Seth Gilliam
{{short description|American actor (born 1968)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Seth Gilliam
| image = Seth Gilliam - Comiccon Brussels 2020 (49677344347) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Gilliam in 2020
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|11|5}}
| birth_place = Washington Heights, Manhattan, U.S.
|education = State University of New York, Purchase (BFA)
| occupation = Actor
| known_for = The Wire
as Ellis Carver
The Walking Dead
as Gabriel Stokes
Teen Wolf
as Dr. Alan Deaton
| yearsactive = 1990–present
}}
Seth Gilliam (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Ellis Carver on The Wire, Clayton Hughes on Oz, Dr. Alan Deaton on Teen Wolf, and Father Gabriel Stokes on The Walking Dead.{{cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/actors/seth_gilliam.shtml|title=Cast & Crew - Seth Gilliam as Ellis Carver|access-date=2008-01-15|publisher=HBO|year=2008}}{{cite web|last=Melloy |first=Kilian |url=http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=features&sc3=&id=108724 |title=Seth Gilliam :: From 'The Wire' to 'Othello' |publisher=EDGE Boston |date=2010-08-07 |access-date=2013-03-28}}
Early life
Gilliam graduated from State University of New York at Purchase in 1990.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
Career
Gilliam's film career began in the early 1990s. He has starred in award-winning films such as Still Alice. His other film credits include Sergeant Sugar Watkins in the 1997 action film Starship Troopers and Sergeant Steven Altameyer in the 1996 film Courage Under Fire.{{cite news |title=Starship Troopers |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/starship-troopers-2-1117329358/ |work=Variety |date=1997-11-08}}{{cite news |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |title=Courage Under Fire |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/courage-under-fire-1996 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=1996-07-12 |via=rogerebert.com}}
Gilliam has had a number of recurring roles on television, including during the seventh season of The Cosby Show as Aaron Dexter, boyfriend of Erika Alexander's character, and as Alan Deaton on Teen Wolf.{{cite web|first=Blair |last=Marnell cla|url=http://www.craveonline.com/tv/reviews/171061-teen-wolf-107-night-school |title=TEEN WOLF 1.07 'Night School' |publisher=CraveOnline |date=2011-07-13 |access-date=2013-03-28}} His most prominent role has been on The Wire. In 2008, he attracted attention for criticizing the show being overlooked for Emmy nominations despite its critical success.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7529559.stm |title=The Wire star hits out at Emmys |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-07-28 |access-date=2013-09-05}} He has had a number of guest roles in other shows such as CSI: Miami, Nurse Jackie, Skins, Person of Interest, and The Good Wife.{{cite web|last=Reeves |first=Marcus |url=https://www.bet.com/article/gcydsu/seth-gilliam-cast-for-good-wife-season-finale |title=Seth Gilliam Cast For "Good Wife" Season Finale |publisher=BET |date=2011-05-06 |access-date=2013-03-28}} He played Clayton Hughes on Oz. In May 2014, Gilliam was cast as Father Gabriel Stokes in the fifth season of AMC's The Walking Dead.{{cite web|title=The Walking Dead Q&A – Seth Gilliam (Father Gabriel) - news_detail {{!}} FX|url=http://www.fxtv.com.au/news/the-walking-dead-qa-seth-gilliam-father-gabriel|website=www.fxtv.com.au|access-date=7 October 2016}} Along with Chad Coleman and Lawrence Gilliard Jr., he is the third The Wire alum to join the series.{{cite news |last1=Acuna |first1=Kirsten |title=Why 'The Walking Dead' Casts So Many Actors From HBO's Hit Show 'The Wire' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-walking-dead-the-wire-cast-2014-10?op=1 |work=Business Insider |date=2014-10-10}}
Gilliam has acted on stage, playing Prince Edward in a 1993 production of Richard III. He played the title role in Othello, first in 2010 at Boston's Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and then the following year at the Houston Shakespeare Festival, directed by his wife, Leah C. Gardiner. The pair returned to Houston in 2013 for Antony and Cleopatra, with Gilliam playing Antony and Gardiner directing.{{cite web |last1=Gaines |first1=Tarra |title=The most powerful woman of all: Controversial Facebook book inspires Houston's Cleopatra |url=https://houston.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/08-02-13-the-most-powerful-woman-of-all-controversial-facebook-book-inspires-houstons-cleopatra/#slide=0 |work=culturemap.com |date=2013-08-02}} Gilliam has stated that he prefers acting on the stage although he loves his work in film and television: "Acting for the stage is a lot more fun to do. There is instant communication with the audience. An actor can tell whether or not he or she is connecting with an audience or whether they understand what's going on."{{cite web|url=http://www.uh.edu/news-events/stories/2011articles/July2011/0726Gilliam_Gardiner.php |title=Houston Shakespeare Festival Welcomes Seth Gilliam, Leah C. Gardiner |publisher=University of Houston News |date=2011-07-26 |access-date=2013-09-05}}
Personal life
On May 3, 2015, Gilliam was arrested in Peachtree City, Georgia, for driving under the influence as he was speeding 108 miles per hour in a fifty-five miles per hour zone. Police found a marijuana cigarette in his car.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/entertainment/walking-dead-seth-gilliam-arrested-feat/index.html|title='Walking Dead' star Seth Gilliam arrested|work=CNN|date=May 4, 2015|access-date=October 10, 2021}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2"| 1992
| In the Eyes of a Stranger | - | TV movie |
| Aibobo
| - | Short |
| rowspan="2"| 1993
| Jeremy Breaker | |
| Mr. Wonderful
| ER Doctor | |
| rowspan="2" |1994
| Heading Home | Willie | |
| The Hardest Part
| Derek | Short |
| 1995
| James Hemings | |
| rowspan="2"| 1996
| Altameyer | |
| Tar
| Tyrone | |
| 1997
| Sugar Watkins | |
| 2000
| Punks | Marcus | |
| 2002
| Personal Velocity: Three Portraits | Vincent | |
| 2005
| The Great Wonderful | Clayton | |
| 2008
| Sympathetic Details | Raymond | |
| rowspan="2"| 2009
| The People v. Leo Frank | Jim Conley | |
| Did You Hear About the Morgans?
