Michael Warren (actor)
Encyclopedia
Michael Warren is an American
TV actor and former college basketball
player, best known for playing Officer Bobby Hill on the NBC
television series Hill Street Blues
.
) were members of the 1967 and 1968 Bruin
teams that won two NCAA championship titles under legendary coach John Wooden
. Warren, the smallest Bruin starter at 5' 11", averaged 12.4 points as a junior in 1967 and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1968. Alcindor and Warren later crossed paths when Michael played an extra in the hospital flashback scene in the 1980 film Airplane!
, he had an earlier role on The White Shadow
, and a co-starring role on the CBS television series City of Angels, and a recurring role on the Showtime television series Soul Food. Before Hill Street Blues
, in 1974, he played the role of park ranger P. J. Lewis on the NBC adventure series Sierra
, and in 1979, he starred as police officer Willie Miller on the CBS
crime drama Paris
, which was the first effort by Hill Street Blues
executive producer Steven Bochco
. He also guest starred on the Fox
sitcom Living Single
as Khadijah's father, and later portrayed Joan's father on the UPN
/CW
sitcom Girlfriends
. Warren played Darrin Dewitt Henson's assistance on the Showtime show, Soul Food, in which he played Baron Marks. Warren had a recurring role on the ABC Family
series as Spencer Sutton, Eddie's father, Lincoln Heights
.
Warren appeared as Virgil Tibbs' longtime partner, Matthew Pogue on the episode of In the Heat of the Night
"The Hammer and the Glove" in 1988. In 1996, he was on the Early Edition
episode Hoops. In 2002 he appeared in "Normal Again", an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as a psychiatrist trying to convince Buffy Summers she is delusional.
His film work includes the 1970s cult classic "Norman... is that you?" (based on the play Norman, Is That You?
) with the legendary Redd Foxx
and Pearl Bailey
.
In 2010, Michael Warren can be seen in Anderson's Cross
playing the father of the lead character Nick Anderson.
, and they have two children, Honor (2008) and Haven (2011).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
TV actor and former college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
player, best known for playing Officer Bobby Hill on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
.
College basketball career
As a college basketball player, Warren was an All-American at UCLA, where he and Lew Alcindor (later to be known in his professional NBA career as Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
) were members of the 1967 and 1968 Bruin
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
teams that won two NCAA championship titles under legendary coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
. Warren, the smallest Bruin starter at 5' 11", averaged 12.4 points as a junior in 1967 and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1968. Alcindor and Warren later crossed paths when Michael played an extra in the hospital flashback scene in the 1980 film Airplane!
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
Acting career
Warren would go on to work as an actor in television. In addition to his starring role on Hill Street BluesHill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, he had an earlier role on The White Shadow
The White Shadow
The White Shadow is an American drama television series that ran on the CBS network from November 27, 1978, to March 16, 1981.-Overview:...
, and a co-starring role on the CBS television series City of Angels, and a recurring role on the Showtime television series Soul Food. Before Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
, in 1974, he played the role of park ranger P. J. Lewis on the NBC adventure series Sierra
Sierra (TV series)
Sierra was a short-lived 1974 television crime drama series focusing on the efforts of National Park Service rangers to enforce federal law and to effect wilderness rescues. The program aired on NBC and was packaged by Jack Webb's Mark VII Limited for Universal Television. John Denver wrote the...
, and in 1979, he starred as police officer Willie Miller on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
crime drama Paris
Paris (1979 TV series)
Paris was an American television series that appeared on the CBS television network from September 29, 1979 to January 15, 1980. A crime drama, the show is notable as the first-ever appearance of renowned actor James Earl Jones in a lead role on television and as the first program on which Steven...
, which was the first effort by Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
executive producer Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
. He also guest starred on the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
sitcom Living Single
Living Single
Living Single is an American television sitcom which aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 29, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.Throughout its run, Living...
as Khadijah's father, and later portrayed Joan's father on the UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
/CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
sitcom Girlfriends
Girlfriends
Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
. Warren played Darrin Dewitt Henson's assistance on the Showtime show, Soul Food, in which he played Baron Marks. Warren had a recurring role on the ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
series as Spencer Sutton, Eddie's father, Lincoln Heights
Lincoln Heights (TV series)
Lincoln Heights is an American drama television series about Eddie Sutton, a Mission Vista police officer who moves his family back to his old neighborhood, Lincoln Heights, to start a new life and to help out his old neighborhood...
.
Warren appeared as Virgil Tibbs' longtime partner, Matthew Pogue on the episode of In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (TV series)
In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
"The Hammer and the Glove" in 1988. In 1996, he was on the Early Edition
Early Edition
Early Edition is an American television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. Set in the city of Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this...
episode Hoops. In 2002 he appeared in "Normal Again", an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as a psychiatrist trying to convince Buffy Summers she is delusional.
His film work includes the 1970s cult classic "Norman... is that you?" (based on the play Norman, Is That You?
Norman, Is That You?
Norman, Is That You? is a 1970 play in two acts by American playwrights Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick about a Jewish couple coming to terms with their son's homosexuality. The work is notably the first play written by both writers. After 19 preview performances, the play officially opened on Broadway...
) with the legendary Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
and Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
.
In 2010, Michael Warren can be seen in Anderson's Cross
Anderson's Cross
Anderson's Cross is a 2010 feature film, focusing on three best friends whose evolving relationships cause tension in their senior year of high school. It was written and directed by Jerome Elston Scott, one of its co-stars....
playing the father of the lead character Nick Anderson.
Personal life
Warren has two daughters named Koa and Makayla, and two sons, Grayson Warren and Cash Warren. Cash is married to actress Jessica AlbaJessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack . Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel...
, and they have two children, Honor (2008) and Haven (2011).
Honors
- 2009 Pac-10 Hall of Honor inductee
- UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, 1990
- 14th round pick in the NBA Draft.