Dulé Hill
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Karim Dulé Hill (Template:IPAc-en; born May 3, 1975)<ref>[1]Template:Webarchive Dule Hill [biography], Performing ARts Databases, Library of Congress.</ref> is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series The West Wing, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and pharmaceutical salesman–private detective Burton "Gus" Guster on the USA Network television comedy-drama Psych. He also had minor roles in the movies Holes, The Guardian, and She's All That and a recurring role on Ballers. He joined the cast of Suits for the last 2 seasons, and played patriarch Bill Williams in the 2021 remake of The Wonder Years. Hill also serves as a member of the SAG-AFTRA Board of Directors.<ref>[2] Template:Webarchive</ref>
Early life
Hill was born in Orange, New Jersey, to Jamaican parents and was raised in Sayreville, New Jersey.<ref name= USAToday>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He studied ballet at a young age, and appeared in the musical The Tap Dance Kid as Savion Glover's understudy on Broadway, a part he subsequently played on the show's national tour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hill graduated from Sayreville War Memorial High School in 1993,<ref name= sayer>Granieri, Laurie. "Sayreville native Dule Hill gears up for show's new season" Template:Webarchive, Home News Tribune, August 7, 2009. Accessed February 15, 2011. "The biggest challenge for me is not making Gus too nerdy or too cool. Because Gus is a nerd, says Hill, 34, who grew up in Sayreville and is a 1993 graduate of Sayreville War Memorial High School."</ref> and studied business finance at Seton Hall University and acting at William Esper Studio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While at Seton Hall,<ref name= sayer/> he accepted a role on Jim Henson's CityKids.
Career

In 1985, 10-year-old Hill performed a tap dance number on the MDA telethon. When the music could not be found for his routine, telethon host Jerry Lewis helped by having the orchestra play another song while Hill performed. He got his SAG card aged 13 playing the small role of "basketball boy" on the PBS children's series Ghostwriter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His first film role was in Sugar Hill in 1993 during his senior year of high school. While in college at Seton Hall, he was cast in a starring role in Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk on Broadway.
In 1999, Hill was cast on The West Wing as Charlie Young, the personal aide to President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen. During the sixth season of the series, Charlie became a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. Hill starred as Charlie for six seasons before he chose to leave the show at the beginning of the seventh season (September 2005) to star in the pilot for the new television show Psych for the USA Network,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which premiered July 7, 2006. However, when the announcement was made that The West Wing would be ending in May 2006, Hill returned for the show's last episodes.
Hill also had roles in the 1999 film She's All That starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook, both of whom he later reunited with on Psych. He was in the series 10.5 as a Los Angeles doctor named Owen, in the Disney movie Holes (2003) as Sam the Onion Man (the movie itself was referenced in the Psych episode "65 Million Years Off"), and in the 2006 movie The Guardian (this was referenced in the Psych episode "You Can’t Handle this"). He also joined the cast of Suits for Season 8 and 9 (this was referenced in the movie Psych 3: This Is Gus).
Hill also appeared on Broadway in Stick Fly from December 2011 to February 2012 and After Midnight in November 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
As a voice actor, Hill was part of the cast of the 2021 animated feature Night of the Animated Dead.
