| Born Name | Obba Babatunde |
|---|---|
| Birth Place | Jamaica, Queens, New York |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inch |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Profession | Actor, Director, Producer, Singer |
| Net Worth | $2 million |
| Age | 67 years old |
Obba Babatunde is a recurring name to all the hardcore Hollywood followers. With over four decades in the entertainment industry, Babatunde graced about three generations with his performances on television and movies.
Following immense contributions to the industry, the multi-talented personality not just earned great wealth but also gathered huge stardom. So, today we look back at the career path of the living legend and how he made such massive fortune.
Obba is a Millionaire
Obba Babatunde, 67, owns a staggering net worth of $2 million as of 2019. Much of his income credits toward his profession in filmography and television acting.
The experienced personality is a master of many arts since he is an actor, producer, voice actor, director, dancer, and also a singer. Instead of wasting time, let us find out details inside his profession.
Once an Entertainer, Always an Entertainer
The jolly personality loved to entertain others since he was a little boy of 6. In non-professional local levels, he used to perform, sing, dance, and act. Adhering to the saying, Morning shows the Day, Babatunde is a perfect example. Little did anyone know then, that the entertainment industry is going to get a generational talent.
Today, after sixty-eight years of Obba, we have about 17 stage shows, 33 films, 60+ television series, and different primetime shows.
Breakthrough at Broadway
Broadway Theatres, home of talented actors has produced some of Hollywood’s best artists such as Hugh Jackman and Lea Michele. Babatunde also was one of them since he performed in different Broadway shows like Off-Off-Broadway, Dreamgirls, etc.
Obba Babatunde poses at an photoshoot. Source: Imdb
The veteran claims that his breakthrough as an actor was when he was in the team of Guys and Dolls. The platform played a big role on who Obba is today since the musical theatre showed him the world on different tours.
The promising young boy then impressed many with his performance in Dreamgirls. Consequently, the actor was nominated for 1982 Tony Award as best featured actor in a musical.
Back and Forth in Television and Filmography
The charismatic actor contributed much in the entertainment industry with numerous appearance in television and movie.
Some of his notable features on the bigger screen are The Notebook, The Celestine Prophecy, Philadelphia, The Last Fall, Kinky, Tension and plenty more. Likewise, the actor starred in Walt Disney Studio’s Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups.
Actor Obba Babatunde won the Emmy Awards in 2016. Source: Soap Opera Digest
Alongside filmography, the handsome actor also performed in almost sixty television series till date and is still vying for more. Some of his popular projects are Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Half & Half, and all-time hit Friends.
Throughout his on-screen journey, Babatunde worked with renowned celebrities like Chandra Wilson and Jesse Williams.
Guest Appearance at Friends
The Jamaican origin actor made a popular appearance at one of the all-time great sitcoms, Friends. He was in season 3, episode 12, The One with All The Jealousy as the lead character Joey’s director.
Starring in Netflix’s Production
The 67-year old veteran also recently appeared in digital media Netflix‘s Dear White People during the first two seasons. He portrayed the character of Dean Fairbanks in the show.
Apart from it, the actor also appeared in other prime-time shows CBS’ Madam Secretary and Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here.
Other Roles in The Industry
The versatile talent superstar also graced his voice in various animated blockbusters and video games and collected a large number of fans. His voice-over works were in multiple Star Wars classics such as Galactic Battlegrounds, Rogue Leader, Disney Infinity 3.0, etc.
YouTube: Obba Babatunde’s Emmy nominated performance for Guest Performer.
Babatunde also built his resume and works as directing Oscar’s Black Odyssey and American Bad Boy. Moreover, he was also the co-producer of different movies like Dorothy Dandridge and tv show Black: The First 50 years.
A Singer as Cherry on the Cake
If you thought that Babatunde limited his contributions to the entertainment industry with acting only, then you are wrong. Surprisingly, the actor also stepped up his voice-over skill into singing.
Obba Babatunde posts a picture with his wife on Twitter. Source: Twitter
He recorded few of his tracks on album Sack Full of Dreams, The Gal That Got Away and the Harold Arlen soundtrack.
Quick Facts: Obba Babatunde
- Obba Babatunde is a name he came up with the following discovery of his Nigerian ancestry. Obba means King and Babatunde means Father returned again.
- The real and original name of the versatile actor is Donald Cohen.
- The veteran star is an Emmy Winner for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 2016.
- Surprisingly, his great grandfather, grandfather, father, and his one son, all of them were born on the same day. Surely the mother of co-incidence.
- Initially, the veteran worked as a teacher in Harriet Tubman School. However, pursuing his entertainer dream made him let go of his profession.
- The millionaire actor is married and shares two children with his wife.
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