# Russell Hornsby
**Russell Hornsby** (born 1974) is an American actor of stage, film, and television whose best-known screen roles are police officer [Eddie Sutton](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-sutton) on the ABC Family drama *Lincoln Heights*, Detective Hank Griffin on the NBC series *Grimm*, [Maverick Carter](https://www.edgepedia.org/maverick-carter) in the film *The Hate U Give*, and Charles Flenory on the Starz series *BMF*.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/) His stage work is centered on the plays of [August Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/august-wilson), including Broadway revivals of *Fences* and *Jitney*.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974; IMDb lists San Francisco, California, while TV Guide and TV Insider list Oakland, California[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/russell-hornsby/bio/3030064980/) |
| Training | Boston University College of Fine Arts, graduated 1996; a summer at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts program at Oxford University[4](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/news/articles/2020/bu-alum-russell-hornsby-cfa96-reflects-on-diverse-acting-career/) • [5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby/) |
| Signature TV roles | Eddie Sutton on *Lincoln Heights* (2007–2009), Hank Griffin on *Grimm* (2011–2017), Charles Flenory on *BMF* (2021–2025)[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/) |
| Signature film roles | Lyons in *Fences* (2016), Maverick Carter in *The Hate U Give* (2018), Buddy Marcelle in *Creed II* (2018)[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Russell-Hornsby/) |
| Stage honors | Obie Award and Drama Desk Award for outstanding ensemble performance in *Jitney* (2000); Kahn Award from Boston University[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hornsby-russell) |
| Screen honors | NAACP Image Award nomination, Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, for *The Hate U Give*; 2006 BendFilm Festival Jury Prize for Best Lead Actor[5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/russell-hornsby/bio/3030064980/) |
| Recent work | Don King in Hulu's *Mike* (2022); *BMF* through its 2025 season; Off-Broadway *Sunset Baby* (2024) and *Seven Guitars* (2026)[8](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/i-see-u/2023/07/28/457722/i-see-u-episode-87-the-souls-of-russell-hornsby-encore/) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Russell-Hornsby/) |
## Early life and training
Hornsby was born in California in 1974; his birthplace is given as San Francisco on IMDb and as Oakland by [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) and TV Insider, and profiles from the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and [Boston University](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-university) describe him as born and raised in Oakland.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/russell-hornsby/bio/3030064980/) • [5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby/) He played football in high school, but a turn as the [Scarecrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/scarecrow) in a school production of *The Wiz* drew him to theater; he has said he won the role by audition and that the experience made him an aspiring actor.[9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/russell-hornsby/) • [5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby/)
He studied theater at Boston University's College of Fine Arts, graduating in 1996, and attributes much of his approach to the Shakespeare training there, where professor Judy Braha encouraged him.[4](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/news/articles/2020/bu-alum-russell-hornsby-cfa96-reflects-on-diverse-acting-career/) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hornsby-russell) He spent a summer at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts program at Oxford University, then moved to New York City to work in off-Broadway productions.[5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby/) • [9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/russell-hornsby/)
