# Chi McBride
**Chi McBride** (born Kenneth McBride, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor known for playing imposing authority figures on television, most prominently high school principal Steven Harper on *Boston Public*, private detective Emerson Cod on *Pushing Daisies*, and Captain Lou Grover on *Hawaii Five-0*. He adopted his stage name from his hometown's nickname, Chi-town.[1](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/1975/Chi-McBride)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Kenneth McBride, 1961, Chicago, Illinois[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Breakthrough role | Steven Harper, principal of Winslow High, on David E. Kelley's Fox drama *Boston Public* (2000–2004)[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html) |
| Signature comedy role | Emerson Cod, a private detective who knits, on ABC's *Pushing Daisies* (2007–2009, 22 episodes)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jan-09-en-daisies9-story.html) |
| Longest series run | Lou Grover on *Hawaii Five-0*, 160 episodes from 2013 to 2020, with a writing credit on the series[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/chi-mcbride/) |
| Voice work | Nick Fury in Marvel animated series, including *Ultimate Spider-Man* (61 episodes, 2012–2017), *Avengers Assemble*, and *Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Recent work | FBI agent Max Williams in *Harlan Coben's I Will Find You* (Netflix, 2026), which Netflix reported as its biggest series debut of 2026[6](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/i-will-find-you-cast-guide) • [7](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/global/sam-worthington-i-will-find-you-david-rachel-romance-netflix-38083/) |
| Physical presence | 6-foot-5, a trait he has said lets him play authority without raising his voice[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html) |
## Early career
McBride first pursued music, studying several instruments and performing with gospel choirs.[1](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/1975/Chi-McBride) His entry into show business followed the success of "He's the Champ," a parody song about the marriage of boxer [Mike Tyson](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-tyson) and actress [Robin Givens](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-givens).[1](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/1975/Chi-McBride) When a producer offered to help him pursue his dream, he moved to Los Angeles and almost immediately landed a spot in the Fox television movie *Revenge of the Nerds III* and made several appearances on the network's comedy series *In Living Color*.[8](https://cinema.com/people/001/816/chi-mcbride/) His feature film debut came in *The Distinguished Gentleman*, starring [Eddie Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-murphy), followed by roles in the Oscar-nominated *What's Love Got to Do with It* and *The Great White Hype*.[8](https://cinema.com/people/001/816/chi-mcbride/)
His first lasting television success was as the wisecracking, philosophical janitor on NBC's *The John Larroquette Show*, which ran from 1993 to 1996.[8](https://cinema.com/people/001/816/chi-mcbride/) • [9](https://weminoredinfilm.com/2013/02/21/chi-mcbride-welcome-back-we-missed-you-aka-pushing-daisies-was-awesome/)
## Boston Public and the Desmond Pfeiffer controversy
Before *Boston Public*, McBride starred in UPN's 1998 sitcom *The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer*, a Civil War-era comedy in which he played a black Englishman who becomes a butler and chief advisor to President Lincoln. The show provoked protests from African American groups offended by its jokes about slavery and highly critical reviews from television writers; it was canceled a few weeks after its October 5 premiere.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html) Despite its short life, the series remained a cultural reference used by black artists such as director [Spike Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/spike-lee), who cited it as an inspiration for his satire *Bamboozled*.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html) McBride has said little of the criticism was aimed at him personally and that he does not flinch from discussing the show.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html)
**Steven Harper.** In 2000, [David E. Kelley](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-e-kelley) cast McBride as Steven Harper, the beleaguered principal of Winslow High School on the Fox drama *Boston Public*. Kelley said the role was always written for an African American but was not written for a large man, and that after casting McBride he could not imagine Harper as anyone without a real physical presence.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html) McBride called the role the high point of his career, saying it let audiences see him as an actor who could do different things after years of comedy.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html) The role led to a run of dramatic parts, including Edward Vogler on *[House](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-tv-series)*, Steven Harper again on *Boston Legal*, and leads in the short-lived series *Killer Instinct* and *The Nine*.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/chi-mcbride/) • [10](https://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/letsgoto_chi_mcbride.shtml)
## Pushing Daisies and comedy
On [Bryan Fuller](https://www.edgepedia.org/bryan-fuller)'s ABC series *Pushing Daisies* (2007–2009), McBride played Emerson Cod, a private detective who partners with the pie-maker Ned ([Lee Pace](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-pace)) to solve murders for reward money; the character relieves stress by knitting.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jan-09-en-daisies9-story.html) The show earned a Metascore of 85, the highest of McBride's television credits on Metacritic.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/chi-mcbride/) McBride has spoken about the difficulty of moving between registers: he started in comedy on *Larroquette*, shifted to drama on *Boston Public*, and then struggled to shift back because the industry perceived him as a dramatic actor and because he disliked the comedic material he was offered.[9](https://weminoredinfilm.com/2013/02/21/chi-mcbride-welcome-back-we-missed-you-aka-pushing-daisies-was-awesome/)
