On Wednesday, Blair Underwood will bring a new character to life on NBC’s Ironside on which he stars as NYPD detective Robert Ironside, a fearless cop with instincts that are second to none. Although he’s wheelchair-bound, that doesnt’ stop him from taking down the bad guys or getting in good with the ladies.
Underwood gets intense for his new role, and we like it. He’s always focused and fully committed to every role he brings to life and we’re sure this time will be no exception. **sets DVR**
Underwood’s father was a colonel in the U.S. Army, so he moved a lot as a child. He lived in Michigan, Colorado, Virginia and Germany, though he was born in Tacoma, Washington.
And, boy does Underwood look dapper in a suit. We drooled all through this year’s Emmy Awards Show just hoping to get one more glimpse.
Believe it or not, Underwood actually wanted to be a cowboy before becoming an actor. He’s a great horseback rider and has taken part in rodeos in the past.
In 2000, Underwood was voted one of PEOPLE magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People.
Underwood once played eight different characters simultaneously in the show IM4: From the Mountaintop to Hip Hop, a one-man show which he created and starred in.
Underwood is a man of many talents. He once coauthored the Tennyson Hardwick series of novels about an actor-turned-detective.
Underwood has given many a well-deserved acceptance speech. He’s won multiple NAACP Image Awards for television roles and appearances, a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album (An Inconvenient Truth) and two Golden Globe nominations for his work on In Treatment and L.A. Law.
Don’t you just love a hot man with a huge heart? Underwood gives his all in his performances and within his community. The known-champion for civil rights is involved with numerous charitable organizations. In 1993, he received the Humanitarian Award from the Muscular Dystrophy Association and he was a spokesperson for YouthAIDS in 2003.
Underwood has the kind of smile that makes you fall in love all over again each time he cracks his lips. Wouldn’t you agree?
Underwood is one of the trustees for the Robey Theatres Company in Los Angeles, which focuses on plays about the Black experience. One thing’s for sure: With all the fame and fortune, Mr. Underwood has never forgotten who he is.
Underwood has been all over our TV screens with his signature swag. You may remember him stealing scenes on The Cosby Show, on One Life to Live as Bobby Blue, TV series L.A. Law, where he appeared from 1987 to 1994, and Sex and The City.
The camera loves him and his fans do too. Underwood has over 160,000 Twitter followers who stay glued to their feeds to see what he’s up to in between shoots. (And, yes, we’re one of them.)
Tune in to the premiere of Ironside on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 10pm EST on NBC.
