1961–present
Who Is Laurence Fishburne?
Versatile screen and theater actor Laurence Fishburne is best known for playing Morpheus in The Matrix movies, Othello in the 1995 film adaptation, and Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It. Raised in New York City, Fishburne began performing onstage at age 10 and earned parts in the TV soap opera One Life to Live and the 1979 war movie Apocalypse Now as a teenager. In the decades since, his diverse range has garnered three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and an Oscar nomination for 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do With It. More recently, Fishburne has appeared in movies such as the John Wick franchise and the 2025 thriller The Amateur.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Laurence John Fishburne III
BORN: July 30, 1961
BIRTHPLACE: Augusta, Georgia
SPOUSES: Hajna O. Moss (1985–c.1993) and Gina Torres (2002–2018)
CHILDREN: Langston Fishburne, Montana, and Delilah
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo
Young Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III was born on July 30, 1961, in Augusta, Georgia. He was initially raised by his mother, high school teacher Hattie Fishburne, and corrections officer Laurence John Fishburne Jr. However, the couple divorced when Laurence III was a young child, and he relocated with his mother to Park Slope, a neighborhood in New York City’s Brooklyn borough.
Still, his father played a key role in young Laurence’s childhood by introducing him to movies starring actors such as Steve McQueen, John Wayne, Sidney Poitier, and Charles Bronson. This, coupled with his ability to mimic the voices of his neighbors and TV cartoon characters, put Laurence III on an early path to acting.
At age 49, the actor found out Fishburne Jr. isn’t his biological dad. After taking a DNA test for the PBS television show Finding Your Roots in 2025, he discovered his birth father was the late William Bohannan, a railway worker and part-time radio DJ. “Hey pop,” Fishburne III said upon seeing a photo. “It’s so nice to see his face, and to see him smiling. He looks like a kind man.” Laurence III also learned he has a half-sister, Lisa Bohannan.
It was a school play that first demonstrated Laurence III’s acting potential. According to his aunt Classie Jo West, the second grader’s performance impressed audience members and convinced his mother of his potential. Soon after, Laurence III made his true acting debut at age 10 in the Manhattan theater production In My Many Names and Days. By the time he graduated from the now closed Lincoln Square Academy in New York, young Laurence had already launched his movie and TV career.
Filmography: Apocalypse Now, Othello, and More
Fishburne’s stage experience helped him earn the part of Fish in the 1972 teleplay If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band—his first credited screen role. In 1974, the actor began a recurring part as Josh Hall on the TV soap opera One Life to Live and appeared in 16 episodes.
When Fishburne was 14, he auditioned for his most ambitious project yet: the war film Apocalypse Now directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen. In order to get the part of Tyrone “Clean” Miller, the teenager lied about his age in a casting interview with Coppola and producer Fred Roos by claiming he was actually 16. The fib worked, and soon, Fishburne (credited as Larry Fishburne) found himself working alongside A-list movie stars in the Philippines.
“That movie was really the beginning of me thinking of myself as an artist,” Fishburne later told Collider. “It was the beginning of my understanding of cinema, it was the beginning of my understanding of the world.”
Beyond the formative acting experience, there were many set challenges to navigate. Fishburne saved Sheen’s son Emilio Estevez from potentially drowning in quicksand when the two were playing in a boat during production. The movie also had multiple production delays, including a pause after a typhoon hit the Philippines and another when Sheen suffered a heart attack.
Apocalypse Now finally debuted in 1979, received eight Oscar nominations (two of which it won), and began a long partnership between Fishburne and Coppola. The pair worked together on many projects, including Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), Gardens of Stone (1987), and Megalopolis (2024).
Oscar Nomination and Othello
Having proved himself among Apocalypse Now’s seasoned actors, Fishburne continued to get regular work with roles in movies such as Death Wish II (1982), The Color Purple (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and the Spike Lee–directed School Daze (1988).
Fishburne continued to build his star power in movies such as Boyz n the Hood (1991), a coming-of-age crime drama starring rapper Ice Cube, and Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) about a child chess prodigy. Also in 1993, Fishburne received critical acclaim for his portrayal of singer Tina Turner’s ex-husband Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. Both Fishburne and co-star Angela Bassett received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress for their roles as the controversial music couple.
In 1995, Fishburne again showcased his leading man capabilities and previous theater experience in a movie adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Othello. He became only the second Black actor to take on the titular role, following Paul Robeson’s 1943 Broadway stint.
