Actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage and television for more than 30 years. As an actor, his film credits range from the blockbuster Lethal Weapon franchise to smaller independent features, some of which Glover also produced. In recent years, he has starred in an array of motion pictures including the critically acclaimed Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon and in the futuristic 2012 for director Roland Emmerich. In addition to his film work, Glover is highly sought after as a public speaker, delivering inspirational addresses and moving performances in such diverse venues as college campuses, union rallies and business conventions.
Glover has gained respect for his wide-reaching community activism and philanthropic efforts, with a particular emphasis on advocacy for economic justice and access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa. For these efforts Glover received a 2006 DGA Honor and was honored with a 2011 “Pioneer Award” from the National Civil Rights Museum. Internationally, Glover served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004, focusing on issues of poverty, disease and economic development in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2011, Glover was presented with the prestigious Medaille des Arts et des Letters from the French Ministry of Culture and was honored with a Tribute at the Deauville International Film Festival. In 2014, Glover received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of San Francisco. Currently Glover serves as UNICEF Ambassador.
In 2005, Glover co-founded NY-based Louverture Films with writer/producer Joslyn Barnes and more recent partners Susan Rockefeller and the Bertha Foundation. The company is dedicated to the development and production of films of historical relevance, social purpose, commercial value and artistic integrity. Among the films Glover has executive or co-produced at Louverture are the César-nominated Bamako, Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Oscar® and Emmy nominated Trouble the Water; the award-winning The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 and Concerning Violence;Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner The House I Live In; Cannes Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, the 2017 Sundance Special Jury Award winner Strong Island, and the highly anticipated ZAMA by Lucrecia Martel.
A native of San Francisco, Glover trained at the Black Actors’ Workshop of the American Conservatory Theatre. It was his Broadway debut in Fugard’s Master Harold...and the Boys that brought him to national recognition and led director Robert Benton to cast him in his first leading role in 1984’s Academy Award-nominated Best Picture, Places in the Heart. The following year Glover starred in two more Best Picture nominated films: Peter Weir’s Witness and Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. In 1987, Glover partnered with Mel Gibson in the first Lethal Weapon film and went on the star in three hugely successful sequels. Glover starred in The Royal Tenenbaums and To Sleep with Anger, which he executive produced and for which he won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor.
On the small screen, Glover won an Image Award, a Cable ACE Award and earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the HBO Movie Mandela. He has also received
Emmy nominations for his work in the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove, the telefilm Freedom Song, and as a director he earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Showtime’s Just a Dream. Glover also appeared in the HBO Original Movie Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight.
Most recently Glover starred in Mr. Pig, which had its debut at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and now appears on Netflix. Co-starring Maya Rudolph, Mr. Pig filmed entirely on location in Mexico and is a tour de force for Glover.
Glover recently starred in Almost Christmas for Universal Studios. He was also seen was seen in Rage co-starring Nicolas Cage, Beyond the Lights and the independent Complete Unknown. He will soon be completing roles in Come Sunday opposite Chewitel Ejiofor, Old Man & The Gun with Robert Redford, and Proud Mary opposite Taraji P. Henson.
