A handsome former Broadway musical performer, Dorian Harewood was encouraged to pursue a dramatic career by Bette Davis when they co-starred in "Miss Moffat", a 1974 pre-Broadway tryout of a musical based on "The Corn Is Green". He then gave forceful performances on stage, most notably in David Rabe's Vietnam drama "Streamers" (1976) and "The Mighty Gents" (1978), before making his film debut in "Sparkle" (1976). His feature career never really took-off, despite appearances in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" (1987) and two John Schlesinger films, "The Falcon and the Snowman" (1985) and "Pacific Heights" (1990).
The small screen has been more hospitable. Since his debut in "Foster and Laurie" (CBS, 1975), Harewood has been almost constantly employed on TV. He has been a regular on several series, notably "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill" (CBS, 1990-92) and the NBC sci-fi drama "Viper" (1994). Other major credits include the miniseries "Roots: The Next Generation" (ABC, 1979), "Beulah Land" (NBC, 1980) and "Amerika" (ABC, 1987). Harewood has found a second career providing character voices for animated series, including "The Tick" (Fox, 1994- ), "Aladdin" (CBS, 1994- ) and "Savage Dragon" (USA, 1995- ).
Family
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Brother: Emerson Harewood.
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Brother: Philip Harewood.
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Daughter: Olivia Ruth Harewood.
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Mother: Estelle Olivia Harewood. born c. 1925; died June 8, 1991
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Sister: Floranne Dunford.
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Sister: Lawanda Martin.
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Sister: Theolanda Harewood.
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Son: John Dorian Harewood.
Education
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University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati, Ohio, voice and piano, BMus
Milestones
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1972 Understudied lead in New York Shakespeare Festival production of Two Gentlemen of Verona
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1974 Appeared in the pre-Broadway tryout of Miss Moffat (musical of The Corn is Green) in Philadelphia opposite Bette Davis
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1974 Broadway debut, Over Here!
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1975 TV debut, co-starring in Foster and Laurie
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1976 Film acting debut in Sparkle
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1979 Won acclaim for role in TV miniseries, Roots: The Next Generation
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1981 Had recurring role in TV series Strike Force
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1983 Starring role in TV series Trauma Center
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1984 Was regular on Glitter (ABC)
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1987 Provided first voice-over for The New Adventures of Jonny Quest (syndicated)
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1989 Recorded first album, Dorian Harewood: Love Will Stop Calling
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1992 Played recurring role on several episodes of NBC Civil Rights-era drama series I ll Fly Away
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1992 Voiced character of Moze on the primetime animated series Capitol Critters (ABC)
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1994 Co-starred as a scientist who designed a modified car in Viper , a short-lived NBC sci-fi series
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2001 Played Guy Richardson in the feature Glitter
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2003 Featured in the drama Levity
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2003 Featured in the supernatural thriller Gothika
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Co-starred on the Showtime drama series The Hoop Life
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Had supporting role on The Trials of Rosie O Neil
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Provided character voices for a number of animated series, including Iron Man , The Tick , Aladdin and Savage Dragon
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Provided the voice of Stretch on the CBS animated series The California Raisins