Dennis Haysbert

## Appearances

### Appears in

Roles as Duane Johnson on the ABC-TV series Just the Ten of Us and Pedro Cerrano in Major League

**Dennis Dexter Haysbert** (born June 2, 1954) is an American actor, known for his roles as baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the *Major League*  film trilogy, Secret Service agent Tim Collin in the political thriller film *Absolute Power*, Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the CBS action/drama series *The Unit*, God on the Netflix show *Lucifer*, and President David Palmer in the first five seasons of *24*. He has also appeared in the films *Love Field*, *Heat*, *Waiting to Exhale*, and *Far from Heaven*, as well as the science-fiction series *Incorporated*.

Since 2003, Haysbert has appeared as the official spokesman for Allstate insurance, and is known for his distinctive deep voice.

## Early life

Haysbert was born in San Mateo, California, to Gladys Haysbert (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 came from Louisiana. Haysbert was raised Baptist.

Haysbert graduated from San Mateo High School in 1972. After high school, he was offered athletic scholarships (due to being 6ft, 5in tall), but instead chose to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

## Career

### Television

Haysbert has been acting in film and television since 1978, starting with a guest role in *The White Shadow*. His other television guest- starring roles include: *Lou Grant*, *Growing Pains*, *Just the Ten of Us*, *Laverne & Shirley*, *The A-Team*, *Night Court*, *Dallas*, *The Incredible Hulk*, *Magnum, P.I.*, *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century*, *Duckman* and *Brooklyn 99*. 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 only one season. He also appeared in Season 5 of *Lucifer*.

In 2001, Haysbert rose to prominence when he was cast in *24]]* as U.S. Senator David Palmer, who (fictionally) served as the first Black U.S. President in 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 role as David Palmer on *24* helped Barack Obama (whom Haysbert supported) in winning 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 other than 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, with his role as host of a live-action/animated *TV Funhouse* cartoon entitled *Belated Black History Moment*. In his role, Haysbert paid homage to fictional short-lived Saturday morning cartoons that featured other Black characters, such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo in *Outer Space*. He also portrayed Nelson Mandela in *Goodbye Bafana* (also released under the title *The Color of Freedom*). Haysbert portrayed lead character Jonas Blane in the CBS military action/drama *The Unit*. He also hosted and narrated the Military History Channel presentation of *Secrets of Pearl Harbor*, which documented his scuba-diving adventures 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 Showtime. On May 19, 2014, Haysbert also appeared in the fifth episode of the fourth season of *The Boondocks* as Reverend Sturdy Harris. In 2015, Haysbert played Detective John Almond in *Backstrom*.

Since September 6, 2015, Haysbert has been the opening voice to introduce NBC's *Meet The Press*.

In November 2016, Haysbert began his co-starring role in *Incorporated*. Set in a dystopian future run by corporations, Haysbert portrayed Julian, a ruthless security head working for one of the larger corporations. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon both co-executive produced the series, which was shot in British Columbia, Canada, airing on Showcase in Canada and Syfy in the U.S.

He has also been cast to play God for the second half of the fifth season of *Lucifer]]*.

### Film

In 1989, Haysbert made his first major role as Pedro Cerrano, 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* as 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 Pedro Cerrano in *Major League II*, and followed up by minor appearances in *Waiting to Exhale*, *Heat*, and *Absolute Power*. In 1998, Haysbert made yet another appearance as Pedro 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 the movie *Love & Basketball*.

In 2002, Haysbert played the role of gardener Raymond Deagan in *Far From Heaven*, winning 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 then 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 now-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 General Lyons in *Dead Rising: Watchtower*.

In December 2018, it was announced that Haysbert was selected to star in the Netflix psychological thriller *Secret Obsession*. The film was released on July 18, 2019.

### Commercials

Since 2003, Haysbert has appeared as the official spokesman for Allstate Insurance. His commercials have typically ended with one of the two Allstate Corporation official slogans, either "Are you in good hands?" or "That's Allstate's stand". However, his commercials have since combined the two to now exclaim "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." (translation: 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 car insurance. In the updated version, the viewer learned that "breaking up is *easy* to do", as re-assured 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 other 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. The premise of this campaign is for Haysbert to warn consumers about lenders' targeting minorities for inferior loan products.

For the 2006 college football season, Haysbert did voice work to promote ticket sales for Brigham Young University, solely as a favor to his younger brother, Adam, who played wide receiver at BYU in the early 1980's.

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*; narration in *Call of Duty: Finest Hour*, in addition to reprising his television role as David Palmer in *24: The Game*.

### Theater

In June 2010, Haysbert joined the cast of David Mamet's Broadway play *Race* as character Henry Brown, performing alongside actors Eddie Izzard, Richard Thomas, and Afton Williamson. The play ran until August 21, 2010.

## Personal life

Haysbert is a twice-divorced father of two.

Haysbert announced in April 2009 that he was starting a production company. His first project was intended to be a documentary for HBO about an up-and-coming boxer.

During the 2010 California elections, Haysbert supported Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer by appearing with her at campaign events and recording radio commercials.

## Filmography

### Theatre

1. ↑ Dennis Haysbert Biography.
4. ↑ San Mateo High School Alumni.
5. ↑ Template:Cite dvd
6. ↑ Claustro, Lisa (January 22, 2008). Haysbert Says '24' Role Paved the Way for Presidential Hopeful Barack Obama.
7. ↑ Haysbert: '24' role may have helped Obama (July 2, 2008).
9. ↑ Miska, Brad (March 27, 2015). Watch the "Dead Rising: Watchtower" Movie Right Here, Right NOW!.
11. ↑ Dead Rising: Watchtower (December 5, 2012).
12. ↑ Brenda Song, Mike Vogel & Dennis Haysbert Star in Netflix's Secret Obsession. *Broadway World* (December 11, 2018).
13. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (July 8, 2019). Brenda Song battles creepy stalker in Secret Obsession trailer. *Entertainment Weekly*.
14. ↑ Allstate ads to remain in Haysbert's 'good hands' for three more years. *World News* (2011-12-21).
15. ↑ HUD Fair Lending Public Service Announcement To Showcase In Movie Theatres Across The Nation. *HUD Archives* (July 18, 2008).
16. ↑ Template:YouTube
18. ↑ Radsch, Courtney C. (14 April 2009). '24' prez rejects torture, urges tolerance.
19. ↑ Radsch, Courtney C. (14 April 2009). [TRANSCRIPT Dennis Haysbert's interview with AlArabiya.net].
20. ↑ Retrieved from http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci\_16416407?nclick\_check=1 Template:Dead link.
21. ↑ Template:YouTube
22. ↑ New Rules (April 24, 2015).
23. ↑ Undercover: Episode 1: Credits.
24. ↑ Breznican, Anthony (June 26, 2020). Watch the Celebrity-Filled Fan-Film Version of The Princess Bride.