## Stage career
**August Wilson's plays** form the core of Hornsby's theater work. His off-Broadway and Broadway credits include YoungBlood in *Jitney* (Union Square Theatre), George in *Intimate Apparel* (Laura Pels Theatre), King in *King Hedley II* (Peter Norton Space), and Citizen Barlow in a regional production of *Gem of the Ocean* at McCarter Theatre.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) The *Jitney* ensemble received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award for outstanding ensemble performance in 2000, and Hornsby also won Boston University's Kahn Award.[7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hornsby-russell)
His Broadway debut came as Lyons in the 2010 Broadway revival of *Fences*, opposite [Denzel Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/denzel-washington) and [Viola Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/viola-davis).[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby) Later stage work includes Kenyatta in *Sunset Baby* at Signature Theatre (2024) and Floyd "Schoolboy" Barton in *Seven Guitars* (2026).[6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Russell-Hornsby/) In interviews he credits his theater training for his range on screen: "You can be a clown if you need to, you can be dramatic, you can be funny, you can be a leading man, or you can be a character actor."[4](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/news/articles/2020/bu-alum-russell-hornsby-cfa96-reflects-on-diverse-acting-career/)
## Television
Hornsby's first starring television role was Eddie Sutton, a police officer and father, on the critically acclaimed ABC Family drama *Lincoln Heights*, which ran from 2007 to 2009.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [10](https://www.the-grimm-profiler.com/about/the-cast/russell-hornsby) He then played Detective Hank Griffin, partner to [David Giuntoli](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-giuntoli)'s Nick Burkhardt, on NBC's *Grimm* from 2011 to 2017.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [11](https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/15-memorable-russell-hornsby-movies-and-tv-shows/) During the show's run he tore his [Achilles tendon](https://www.edgepedia.org/achilles-tendon) while watching [Super Bowl XLVII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlvii) in 2013, and episodes from "Volcanalis" through "Goodnight, Sweet Grimm" were modified to accommodate his recovery.[12](https://grimm.fandom.com/wiki/Russell_Hornsby)
Guest and supporting roles include Dr. Aaron Boies on *Gideon's Crossing*, Leon Taylor on ESPN's *Playmakers*, Luke on HBO's *In Treatment* opposite [Gabriel Byrne](https://www.edgepedia.org/gabriel-byrne), and appearances on *Law & Order: SVU*, *Shameless*, *The Good Wife*, *Grey's Anatomy*, *Girlfriends*, and *Suits*.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [11](https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/15-memorable-russell-hornsby-movies-and-tv-shows/) He starred opposite [Regina King](https://www.edgepedia.org/regina-king) in the Netflix limited series *Seven Seconds* (2018), played Ezekiel Boudreau in the Fox series *Proven Innocent*, led *Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector* on NBC, and appeared in an arc on Showtime's *The Affair*.[5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby) • [13](https://www.tvinsider.com/713807/russell-hornsby-interview-the-affair-seven-seconds-the-hate-u-give/) From 2021 to 2025 he played Charles Flenory, patriarch of the Flenory family, in 38 episodes of the Starz series *BMF*, and he portrayed boxing promoter [Don King](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-king) in Hulu's *Mike*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/) • [8](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/i-see-u/2023/07/28/457722/i-see-u-episode-87-the-souls-of-russell-hornsby-encore/)
## Film
His early film credits include a late-night courier in *Meet the Parents* (2000), Marcus Duncan in *Big Fat Liar* (2002), Odell in [Jim Sheridan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-sheridan)'s *Get Rich or Die Tryin'* (2005), and roles in *Stuck*, *Something New*, and the Sundance Grand Jury Award-nominated *LUV*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/) • [5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby) He won the 2006 BendFilm Festival Jury Prize for Best Lead Actor.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/russell-hornsby/bio/3030064980/)
**Fences and The Hate U Give** marked his screen breakthrough period. He repeated the role of Lyons, Troy Maxson's son, in the 2016 film adaptation of *Fences* opposite Washington and Davis, and played Buddy Marcelle in *Creed II* (2018).[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Russell-Hornsby/) In *The Hate U Give* (2018), George Tillman Jr.'s adaptation of Angie Thomas's novel, he played Maverick "Mav" Carter, the father of protagonist Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg), a former gang member turned shop owner who schools his children in how to behave during police stops.[11](https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/15-memorable-russell-hornsby-movies-and-tv-shows/) • [14](https://time.com/5417038/the-hate-u-give-movie-review/)
His path to that role was compressed. While filming *Seven Seconds* in New York, he had one day to produce a self-tape for the audition; the tape won him a meeting with Tillman, at which he performed a monologue from *King Hedley II*, which he had played on Broadway in 2007.