 2017 | Lucifer | Assistant Dean | Episode: "Deceptive Little Parasite" |
| 2017 | The Blacklist | Dresner | Episode: "The Endling (No. 44)" |
| 2018 | Elementary | Vernon Fisk | Episode: "An Infinite Capacity for Taking Pains" |
| 2018 | NCIS: New Orleans | Commander Calvin Atkins | Episode: "Pound of Flesh" |
| 2019 | Billions | Abington | Episode: "Maximum Recreational Depth" |
| 2019 | On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Pastor Steve | Recurring Cast |
| 2020 | Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet | Tom | Episode: "A Dark Quiet Death" |
| 2020 | Power | Daniel Warren | Recurring Cast: Season 6 |
| 2020 | Bless This Mess | Pastor Paul | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2020–21 | The Haves and the Have Nots | Conley | Recurring Cast: Season 7-8 |
| 2020–22 | Power Book II: Ghost | Daniel Warren | Guest: Season 1, Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2021 | That Damn Michael Che | Thurgood Carver | Recurring Cast: Season 1 |
| 2021 | The Good Fight | Daniel | Recurring Cast: Season 5 |
| 2022 | New Amsterdam | Chris/Santa | Episode: "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" |
| 2022 | The Rookie | Graham Scott | Episode: "Coding" |
| 2022 | Bull | Judge Westlake | Episode: "Opening Up" |
| 2022–23 | All Rise | Carl Brewer | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2024 | Ghosts | Gene | Episode: “The Polterguest” |
| 2024 | Poppa's House | J. J. | Recurring Cast |
| 2024 | QueenDom PI | Bruno | Episode: "Do You Speak Bulgarian?" |
| 2025 | The Night Agent | Patrick Knox | Episode: "A Good Agent" |