His film work in this period included *[Gone in 60 Seconds](https://www.edgepedia.org/gone-in-60-seconds-2000-film)* (2000), *I, Robot* (2004) as Lt. John Bergin, *The Terminal* (2004) as Joe Mulroy, *Undercover Brother* (2002) as the Chief, and *Draft Day* (2014) as Walt Gordon.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true) • [11](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/chi-mcbride/71850/biografia/) He has said he chooses work based on material rather than medium, and that television producers have consistently let him out to do films; when he auditioned for [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg) for *The Terminal*, Spielberg called David E. Kelley, who released him for the part.[10](https://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/letsgoto_chi_mcbride.shtml)
## Hawaii Five-0 and voice work
McBride's longest television engagement was as Lou Grover on the CBS reboot *Hawaii Five-0*, appearing in 160 episodes from 2013 to 2020; he also received a writing credit on the series.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/chi-mcbride/) In interviews he has described writing as a growing second career, saying that creating stories and characters is something beginning to blossom for him.[12](https://wavepublication.com/best-of-tasty-clips-chi-mcbride-returns-for-netflix-hit-i-will-find-you/)
In animation, he voiced [Nick Fury](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-fury) across Marvel's animated slate: 61 episodes of *[Ultimate Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-spider-man-tv-series)* (2012–2017), 13 episodes of *Avengers Assemble* (2012–2015), and 5 episodes of *Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.* (2014–2015), plus earlier turns as the character on *Phineas and Ferb*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/person/chi-mcbride/)
## I Will Find You
In 2026, McBride played Max Williams, a veteran FBI Fugitive Task Force agent and partner to Agent Sarah Greer ([Logan Browning](https://www.edgepedia.org/logan-browning)), in *Harlan Coben's I Will Find You*, an eight-episode Netflix limited series starring [Sam Worthington](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-worthington) as a father imprisoned for his son's murder who escapes after evidence suggests the boy may be alive.[6](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/i-will-find-you-cast-guide) • [13](https://www.ajc.com/arts-entertainment/2026/06/atlanta-native-loved-being-on-the-hunt-in-netflix-thriller-i-will-find-you/) McBride described his character as completely dispassionate: "We just catch him. We don't cook him. He was in prison, he was convicted of a crime, he's gotta go back."[6](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/i-will-find-you-cast-guide) Netflix reported the series was viewed 24 million times in its first four days, making it the streamer's biggest series debut of 2026.[7](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/global/sam-worthington-i-will-find-you-david-rachel-romance-netflix-38083/)
## Acting approach
McBride has repeatedly described his casting type as quiet intensity with authority. In a 2001 interview he explained that his physical appearance lets him play power without yelling: "because of my physical appearance, I don't have to yell. The assumption is that not too many people are going to try him."[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html) He has said the challenge for any actor is to avoid becoming predictable, and that he deliberately seeks roles unlike what audiences expect from him, citing his dark comedy *[Let's Go to Prison](https://www.edgepedia.org/lets-go-to-prison)* and his differently conceived character on *The Nine* as examples.[10](https://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/letsgoto_chi_mcbride.shtml) On acting itself, he has said people surround it with a shroud of mystery, comparing the craft to the seriousness children bring to pretend games.[14](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/chi-mcbride-interview/)
McBride is married to Julissa Marquez, and they have one child.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true)
## References
1. [Chi McBride Biography, All American Speakers](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/1975/Chi-McBride)
2. [Chi McBride, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564277/?showAllCredits=true)
3. [Breaking Free From the Past, Los Angeles Times (January 5, 2001)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-05-ca-8438-story.html)
4. [A fairy tale in bloom, Los Angeles Times (January 9, 2008)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jan-09-en-daisies9-story.html)
5. [Chi McBride, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/chi-mcbride/)
6. [I Will Find You Cast: Who's Who in the New Harlan Coben Series, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/i-will-find-you-cast-guide)
7. [Sam Worthington on 'I Will Find You', Variety Australia (June 29, 2026)](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/global/sam-worthington-i-will-find-you-david-rachel-romance-netflix-38083/)
8. [Chi McBride - Details, Cinema.com](https://cinema.com/people/001/816/chi-mcbride/)
9. [Chi McBride: Welcome back, we missed you!, We Minored in Film (2013)](https://weminoredinfilm.com/2013/02/21/chi-mcbride-welcome-back-we-missed-you-aka-pushing-daisies-was-awesome/)
10. [Chi McBride Interview, Let's Go To Prison, RadioFree.com (2006)](https://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/letsgoto_chi_mcbride.shtml)
11. [Chi McBride biografia, Comingsoon.it](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/chi-mcbride/71850/biografia/)
12. [BEST OF TASTY CLIPS: Chi McBride returns for Netflix hit 'I Will Find You', Los Angeles Wave (2026)](https://wavepublication.com/best-of-tasty-clips-chi-mcbride-returns-for-netflix-hit-i-will-find-you/)
13. [Atlanta native loved being on the hunt in Netflix thriller 'I Will Find You', The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (2026)](https://www.ajc.com/arts-entertainment/2026/06/atlanta-native-loved-being-on-the-hunt-in-netflix-thriller-i-will-find-you/)
14. [Q & A: Chi McBride, Daily Actor](https://www.dailyactor.com/interview/chi-mcbride-interview/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Character actors, B-movie and genre-circuit performers › American performers, recent era*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license