Hawthorne James is an iconic and memorable actor, most beloved for his portrayals of Big Red in “The Five Heartbeats” and Sam the bus driver in Speed. He is also the intimidating villain in “Heaven’s Prisoner” with Alec Baldwin, Mary Stuart Masterson, Eric Roberts and Teri Hatcher.
He is a very active member of the stage community, though he is called back to the screens, big and small, often. More than just an actor, he is also an active producer and director. Be sure to catch him now in “A Christmas Wedding,” with Vivica A. Fox, which came out only a month ago.
Hawthorne has lent his talents to the films such as “Se7en,” “The Doors,” “The Color Purple,” “Amistad” and “Snoop Dogg’s Hood of Horror.” If you’re a fan of urban legends, be sure to find him with young Amy Smart, Ron Livingston, Christopher Masterson and Christine Taylor in “Campfire Tales.”
As impressive as his film resume is, he’s appeared in even more television including episodes of “Stargate SG-1,” “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.,” “Rosewekk,” “Charmed,” “Carnivale,” “ER,” “NYPD Blue” and “Hill Street Blues.” He also recently reprised his role of Sam, somewhat spoofing himself in the Comedy Central series “Workaholics.”
