Force of nature

After more than three decades in the industry, Laurence Fishburne is deservedly at the top of his profession.

Appearing in this year's star-studded Bobby, which opened DIFF with a gala screening, the African-American actor is a force to behold.

With his commanding on-screen presence, the 45-year-old has been captivating audiences since he first appeared on stage, aged just 10, in the play In My Many Names and Days.

Following a role in the soap opera One Life To Live and his film debut in Cornbread, Earl and Me, he was just 14 when he won an enviable role alongside Hollywood greats in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.

The teenager so impressed Coppola, he cast Fishburne in three more of his films: Rumble Fish, The Cotton Club and Gardens Of Stone in the 1980s.

But it was the 1990s that saw Fishburne catapulted to widespread acclaim. In Boyz N The Hood he proved his ability to carry a film in a leading role, while his mesmerising performance as an ex-con in August Wilson's play Two Trains Running rewarded him with a string of theatre accolades including a coveted Tony award.

In 1993 he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Ike Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It? and later won critical acclaim for Othello in 1995 in which he was the first black actor to play the title role in a film version.
One of his most famous roles, Morpheus, came at the end of the millennium in The Matrix in which he played a hacker-mentor to Neo (Keanu Reeves) in the futuristic sci-fi movie. He reunited with his co-stars for a further two films to complete The Matrix trilogy, taking the box office by storm.

Despite the inevitable association that comes with playing a role in three hugely successful films, Fishburne has never allowed himself to be pigeonholed and has always sought out varied roles with depth. Whether he's playing an urban speed chess player, college professor, CIA operative or a spelling coach, Fishburne's ability is always compelling to watch.

Profile
Name: Laurence Fishburne.
Born: July 30, 1961, in Augusta, Georgia, US.
Career: An academy-award nominated actor, writer, director and producer who has worked on more than 70 projects.
Highlights: Apocalypse Now (1979), Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), The Colour Purple (1985), Boyz N The Hood (1991), Othello (1995), What's Love Got To Do With It (1993), The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Mission: Impossible III (2006), Bobby (2006). Personal: He has two children from his first marriage and now lives in California with his second wife Gina Torres.
Quote: “It is my gift. I act because I have to, not because I want to.''