[15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-russell-hornsby-hate-u-give-20181005-story.html) Once cast, he prepared the way he would for a Wilson play: his family stayed with his in-laws for a month while he worked out daily, read histories of the Black Panther movement, and built Maverick's walk, which he described as "soul on ice," a 1970s stride.[16](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/09/russell-hornsby-on-the-hate-u-give) The performance earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and drew award-season attention, including a New York Times interview.[5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby) • [17](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/magazine/articles/2019/the-real-thing/)
Later film work includes Detective Paterson in *Last Seen Alive* (2022), Richmond in *The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat* (2024), and David in *The Woman in the Yard* (2025).[6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Russell-Hornsby/)
## Approach to craft
Hornsby describes his preparation as a sequestered process: "Russell goes in and I come out on the other side as Mav. I'm finding his walk, finding his rhythm, finding his soul, finding his voice."[15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-russell-hornsby-hate-u-give-20181005-story.html) In a 2018 interview he said the lesson he carries is that "you can't shortchange the work," adding that a decade earlier he had the talent but not, in his words, the spiritual readiness for roles like *Seven Seconds* or *The Hate U Give*.[13](https://www.tvinsider.com/713807/russell-hornsby-interview-the-affair-seven-seconds-the-hate-u-give/) He has said he gravitates toward roles that mirror real life, with his body of work exploring police brutality, racism, and injustice.[13](https://www.tvinsider.com/713807/russell-hornsby-interview-the-affair-seven-seconds-the-hate-u-give/)
He has been married to Denise Walker since 1 August 2008, and lives with his family in Los Angeles.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/) • [5](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby)
## References
1. [Russell Hornsby artist profile, L.A. Theatre Works](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/russell-hornsby)
2. [Russell Hornsby (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395203/)
3. [Russell Hornsby Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/russell-hornsby/bio/3030064980/)
4. [BU Alum Russell Hornsby (CFA'96) Reflects on Diverse Acting Career, Boston University College of Fine Arts](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/news/articles/2020/bu-alum-russell-hornsby-cfa96-reflects-on-diverse-acting-career/)
5. [Russell Hornsby, The PEN/Faulkner Foundation](https://www.penfaulkner.org/2021/01/27/russell-hornsby/)
6. [Russell Hornsby, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Russell-Hornsby/)
7. [Hornsby, Russell, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/hornsby-russell)
8. [I SEE U, Episode 87: The Souls of Russell Hornsby, Houston Public Media](https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/i-see-u/2023/07/28/457722/i-see-u-episode-87-the-souls-of-russell-hornsby-encore/)
9. [Russell Hornsby, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/russell-hornsby/)
10. [Russell Hornsby, The Grimm Profiler](https://www.the-grimm-profiler.com/about/the-cast/russell-hornsby)
11. [15 Memorable Russell Hornsby Movies and TV Shows, New York Film Academy](https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/15-memorable-russell-hornsby-movies-and-tv-shows/)
12. [Russell Hornsby, Grimm Wiki](https://grimm.fandom.com/wiki/Russell_Hornsby)
13. [Russell Hornsby Talks 'The Affair,' His New Feature Film & Taking on Socially Relevant Roles, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/713807/russell-hornsby-interview-the-affair-seven-seconds-the-hate-u-give/)
14. [Review: The Hate U Give Is a Galvanizing Drama About Young People, Time](https://time.com/5417038/the-hate-u-give-movie-review/)
15. ['What are you willing to die for?': Russell Hornsby discusses his breakout 'The Hate U Give' role, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-russell-hornsby-hate-u-give-20181005-story.html)
16. [The Hate U Give Star Russell Hornsby on His Make-or-Break Role, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/09/russell-hornsby-on-the-hate-u-give)
17. [The Real Thing, Boston University College of Fine Arts Magazine](https://www.bu.edu/cfa/magazine/articles/2019/the-real-thing/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames He to Hs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; 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