| At age six, began to stage shows for his family |
| By age 14, could play 10 brass instruments |
| Co-starred in the Broadway production of "Timbuktu" |
| Had regular role on the ABC soap "All My Children" |
| Headlined own nightclub act in NYC; played Upstairs at Greenstreet and The Latin Quarter, among other venues |
| Performed with the Negro Ensemble Theatre |
| Played Billy Flynn in the national tour of the musical "Chicago" |
| Professional debut as a musician, toured West Indies with the Metropolitan Brass Ensemble |
1974 | With his brother, ran The Harriet Tubman School, a private school (dates approximate) |
1976 | Appeared in a touring production of "Guys and Dolls", starring Richard Roundtree and Leslie Uggams |
1977 | Feature film debut, "Short Eyes" |
1978 | Toured with Liza Minnelli; became known as 'Mr Cellophane Man' after his solo number |
1980 | Was featured dancer in the TV special "Baryshnikov on Broadway" |
1982 | Won a Tony nomination for his supporting role in the hit musical "Dreamgirls" |
1984 | Starred in the Off-Broadway revival of the musical "Golden Boy" |
1985 | Understudied Ben Vereen in "Grind"; played the role for the last two weeks of the show's brief run |
1986 | Was featured in the PBS staging of Scott Joplin's "Treemonisha" |
1988 | TV-movie debut "God Bless the Child" (ABC) |
1991 | Originated the role of Jelly Roll Morton in the world premiere of "Jelly's Last Jam" in California |
1992 | Played the servant Lane in an all-black film version of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" |
1995 | Earned praise for his turn as an AIDS patient in two episodes of the CBS drama series "Chicago Hope" |
1996 | Co-starred in the HBO TV-movie "Soul of the Game" |
1996 | Had featured roles in "That Thing You Do!" and "Multiplicity" |
1997 | Won praise for his performance as dancer Willie Johnson, one of the men involved in the Tuskegee Syphillis Experiment, in the HBO original movie "Miss Evers' Boys"; earned Emmy nomination |
1999 | Joined cast of "Dawson's Creek" (The WB), playing the school principal |
2000 | Co-starred in "The Visit", playing the older brother of an inmate |
2000 | Played Benjamin Chadway in the Showtime series "Soul Food" |
2002 | Appeared in "John Q" with Denzel Washington; directed by Nick Cassavetes |
2004 | Cast as the Police Chief in "After the Sunset" with Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek |
2004 | Starred in the thriller "The Manchurian Candidate" directed by Jonathan Demme |
2006 | Cast opposite Hilary and Haylie Duff in the comedy "Material Girls" |