| U.S. Marshal Lasky | |
| 2010
| Betrayed | Roger Waite | rowspan="2" | Short |
| 2011
| Stake Out: Atlantic Salmon | Rivers |
| 2012
| HIV Testing Worker | |
| 2014
| Frederic Johnson | |
| 2017
| Officer Grady | |
| rowspan="2"| 2018
| Change in the Air | Officer Payne | |
| Silver Lake
| Jeff | |
| 2023
| Dr. Alan Deaton | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1990–1991
| Aaron Dexter | Recurring cast (season 7) |
| 1992
| Babatunde Amoda | Episode: "Consultation" |
| 1994
|Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker |Cadet Johnson C. Whittaker |TV movie |
| 1999–2001
| Oz | Clayton Hughes | Recurring cast (seasons 3–4); 17 episodes |
| 2002–2008
| The Wire | Recurring cast (seasons 1–2), main cast (seasons 3–5); 51 episodes |
| 2005
| A.D.A. Terence Wright | Recurring cast |
| 2007
| Paul Blair | Episode: "Time for a Change?" |
| 2007–2008
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Detective Daniels |
| rowspan="3"| 2009
| Damages | Mark Waters | Episode: "I Knew Your Pig" |
| CSI: Miami
| Aaron Nolan | Episode: "Flight Risk" |
| Mercy
| Police Officer | Episode: "Destiny, Meet My Daughter, Veronica" |
| rowspan="2"| 2010
| Dr. Lindsey | Episode: "Candyland" |
| Law & Order
| Michael's Attorney | Episode: "Immortal" |
| rowspan="3"| 2011
| Skins | Ken | Episode: "Cadie" |
| Svetlana
| Tomas | Episode: "Milking It" |
| The Good Wife
| Jacob Rickter | Episode: "Closing Arguments" |
| 2011–2017
| Dr. Alan Deaton | Recurring cast (seasons 1–5), guest (season 6); 47 episodes |
| rowspan="2"| 2012
| Detective Des Franklin | Episode: "Identity Crisis" |
| Homeland
| Chapman | Episode: "A Gettysburg Address" |
| 2013
| Lyle Johnson | Episode: "Strange Fruit" |
| 2014–2022
| Also starring (seasons 5–7), main cast (seasons 8–11); 73 episodes |
| 2015
| Jacob Rickter | Episode: "Wanna Partner?" |
| 2016
| Dr. Ira Wallace | Episode: "Ready or Not" |
| rowspan="2"| 2019
| The Code | Lt. Col. Metchaf | Episode: "Original Pilot" |
| City on a Hill
| Rev. Jasper Fields | Recurring cast (season 1) |
| 2020
| Bull | Dr. Poulson | Episode: "The Invisible Woman" |
| 2023
| Lawrence Whitaker | Episode: "Blair Foster" |
| 2024
| The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live | Gabriel Stokes | Episode: "Become" |
Theater
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2010
| rowspan="2" | Othello | rowspan="2" | Othello |
| rowspan="2" | 2011 |
| King Lear
| Edmund | The Public TheaterMacDonald, Heidi. [https://www.comicsbeat.com/roundtable-stoya-seth-gilliam-phillip-cruise-and-dean-haspiel-talk-the-last-bar-at-the-end-of-the-world/ "Roundtable: Stoya, Seth Gilliam, Phillip Cruise and Dean Haspiel talk The Last Bar at the End of The World,"] The Beat (04/09/2018). |
| 2018
| The Last Bar at the End of the World | Tobias |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Twitter}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0319121}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090101034844/http://www.hbo.com/thewire/cast/actors/seth_gilliam.shtml Bio on The Wire's website] (archived)
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilliam, Seth}}
Category:American male television actors
Category:Male actors from Manhattan
Category:State University of New York at Purchase alumni
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors