Stephen McKinley Henderson

Early life and education

Stephen McKinley Henderson was born on August 31, 1949, in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Ruby Naomi and Elihue Henderson.

He spent a year at Lincoln University, Missouri and was originally part of Group 1 at the Juilliard School Drama Division before he left. He finished his BFA in Acting at the North Carolina School of the Arts (1972). He later studied at Purdue University, where he received his Master of Arts in Theatre (1977). He also spent summer sessions at Rose Bruford College in London and William Esper Studios in New York City. Henderson is included in the List of Purdue University alumni.

Career

Stage

Henderson is known mostly for his stage work. He won the 2015 Obie Award for Best Actor for his starring role of Walter "Pops" Washington in the Atlantic Theatre Company and Second Stage productions of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Between Riverside and Crazy. He portrayed Jim Bono in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's Fences, starring Denzel Washington, for which Henderson received a nomination for a Tony Award as a supporting actor, as well as the Richard Seff Award from Actor's Equity. He reprised the role in Washington's 2016 film adaptation.

On Broadway, he performed in Drowning Crow, the revival of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and the premiere of King Hedley II. Henderson is recognized as a veteran performer of August Wilson's oeuvre.

His signature August Wilson role is the gossipy Turnbo in Jitney, for which he won a Drama Desk Award as part of the ensemble. He had created the role in the 1996 premiere at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, then honed it in other regional theaters before its arrival Off-Broadway in 2000. Though it did not transfer to Broadway, he and the core of the cast took Jitney to London, where it won the 2002 Olivier Award for best new play. In addition, he appeared in A Raisin in the Sun and directed Zooman and the Sign.

In 2005 Henderson appeared as Pontius Pilate in the production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman at the Public Theater. He appeared as Van Helsing in the Broadway production of Dracula, the Musical.

In 2023, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Lucille Lortel Awards ceremony.

Screen

Henderson's films include his role as Cooper's husband in the TV movie Marie (1985), Bobo in A Raisin in the Sun (1989), Arthur in Everyday People (2004), Lester in the film Tower Heist (2011), and White House servant William Slade in Steven Spielberg's film Lincoln (2012), along with roles in the films Keane (2004) and If You Could Say It in Words (2008).

In 2016, Henderson appeared in Kenneth Lonergan's film Manchester by the Sea, starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, playing the boss of Affleck's character. The following year, he played the role of Father Leviatch in Greta Gerwig's 2017 film Lady Bird, and in 2021 he appeared in Dune.

In addition to his films, Henderson was a series regular on the FOX series New Amsterdam, which premiered in early 2008. His other television work includes Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Newsroom, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Third Watch, Blue Bloods, and Devs.

Personal life

Henderson married Pamela Reed. They have a child together.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (March 22, 2021). "Best Character Actors Working Today".
2. [http://www.filmreference.com/film/45/Stephen-Henderson.html Stephen Henderson Biography (1949–)]. Filmreference.com. Retrieved on September 23, 2016.
3. "''The Spectrum The Independent Student Publication of The University of Buffalo''".
4. [http://www.obieawards.com/2015/05/2015-obie-award-winners-announced 2015 Obie Award Winners Announced]. Obie Awards. Retrieved on September 23, 2016.
5. Brantley, Ben. (April 27, 2010). "It's No More Mr. Nice Guy for This Everyman".
6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120921171846/http://americantheatrewing.org/biography/detail/stephen_mckinley_henderson Stephen McKinley Henderson]. americantheatrewing.org
7. [https://lortelaward.com/2023-nominees/ 2023 Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations]. Lucille Lortel Awards. Retrieved on May 8, 2023.
8. [http://www.hbo.com/films/everydaypeople/cast/stephen_mckinley_henderson.html "Everyday People" website]. Hbo.com (November 12, 2011). Retrieved on 2016-09-23.
9. (May 29, 2023). "Stephen McKinley Henderson, Retire? Just Show Him the Script". The Daily Beast.
10. Sharf, Zack. (March 4, 2024). "Denis Villeneuve Cut Two Actors From 'Dune 2' and One of Them Is 'Heartbroken'; No Deleted Scenes Will Be Released: 'When It's Not in the Movie, It's Dead'".
11. (2023-09-27). "André Holland, Zazie Beetz And Stephen McKinley Henderson To Star In Film Adaptation Of Amiri Baraka's 'The Dutchman'".
12. Grobar, Matt. (2025-01-22). "Seth Rogen Comedy Series 'The Studio' To Open SXSW 2025; 'The Accountant 2,' 'Death Of A Unicorn', 'Drop,' 'Happy Face' & More Also To Screen".