Tony Todd
About
Biography
Biography
Perhaps best known as the hook-handed horror film villain "The Candyman" (1992), this imposing, booming-voiced actor has capitalized on his physical assests--he's 6'5"--to appear in a wealth of science fiction, fantasy and horror movies and television series, yet has also proven quite effective as a dramatic actor in more serious fare. Classically trained in the theater, Todd got his first major entree into Hollywood when writer-director Oliver Stone saw his performance in "Johnny Got His Gun" at New York's Westbank Theater and cast the actor as Sgt. Warren in Stone's breakthrough film "Platoon" (1986). Todd subsequently appeared regularly in guest spots on various television series in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and developed a cult fan following beginning in 1990 when he took on the recurring role of Klingon Commander Kurn, the long-lost brother of the Enterprise's Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn), on several episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Todd would appear again as Kurn on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," a series in which he also previously played a human: the adult version of young series regular Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) in the highly-regarded 1995 episode "The Visitor." The actor would later earn the rare distinction of appearing on three different "Star Trek" series as three different characters when he appeared as an alien game hunter on "Star Trek: Voyager" in 1998.
Todd's major foray into horror began in 1992 when he was cast as the murderous Candyman, a role he reprised in two sequels, and he soon became a familiar presence in genre films such as "Wishmaster" and the remake of "Night of the Living Dead" along with TV series including "The X-Files," "Hercules," "Xena: Warrior Princess," "Babylon 5," "Angel," "Andromeda" and "Smallville." But he also landed several straightforward, non-genre parts, including the title role as Black Fox in a series of 1995 CBS TV Westerns in which he co-starred with Christopher Reeve, and "The Truman Show." Todd bolstered his Hollywood career with acclaimed turns on the stage, including originating the lead role in Athol Fugard's 1998 play "The Captain's Tiger," for which Todd was nominated for a Helen Hayes award, and in August Wilson's 1999 play "King Hedley II." Todd added a second horror film fixture to his resume when he was cast as the bizarre mortician Bill Bludworth in "Final Destination" (2000), a role he reprised in the 2003 sequel, and he found yet another popular recurring role on television when he was cast as Lester Lipschultz, the illegitimate son of venerable teacher Harvey Lipschultz (Fyvush Finkel), on David E. Kelley's Fox TV drama "Boston Public."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1986
Film debut in the fantasy thriller "Sleepwalk"
1986
Appeared as Sgt. Warren in director Oliver Stone's Vietnam war drama "Platoon"; cast after Stone saw his performance on stage in "Johnny Got His Gun"
1987
Began appearing regularly in guests spots on network series such as "Simon & Simon," "Kate & Allie," "Night Court," "MacGuyver," "Murder She Wrote" and "Law & Order"
1988
Joined the cast of Clint Eastwood's jazz biopic "Bird"
1988
Appeared in the urban police-gang drama "Colors" opposite Sean Penn for director Dennis Hopper
1989
Played the dean of security in John Avildson's inner-city school drama "Lean on Me"
1990
Originated the recurring role of the Klingon Commander Kurn, Lt. Worf's long-lost brother, on "Star Trek: The Next Generation"; later played an adult Jake Sisko on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in the well-regarded episode "The Visitor" (1990), and appeared as the alien Alpha Hirogen in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" (1998)
1990
Played the lead in director Tom Savini's remake of George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead"
1992
Originated the title role of hook-handed killer Daniel Robitaille in the horror film "Candyman"; reprised the role for the 1995 sequel "Candyman II: Farewell to the Flesh" and the straight-to-cable "Candyman: Day of the Dead" (1999)
1994
Appeared on various science fiction and fantasy TV series, including "The X-Files," "Hercules," "Xena: Warrior Princess," "Babylon 5," "Angel," "Smallville" and "Andromeda"
1994
Appeared in three episodes of "Homicide: Life On the Street" playing TV reporter Matt Rhodes
1995
Co-starred with Christopher Reeve in the CBS TV Western "Black Fox" playing former slave Britt "Black Fox" Johnson, who tries to broker peace between homesteaders and Native Americans; followed by two TV sequels, "Black Fox: The Price of Peace" and "Black Fox: Good Men and Bad" (both 1995)
1996
Starred in UPN's alien invasion-themed TV pilot-turned-telepic "Them"
1996
Played Captain Darrow in director Michael Bay's "The Rock"
1997
Played Johnny Valentine in the supernatural thriller "Wes Craven Presents Wishmaster"
1997
Appeared in the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame miniseries "True Women" about the women who helped settle Texas
1997
Starred in the mockumentary "Univers'l" which satirized the 1992 Los Angeles riots
1998
Appeared in the straight-to-video music industry murder mystery "Butter"
1998
Appeared with Bokeem Woodbine, Cynda Williams and Snoop Dogg in the urban drama "Caught Up"
1998
Originated the lead role on stage for Athol Fugard's "The Captain's Tiger"; nominated for a Helen Hayes Award
1998
Small role in "The Truman Show" opposite Jim Carrey
1999
Originated the title role in August Wilson's stage play "King Hedley II" in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2000
Co-starred in the indie comedy "The Dogwalker"
2000
First appeared as the prescient mortician Bludworth in the horror film "Final Destination"; reprised the role for the 2003 sequel "Final Destination 2"
2000
Appeared in the Cannes-screened "Le Secret"
2002
Begins recurring role as Lester Lipschultz, the illegitmate son of teacher Harvey Lipschultz (Fyvush Finkle) on Fox's public school drama "Boston Public"; also guests on episodes of series such as "Crossing Jordan" and "CSI: Miami"
2003
Appeared in the Sci-Fi channel's original film "Control Factor"
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