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Barry Shabaka Henley

Barry Shabaka Henley brings the weight and precision of a seasoned stage actor to every screen role, whether he is playing an authority figure, a working man or someone caught in a quietly desperate moment. Born in New Orleans in 1954, Henley spent part of his childhood around dance recitals taught by his mother before his family moved to San Francisco. His path into acting began at 17, after a tip led him to audition for the Encore Theatre. Initially doubtful that he was right for the part, he memorized the script during a bus ride to the audition. Henley then spent several years working onstage, including appearances with the San Francisco Mime Troupe and the West Coast Black Repertory Theatre. His stage honors include Drama Desk, Obie and Olivier Awards. Henley did not make his first screen appearance until age 37, in the unsold television pilot Clippers. What followed was a career rich in character parts. He played Buddy in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Pokerface in Life and Herbert Muhammad in Ali. In Collateral, his sensitive jazz musician gives the film one of its most tense and human encounters. He later appeared as a U.S. Customs officer in The Terminal and as Lieutenant Martin Castillo, the boss of Crockett and Tubbs, in Michael Mann’s Miami Vice. He also appeared in Paterson. Television has given Henley room to move between drama and comedy. His credits include Robbery Homicide Division, Barbershop, FlashForward, Lie to Me, Body of Proof and Luck. He played a police detective in Better Call Saul and Marcus Benson in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. As Uncle Tunde on Bob Hearts Abishola, he became a regular presence in a network sitcom. Across stage, film and television, Henley’s career has been shaped by patience, range and the ability to make supporting roles feel fully lived in.