In the 2024 PBS documentary series, The Express Way with Dulé Hill, Hill narrates and participates in exploring art and diverse cultures.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Hill married actress Nicole Lyn in 2004. They had no children. Hill and Lyn separated on July 21, 2012 and filed for legal separation in November 2012 citing irreconcilable differences.<ref name="ENews">Template:Cite web</ref>
On April 14, 2017, Hill became engaged to girlfriend and Ballers co-star Jazmyn Simon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He and Simon got married in April 2018.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2019, Hill and his wife announced the birth of their son.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood | Robert E. Lee | |
| 1994 | Sugar Hill | Young Romello | |
| 1999 | She's All That | Preston | |
| 2000 | Men of Honor | Red Tail | |
| 2003 | Holes | Sam | |
| 2004 | Sexual Life | Jerry | |
| 2005 | Edmond | Sharper | |
| The Numbers | Brady | Short | |
| 2006 | The Guardian | Ken Weatherly | |
| 2007 | Whisper | Detective Miles | |
| 2008 | Remarkable Power | Reggie | |
| 2012 | Gayby | Adam | |
| Nostalgia | Gabe Robinson Jr. | Short | |
| Gator Farm | Jay | Short | |
| 2013 | Miss Dial | Popcorn Caller | |
| 2015 | Gravy | Delroy | |
| 2016 | Sleight | Angelo | |
| 2021 | Locked Down | David | |
| Night of the Animated Dead | Ben (voice) | ||
| Hypnotic | Detective Wade Rollins |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Dick Cavett Show | Himself | with Hinton Battle and Harold Nicholas promoting The Tap Dance Kid |
| 1992 | Ghostwriter | Basketball Boy | Episode: "To Catch a Creep: Part 1" |
| 1993 | CityKids | John | Main cast |
| American Playhouse | Episode: "Hallelujah" | ||
| 1994 | New York Undercover | Georgie | Episode: "CAT" |
| 1995 | All My Children | Simon | Episode: "6 July 1995" |
| New York News | Raymond Gates | Episode: "New York News" | |
| 1997 | The Ditchdigger's Daughters | Young Donald | TV movie |
| Color of Justice | Kameel | TV movie | |
| Cosby | Marcus | Episode: "Shall We Dance?" | |
| 1998 | Smart Guy | Calvin Tierney | Episode: "Gotta Dance" |
| 1999 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Featured Dancer | Episode: "Taps for Royal" |
| Love Songs | Leroy | TV movie | |
| Chicken Soup for the Soul | Episode: "Mother's Day" | ||
| 1999–2006 | The West Wing | Charlie Young | Main cast |
| 2004 | 10.5 | Dr. Owen Hunter | Miniseries |
| 2006–14 | Psych | Burton "Gus" Guster | Main cast |
| 2015–17 | Ballers | Larry Seifert | Recurring cast (seasons 1–3) |
| 2017 | Seven Bucks Digital Studios | Larry Siefert | Episode: "Get Pumped Up for 'Ballers' Season 3 with the Rock" |
| Doubt | Albert Cobb | Main cast | |
| Psych: The Movie | Burton "Gus" Guster | TV movie | |
| 2017–19 | Suits | Alex Williams | Recurring cast (s. 7), main cast (s. 8–9) |
| 2019 | Styling Hollywood | Himself | Episode: "Taraji & Yara & Zazie, Oh My!" |
| 2019–21 | Muppet Babies | Mr. Manny (voice) | 5 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2020 | Psych 2: Lassie Come Home | Burton "Gus" Guster | TV movie |
| Black Monday | Marcus Duane Wainwright III | Recurring cast (season 2) | |
| 2021 | Psych 3: This Is Gus | Burton "Gus" Guster | TV movie |
| 2021–23 | The Wonder Years | Bill Williams | Main cast |
| 2022 | This Is Us | Kenny Brooks | Episode: "The Train" |
| 2024 | The Express Way with Dulé Hill | Himself | Miniseries |
| 2025 | Good American Family | Brandon Drysdale | Recurring role<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Other Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The Tap Dance Kid | Willie | Broadway National Tour |
| 1996 | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | The Kid | |
| 2007 | Dutchman<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Clay | |
| 2011 | Stick Fly | Spoon (Kent) LeVay | |
| 2013 | After Midnight | The Host | |
| 2017 | Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole | Nat "King" Cole | People's Light and Theatre |
| 2019 | Geffen Playhouse |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Template:Won |
| Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | ||
| 2002 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Template:Won | |
| Emmy Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | ||
| Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | ||
| 2003 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | |
| 2004 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | |
| Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | ||
| 2005 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | |
| Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Template:Nom | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | 10.5 (miniseries) | Template:Nom | ||
| 2006 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series | The West Wing | Template:Nom |
| 2008 | Image Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Psych | Template:Nom |
| 2009 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Template:Nom |
References
External links
- 1975 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American musicians
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American musicians
- American actors of Jamaican descent
- American male child actors
- American male dancers
- American male film actors
- American male musical theatre actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- American musicians of Jamaican descent
- American tap dancers
- Male actors from Middlesex County, New Jersey
- Male actors from Orange, New Jersey
- Musicians from Orange, New Jersey
- People from Sayreville, New Jersey
- Sayreville War Memorial High School alumni
- Seton Hall University alumni