Hottest TV hunks

Ebony, July, 2004 by Aldore Collier

BLACK MEN used to be curious novelties in Hollywood. They've come a mighty long way from being little more than set decoration or stereotypical buddies to White stars or criminal elements often getting picked off by bullets long before credits rolled.

Now, a new group of Black actors--including Sean Patrick Thomas, Henry Simmons and Keith Hamilton Cobb--is appealing to a new generation of fans with their performances in daytime dramas and prime-time programs. They're sexy, handsome, intelligent, enormously talented--and successful.

They have come to Hollywood with impeccable credentials and are as comfortable on the stage as they are in front of the camera. Legends like Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier paved a wonderful path for them in a town previously inhospitable to Black men. As was the case with Poitier, intangibles like perseverance are their greatest assets. They're not satisfied with minor, mindless roles that provide no challenges. And they're not as quick to take no for an answer.

These multitalented performers come from varied backgrounds. Some were trained on the New York stage while others developed their skills in the rap and hip-hop world of music and videos. Others have come equipped with nothing more than dreams and a few dollars, determined to make it and show their stuff on the large and small screen.

The following are profiles on three of the talented and sexy Black actors who are parlaying their long-held dreams into the reality of success in the world's premiere fantasyland.

IT wasn't supposed to be permanent, but the audience and producers of the hit ABC drama NYPD Blue were so impressed with the work of Henry Simmons as Detective Baldwin Jones that he was asked to become a regular cast member four years ago. Simmons' model looks, acting skills and chiseled physique make him one of the favorites of the show.

A native of the Connecticut suburbs of New York, the 6-foot-4 Simmons, not surprising1y, was a college athlete. After working in corporate America for a while, he decided to give acting his undivided attention. In 1996, he landed roles on the daytime dramas Another World and One Life to Live. also appeared on New York Undercover and The Cosby Mysteries.

His appearance gets him lots of attention, but he knows that having a hot body will not sustain him in Hollywood. "Looks are a dime a dozen, particularly in L.A.," he says. "You have to have discipline and talent once you're in the door to stay inside the door." Right now, he says he's in a "blessed" position. In addition to being on one of TV's most-honored series. Simmons will appear in several movies later this year. He has a role in Queen Latifah's comedy Taxi and a part in the Ice Cube film Are We There Yet? "I wanted to do comedy because everybody sees me as a dramatic actor ...," he says. "I want to play versatile roles."

And he got a chance to demonstrate his versatility in the recent, four-hour miniseries version of the classic film Spartacus, playing the ancient slave/gladiator role created by the Woody Strode.

Simmons also will be seen in the upcoming feature film Lackawana Blues, a drama "in which I play a boxer who has a Jackie Wilson fixation." The low-key bachelor, who says his roots are very Southern, is rarely seen on the Hollywood party circuit. He says that his work schedule allows precious little free time for too many social activities. "It's just that I've been so busy," he says.

And he is very happy to be so busy.

Sean Patrick Thomas didn't even have acting on his radar as a kid growing up in Wilmington, Del. But, as a student at the University of Virginia he figures "why not" and responded to a casting call for a production of a Raisin in the Sun. And he was hooked! After getting his graduate degree from New York University, Thomas performed on stage. He found steady work in movies such as Courage Under Fire, Can't Hardly Wait, Cruel Intentions and Wes Craven Presents Dracula 2000. He also had a part in the series New York Undercover. But his biggest performing break came in 2001 when he was cast in Save the Last Dance with Julia Stiles. The interracial romantic drama turned out to be a huge, unexpected hit. "That was what people knew me from," he admits. "It was the springboard," one that led to Barbershop and Barbershop 2: Back in Business.

Thomas' youthful appearance and understated, genial demeanor has resulted in his being offered numerous movie roles, but he hasn't been able to take very many because of his work for the last four years on the CBS hit drama The District. In that series he plays Temple Page, a religious cop with a deep moral conscience. Page is one of those so-called race-neutral roles that a White, Latino or Asian character could play. "Ultimately, I want to do the kind of roles that aren't specifically defined by color," he says. "Ninety-nine percent of the scripts I get are specifically written for a Black actor. My personal goal is to push against that for as long as possible." He became accustomed to those roles not written for Blacks when he performed Shakespeare and Ibsen plays on stage.