Credits

• 2022 · Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues as Self (archive footage)
• 2006 · Folk Britannia as Self (archival footage)
• 2005 · The Peace! as Self
• 2005 · The History Makers: Success as Self
• 2005 · Unstoppable as Self
• 2005 · By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X' as Self
• 2004 · She Hate Me as Judge Buchanan
• 2004 · Proud as Lorenzo DuFau
• 2004 · Baadasssss! as Granddad
• 2004 · TV Revolution as
• 2004 · Beah: A Black Woman Speaks as Self
• 2004 · The L Word as Melvin Porter
• 2003 · The Evolution of an American Filmmaker as Self
• 2003 · The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars as Narrator
• 2003 · Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property as Himself
• 2003 · Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives as
• 2003 · Deacons for Defense as Reverend 'Rev' Gregory
• 2002 · Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' as Self
• 2002 · Bubba Ho-tep as John F. "Jack" Kennedy
• 2002 · Christianity: The First Two Thousand Years as Narrator
• 2001 · Feast of All Saints as Jean-Jacques
• 2001 · Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore as Narrator
• 2001 · The Legend of the Candy Cane as Julius (voice)
• 2000 · Here's to Life! as Duncan Cox
• 2000 · Dinosaur as Yar (voice)
• 2000 · Finding Buck McHenry as Buck McHenry
• 1999 · The Unfinished Journey as Narrator (voice)
• 1999 · Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve as Caretaker
• 1999 · The Soul Collector as Mordecai
• 1999 · Third Watch as Mr. Parker
• 1999 · The Secret Path as Too Tall
• 1999 · Paul Robeson: Here I Stand as Self
• 1999 · A Vow to Cherish as Alexander Billman
• 1998 · Christianity: The First 1000 Years as Himself - Narrator
• 1998 · Doctor Dolittle as Archer Dolittle
• 1998 · Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood as Self
• 1998 · Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist as Self
• 1997 · 12 Angry Men as Juror 2
• 1997 · 4 Little Girls as Self - Actor and Playwright
• 1997 · Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers as Narrator
• 1997 · Miss Evers' Boys as Mr. Evers
• 1997 · Thomas Jefferson as Narrator (voice)
• 1997 · Walter Matthau: Diamond in the Rough as Self
• 1996 · I'm Not Rappaport as Midge Carter
• 1996 · Get on the Bus as Jeremiah
• 1996 · Promised Land as
• 1996 · Promised Land as Erasmus Jones
• 1996 · The West as Self
• 1996 · The West as Self / John R. Gills (voice)
• 1995 · JAG as Terrence Minnerly
• 1995 · The Client as Judge Harry Roosevelt
• 1995 · The Android Affair as Dr. Winston
• 1995 · Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder as Uncle Phil
• 1994 · Touched by an Angel as Gabriel
• 1994 · Touched by an Angel as Erasmus Jones
• 1994 · Baseball as Various (voice)
• 1994 · The Client as Harry Roosevelt
• 1994 · Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice as Uncle Phil
• 1994 · The Stand as Judge Richard Farris
• 1994 · Malcolm X: Make It Plain as Self
• 1994 · Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World as Narrator
• 1993 · Grumpy Old Men as Chuck
• 1993 · Cop and ½ as Detective in Squad Room
• 1993 · Goin' Back to T-Town as Narrator
• 1993 · Alex Haley's Queen as Parson Dick
• 1993 · The Ernest Green Story as Grandfather
• 1992 · Lincoln as Frederick Douglas (voice)
• 1992 · Malcolm X as Eulogy Performer (voice)
• 1992 · Gladiator as Noah
• 1991 · Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker as Self
• 1991 · Jungle Fever as Reverend Purify
• 1990 · Evening Shade as Ponder Blue
• 1990 · Joe Versus the Volcano as Marshall
• 1990 · The Red Shoes as
• 1989 · Making 'Do the Right Thing' as Self
• 1989 · Do the Right Thing as Da Mayor
• 1989 · B.L. Stryker as Oz Jackson
• 1988 · School Daze as Coach Odom
• 1986 · American Masters as Self
• 1986 · Sesame Street: Sleepytime Songs & Stories as Anansi the Spider (Sleepytime Songs and Stories) (voice)
• 1985 · Avenging Angel as Capt. Harry Moradian
• 1985 · Tyler Texas Black Film Collection as Himself
• 1984 · Harry & Son as Raymond
• 1984 · Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood as Narrator
• 1984 · The House of God as Dr. Sanders
• 1983 · Reading Rainbow as Himself - Narrator (voice)
• 1981 · Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige as Chuffy Russell
• 1981 · Death of a Prophet as
• 1980 · All God's Children as Blaine Whitfield
• 1979 · Freedom Road as Narrator
• 1979 · Hot Stuff as Captain John Geiberger
• 1979 · Roots: The Next Generations as Dad Jones
• 1979 · Freedom Man as Benjamin Banneker
• 1978 · The Kennedy Center Honors as Self
• 1978 · King as Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.
• 1977 · Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid as Dr. Fredericks
• 1976 · The Tenth Level as Reed
• 1976 · Countdown at Kusini as Ernest Motapo
• 1975 · Let's Do It Again as Elder Johnson
• 1975 · Black Shadows on a Silver Screen as Narrator
• 1972 · Malcolm X as Eulogy (voice)
• 1971 · The Sheriff as James Lucas
• 1970 · Night Gallery as Osmund Portifoy
• 1970 · Kongi's Harvest as Narrator
• 1969 · Night Gallery as Osmond Portifoy
• 1969 · Slaves as Luke
• 1969 · Sam Whiskey as Jed Hooker
• 1969 · Teacher, Teacher as Charles Carter
• 1969 · The Fall as
• 1968 · Hawaii Five-O as Ramon Borelle
• 1968 · The Name of the Game as Kubani
• 1968 · The Scalphunters as Joseph Lee
• 1968 · Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class as Narrator
• 1967 · The Outsider as Lt. Wagner
• 1967 · Black Liberation as Narrator
• 1966 · A Man Called Adam as Nelson Davis
• 1965 · Run for Your Life as Frankie Morton
• 1965 · Run for Your Life as Dave Corbett
• 1965 · Run for Your Life as Sgt. Dave Corbett
• 1965 · The Sun... the Sand... the Hill as Jason King (archival footage)
• 1965 · The Sun... the Sand... the Hill as Jason King (archive footage)
• 1965 · The Hill as Jacko King
• 1964 · Shock Treatment as Capshaw
• 1963 · The Cardinal as Father Gillis
• 1963 · The Great Adventure as John Ross
• 1963 · The Fugitive as Lt. Johnny Gaines
• 1963 · Gone Are the Days! as Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
• 1962 · Hands of Inge as Narrator (voice)
• 1961 · The Defenders as Nixie
• 1961 · The Defenders as Officer Bond
• 1961 · The Defenders as District Attorney
• 1961 · The Defenders as Assistant District Attorney
• 1961 · The Defenders as District Attorney Daniel Jackson
• 1960 · John Brown's Raid as Dangerfield Newby
• 1959 · Bonanza as Sam Davis
• 1956 · Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
• 1951 · Hallmark Hall of Fame as Charles Carter
• 1951 · Fourteen Hours as Cab Driver (uncredited)
• 1950 · No Way Out as John Brooks (uncredited)
• 1947 · Kraft Television Theatre as The Emperor Jones