The Matrix Movies
Fishburne’s profile continued to skyrocket in 1999 with the release of mind-bending sci-fi flick The Matrix. The dystopian thriller starring Keanu Reeves tells the story of humans trying to escape a simulated reality. Fishburne felt the plot focused on dual realities was “brilliant” and jumped at the role of Morpheus. “The character was wonderful because he didn’t die. I die a lot in movies,” he told IGN. “Here it was, I got to play this character who is a major force, and I didn’t have to snuff it.”
With its groundbreaking visual effects and elaborate fight scenes, The Matrix grossed more than $463 million worldwide and influenced future action movies. Fishburne reprised his role for the sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003, but didn’t return for 2021’s continuation, The Matrix Resurrections.
Following the success of the franchise, Fishburne continued to show up in big-budget blockbusters such as the spy sequel Mission: Impossible III (2006) starring Tom Cruise; the superhero spectacle Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), providing the voice of the titular extraterrestrial; and the 2010 creature horror Predators (2010).
John Wick and Ant-Man Series
Fishburne has continued to appear in notable action movies and franchises. In 2017, he made his debut as the Bowery King in John Wick: Chapter 2, the second entry in the action series starring his Matrix co-star Reeves. The pair reunited for subsequent sequels in 2019 and 2023.
In addition, Fishburne is among the notable actors to appear in both the DC and Marvel Comics cinematic universes with roles in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). He is rumored to reprise his character from the latter in the upcoming ensemble movie Thunderbolts*, according to a 2024 Production Weekly report, though Marvel hasn’t confirmed his involvement in the May 2025 release.
Most recently, Fishburne teamed with Rami Malek for the 2025 thriller The Amateur. The veteran actor playing a trainer and mentor for a CIA cryptographer determined to avenge his wife’s killing.
TV and Stage Roles
While less extensive than his film résumé, Fishburne’s theater and TV credits are just as noteworthy. Among his most notable recurring roles are Cowboy Curtis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1990) starring the titular Paul Reubens character, Dr. Ray Langston across 61 episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2008–11), and Jack Crawford in Hannibal (2013–15).
The actor portrayed former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in a televised version of the one-man stage play Thurgood in 2011 and author Alex Haley in the 2016 reimagining of the historical miniseries Roots. Fishburne also served as an executive producer and star of the TV sitcom Black-ish.
Fishburne has received 12 Emmy Award nominations and won three trophies for his roles in the 1993 drama series Tribeca, the 1997 made-for-TV movie Miss Evers’ Boys, and the 2020 short-form series #FreeRayshawn.
Fishburne is also a Tony Award winner, earning the trophy for Best Featured Actor in 1992 for his performance in the August Wilson play Two Trains Running.
Ex-Wives and Children
Fishburne is twice married and divorced, and his current relationship status isn’t publicly known.
The actor wed Hajna O. Moss in 1985, and the couple had two children. Their son, Langston, was born in July 1987 followed by their daughter, Montana, in September 1991. The couple divorced in the early 1990s.
Fishburne has another daughter, Delilah, born in June 2007, from his marriage to actor Gina Torres. The pair married in 2002, but Fishburne filed for divorce in 2017. The split was finalized in 2018.
Langston Fishburne is an actor and appeared alongside his father in the 2011 drama Have a Little Faith. He also played a younger version of Fishburne’s character in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Dr. Bill Foster.
Montana became an adult film actor at age 18, leading to her estrangement from her dad. “I heard that he’s mad at me, but I haven’t spoken to him yet,” she said in 2010. “I feel pretty confident that I can work things out with him. I think he wants to support me in everything I do, and though he sees this now as a negative, I believe in time he will view it as a positive.” In February 2018, Montana posted a photo of the two embracing on Instagram.
Net Worth
Celebrity Net Worth estimates Fishburne’s total fortune around $30 million as of March 2025.
Much of his wealth stems from his involvement in the Matrix movies. Fishburne reportedly earned $15 million for the sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, plus a small percentage of profit.
Additionally, the New York Post reported in 2009 that Fishburne earned $350,000 per episode of his two-year contract for TV drama CSI.
Quotes
- I’m not comfortable with this word star or movie star. I’m comfortable with being an actor. I’m comfortable with being an artist.
- Most of us repeat our mistakes throughout life. The key is becoming wise enough to change and learn from those mistakes. I’m still trying.
- Heroes, villains, whatever it is, as long as you can make them human then it’s fun. You know, that’s the objective as to whether it’s a hero or villain; you wanna humanize them and allow the audience to have the experience.
Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us!
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
