Dulé Hill

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Dulé Hill
Hill in San Diego Comic Con 2013
Born
Karim Dulé Hill

(1975-05-03) May 3, 1975 (age 48)
EducationSeton Hall University[1] (BS)
OccupationActor
Years active1985–present
Spouses
(m. 2004; div. 2012)
(m. 2018)
Children2

Karim Dulé Hill (/ˈdl/; born May 3, 1975)[2] 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 regular cast of Suits for seasons 8 and 9, 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.[3]

Early life[edit]

Hill was born in Orange, New Jersey to Jamaican parents and was raised in Sayreville, New Jersey.[4][5][6] 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.[7] Hill graduated from Sayreville War Memorial High School in 1993,[8] and studied business finance at Seton Hall University and acting at William Esper Studio.[9] While at Seton Hall,[8] he accepted a role on Jim Henson's CityKids.

Career[edit]

Hill with the rest of the main cast of Psych and series creator Steve Franks

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. 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, who was 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,[10] 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, as a Los Angeles doctor named Owen in the movie and series 10.5, 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 Guardian (2006). He also joined the cast of Suits for Season 8 and 9.

Hill also appeared on Broadway in Stick Fly from December 2011 to February 2012 and After Midnight in November 2013.[11]

As a voice actor, Hill was part of the cast of the 2021 animated feature Night of the Animated Dead.

Personal life[edit]

Hill married actress Nicole Lyn in 2004. They had no children. Hill filed for legal separation from Lyn in 2012 citing irreconcilable differences.[12]

On April 14, 2017, Hill became engaged to girlfriend and Ballers co-star Jazmyn Simon.[13] In early 2018, Hill married Simon and later adopted her daughter. In 2019, Hill and his wife announced the birth of their son.[14]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Good Old Boy: A Delta Boyhood Robert E. Lee
1999 She's All That Preston
2000 Men of Honor Red Tail
2003 Holes Sam the Onion Man
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[edit]

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 (season 7), main cast (seasons 89)
2019–21 Muppet Babies Mr. Manny (voice) 5 episodes[15]
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"

Theatre[edit]

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[16] 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[edit]

Year Association Category Work Result
2001 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series The West Wing Won
Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2002 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series Won
Emmy Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2003 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2004 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special 10.5 (miniseries) Nominated
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series The West Wing Nominated
2008 Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series Psych Nominated
2009 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Congressional Record". Congress.gov. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  2. ^ [1]Archived 2018-07-26 at the Wayback Machine Dule Hill [biography], Performing ARts Databases, Library of Congress.
  3. ^ [2] Archived October 12, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Dugas, Christine (March 30, 2001). "On the Money with Dulé Hill". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2017. Hill was born in Orange, N.J., and raised in Sayreville, N.J., by his Jamaican-born parents.
  5. ^ Contemporary Black biography. profiles from the international Black community. Detroit, Michigan: Gale. 2009. ISBN 978-1414434407. A New Jersey native, Hill was born in Orange in 1975, and raised in Sayreville.
  6. ^ "Doubt Cast Biography". CBS. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017. Born in Orange, N.J. and raised in Sayreville, Dulé Hill began attending dance school when he was three years old.
  7. ^ King, Susan (August 28, 2006). "'West Wing' actor takes 'Psych' sidekick role". The Day. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via Google News.
  8. ^ a b Granieri, Laurie. "Sayreville native Dule Hill gears up for show's new season" Archived March 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, 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."
  9. ^ "Dule Hill: The Enduring Rage of Dutchman". Broadway.com. February 13, 2007. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  10. ^ "Dule Hill Leaving The West Wing". September 16, 2005. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  11. ^ "Dulé Hill | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". The Broadway League. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "Dule Hill Files for Legal Separation". Archived from the original on November 29, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  13. ^ "'West Wing' Alum Dule Hill Gets Engaged to Girlfriend Jazmyn Simon". Usmagazine.com. April 20, 2017. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  14. ^ "Dulé Hill and Wife Jazmyn Simon Welcome Son Levi Dulé — See His First Photos!". Archived from the original on June 20, 2019.
  15. ^ Butler, Karen (November 14, 2019). "Dule Hill lends voice to 'Muppet Babies' character Mr. Manny". UPI. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  16. ^ "History". Cherry Lane Theatre. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.

External links[edit]