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Beau Billingslea

Beau Billingslea brings a grounded sense of authority to his work across film, television, stage and voice acting. That quality has roots beyond the screen: before establishing himself as an actor, he studied political science and law at the University of Connecticut, passed the Connecticut bar and served as an officer in the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Billingslea has said that his military background probably contributed to how often he was cast as an officer. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, and raised in Meriden, Connecticut, Billingslea was a three-sport athlete at Maloney High School. He later played football at the University of Connecticut and co-captained the team during his senior year. His interest in acting took hold in college after a fraternity brother encouraged him to play the lead in a production of The Emperor Jones. He began pursuing professional acting while attending law school. After moving to Los Angeles, Billingslea appeared in action-heavy television series including T.J. Hooker, Hunter, The Fall Guy and The A-Team. His television work also includes the miniseries North and South, Who’s the Boss?, Just Jordan, in which he played Jordan’s maternal grandfather Grant, and Franklin & Bash, where he portrayed Judge Douglas. His film credits include Night Shift, The American President, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, The Blob, Hannah Montana: The Movie and Star Trek Into Darkness, in which he played Captain Abbot of the Starship Bradbury. For many viewers, however, Billingslea’s voice is the immediate point of recognition. He voiced Jet Black in Cowboy Bebop, along with Captain Michael Heartland in Argento Soma, Oji Tanaka in The Legend of Black Heaven, Ogremon and other characters in Digimon, and Homura and Ay, the Fourth Raikage, in Naruto. He has also narrated History Channel programs including Hero Ships, Modern Marvels and Suicide Missions. Billingslea has continued working onstage as well. His performance in Driving Miss Daisy earned him a Los Angeles Ovation Award nomination in 2005, adding another dimension to a career notable for its range of formats and roles.