Fishburne, Laurence John, III (1961– )

US stage and film actor. Known for his tough but sympathetic characterizations, he has appeared on Broadway and made his film debut in Apocalypse Now (1979). He had starring roles in the Spike Lee movies School Daze (1988) and Boyz N the Hood (1991). His career was further catapulted by his role as rebel leader Morpheus in the popular science fiction film The Matrix (1999) and sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both 2003). Other films include the Tina Turner biography What's Love Got to Do With It (1993), Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed drama Mystic River (2003), and Assault on Precinct 13 (2005).

Fishburne was born in Augusta, Georgia, and made his professional acting debut on the television soap series One Life to Live in 1968. He won a Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway play Two Trains Running (1992). Other films include Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), The Color Purple (1985), Red Heat (1988), Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993), Bad Company (1995), Othello (1995), Fled (1996), and Event Horizon (1997). He also wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the crime drama Once in the Life (2000).