Dennis Haysbert

**Dennis Dexter Haysbert** is an American film and television actor. Known for a career of playing military figures and persons of authority, he is possibly best known as the voice and spokesman for Allstate Insurance.

Haysbert was born June 2, 1954 in San Mateo, California, the son of Charles Whitney Haysbert, Sr., a deputy sheriff and airline security guard and Gladys Minor-Haysbert, a homemaker and house cleaner. The eighth of nine children, he has two sisters and six brothers who were raised Baptist.

Haysbert attended from San Mateo High School in 1972, and at 6 feet 5 inches tall, he intitally was offered athletic scholarships, but he instead chose to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Known for his deep baritne voice, he made appearances in many of the top TV shows of the 70s, including "Lou Grant," "The White Shadow," "Laverne & Shirley," "The Incredible Hulk," "Galactica 1980" and several roles in "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century." Later roles included appearances in "Gimme A Break," "Growing Pains," "The A-Team," "Night Court," "Dallas" and "Magnum, P.I." "Growing Pains," "The Facts of Life," "Knots Landing" and "Out of this World." His movie roles included parts in "The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D." and "A Summer to Remember". He also had starring roles in the TV series "Off The Rack" and "Just The Ten of Us" along with a recurring role in "The Young and the Restless."

In 1989, Haysbert had his first major role as Pedro Cerrano, a voodoo-practicing Cuban refugee baseball player, in "Major League." This role was followed by appearances in "Return to Lonsesome Dove," "Navy SEALs," "Mr. Baseball" with Tom Selleck, "Love Field" with Michelle Pfeiffer, a film about a series of events occurring contemporaneously with the assassination and funeral of President John F. Kennedy. He reprised his role as Cerrano in "Major League II," which was followed by roles in "Waiting to Exhale," "Heat" and "Absolute Power." In 1998, he made another appearance as Cerrano in "Major League: Back to the Minors."

In 1999, Haysbert starred in the TV series "Now and Again" with Eric Close, which was cancelled after its first season. This was followed by appearances in the TV shows "Soul Man," "The Outer Limits" and "Justice League" In 2001, Haysbert became best known when he was cast as U.S. Senator David Palmer and the first African American U.S. President on the iconic action series "24." 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 he believed his playing of David Palmer on the series helped Barack Obama, whom he supported, to win the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
In 2002, Haysbert played the role of gardener Raymond Deagan in "Far From Heaven," winning the Satellite Award, Black Reel Award and Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor for that role. In 2007, Haysbert returned to the big screen to portray Nelson Mandela in "Goodbye Bafana" and an FBI agent in "Breach." His distinctive voice has also been featured in animated movies such as "Kung Fu Panda," "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Mr. Peabody & Sherman." He also hosted and narrated the Military History Channel presentation of "Secrets of Pearl Harbor" and the Showtime documentary "The World According to Dick Cheney."

Since 2009, Haysbert has been the official spokesman for the Allstate Insurance Company. He has also been featured in national television ads to raise public awareness about lending discrimination.

A twice divorced father of two, Haysbert announced in April 2009 that he was starting a TV, film, and documentary production company. 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.