Good morning Obots!
The Fun Facts, Black Celebrity Ivy League Grads series continues with Mr. Hill Harper.
Hill Harper was born in Iowa City, Iowa, the son of Harry Harper, a psychiatrist, and Marilyn Hill, who was one of the first black practicing anesthesiologists in the United States.He has been acting since the age of 7.
Harper graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and also graduated with a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. During his years at Harvard, he was a full-time member of Boston’s Black Folks Theater Company, one of the oldest and most acclaimed black theater troupes in the country.
While a student at Harvard, Harper befriended President Barack Obama.Harper and President Obama met on the basketball court and became good friends during their first year as law students.
Harper has appeared in over 30 feature films including The Skulls, In Too Deep, Beloved, He Got Game, and Get on the Bus. His television credits include critically-acclaimed television movies such as HBO’s Lackawanna Blues and One Red Rose, which he also co-wrote, for Showtime, as well as stints on Showtime’s Soul Food and HBO’s The Sopranos.
Harper co-starred on the CBS series, The Handler. In his current role as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes, a forensic pathologist who is also a crime scene investigator on the hit CBS series CSI: NY, Hill defies the stereotypes of black males as he has in his own life.
Harper authored the 2006 New York Times bestselling book, Letters to a Young Brother and won two NAACP Image Awards in March 2007 for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author and Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens. Hill followed the success of Letters to a Young Brother with a companion book, Letters to a Young Sister, also a New York Times bestseller, which includes contributions from Gabrielle Union, First Lady Michelle Obama, Angela Bassett, and others. Additionally, Hill penned the 2009 New York Times bestselling book, The Conversation: How Black Men and Woman Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships.
Harper’s foundation, Manifest Your Destiny, demonstrates Hill’s mission to positively impact the lives of our youth through motivation and empowerment. He is also a spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He campaigned to support his friend and Harvard classmate, Barack Obama, in his successful run for Presidency.
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| Hill Harper calls potential voters and caucus goers at the Obama campaign headquarters in Iowa, 2008. |