Ernie Hudson is an iconic American actor who has appeared in countless films and television series throughout a long and successful career. His is best known for his leading roles as Winston Zeddemore in the cult Ghostbusters film series, Warden Leo Glynn in HBO’s critically acclaimed drama series Oz, and Sergeant Darryl Albrecht in popular superhero film The Crow.

After a brief stint in the United States Marine Corps, Hudson moved to Detroit and became the resident playwright at the oldest black theatre company in the US. He then combined studying, setting up his own theatre company, and taking on professional acting work, before enrolling at Yale School of Drama to become a Master of Fine Arts in acting.

Early on in his career, Hudson landed several guest roles in prominent television series such as The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Fantasy Island. He then switched his focus to the big screen and played a wide variety of roles in notable films such as The Ron Clark Story, Miss Congeniality, Congo, The Basketball Diaries, Airheads, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and Leviathan. More recently he has returned to television, with recurring roles in ABC’s hit teen drama series The Secret Life of the American Teenager and the final season of Law & Order. He was also cast in the hugely popular series Grace and Frankie, in which he played longstanding character Jacob.

Hudson has won four major awards and has been nominated for a further nine. His wins include Career Achievement Award at the 2006 Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival and Best Actor in a Drama Series at the 1999 Golden Satellite Awards for his role in Oz.