---
name: "Delroy Lindo"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/delroy-lindo"
fi1m_id: "delroy-lindo"
imdb_id: "nm0005148"
tmdb_id: 18792
wikidata_id: "Q362559"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "18 November 1952"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 11
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 11
updated: "2026-10-23T04:11:36.362851+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Delroy Lindo

## Identity

Delroy Lindo

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/delroy-lindo
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** delroy-lindo
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005148
- **TMDB ID:** 18792
- **Wikidata ID:** Q362559
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delroy_Lindo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q362559, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005148/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/18792

Actor. Born 18 November 1952 in Eltham, London, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 18 November 1952, Eltham, London, England, UK
- **Active:** 1992–present
- **Also known as:** Delroy George Lindo
- **Frequently works with:** [Spike Lee](https://film.one/person/spike-lee.md), [Danny DeVito](https://film.one/person/danny-devito.md), [Gene Hackman](https://film.one/person/gene-hackman.md), [John Travolta](https://film.one/person/john-travolta.md), [Jonathan Majors](https://film.one/person/jonathan-majors.md), [Jon Kilik](https://film.one/person/jon-kilik.md), [Rene Russo](https://film.one/person/rene-russo.md), [Richard Price](https://film.one/person/richard-price.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 11 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 71 (6), 2000s 64 (2), 2010s 49 (1), 2020s 76 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 69 to 68 across 10 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 7 at 60–79, 2 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 11 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Thriller 5, Action 4, Crime 3, Comedy 2, Adventure 1
- **Screen time:** 22 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2,068m across 9 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delroy_Lindo, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q362559, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005148/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/18792

## Coming up

- *Godzilla x Kong: Supernova* (2027-03-25)

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*Up*](https://film.one/film/up.md) (88)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*Get Shorty*](https://film.one/film/get-shorty.md) (82)
- **HBO Max:** [*Sinners*](https://film.one/film/sinners.md) (79)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Clockers*](https://film.one/film/clockers.md) (74)
- **Netflix:** [*Da 5 Bloods*](https://film.one/film/da-5-bloods.md) (72)
- **Pluto TV:** [*The Cider House Rules*](https://film.one/film/the-cider-house-rules.md) (61)
- **Tubi:** [*Believe*](https://film.one/tv/believe.md) (49)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Delroy Lindo

> Delroy Lindo makes swagger funny and recollection worth stopping for. We rate him most when a director gives him room to talk: his voice and his apparent ease can make a supporting part the reason to watch.

From the back of a truck in *Sinners* (2025), Delroy Lindo makes a story about a man Delta Slim once knew the film's best speech. He delivers it with the ease of someone who expects to be heard and has good reason to expect it. We were absorbed, because he speaks with an ease that makes us want to hear the whole story. It is a good example of how much he can do with a supporting part when the writing gives him something worth saying.

Spike Lee gave that authority a substantial place in his films, beginning with the breakthrough role of West Indian Archie in *Malcolm X* (1992). Lindo then played neighbourhood drug dealer Rodney Little in Lee's *Clockers* (1995). Supporting film parts and television occupied much of the intervening career before *Da 5 Bloods* (2020), with Lindo as the Vietnam veteran Paul, brought renewed attention. The recurring collaborator is Lee, whose four films with Lindo offer a useful route through a career often spent in supporting parts.

In Barry Sonnenfeld's *Get Shorty* (1995), his Bo Catlett belongs to a cast whose different ways of throwing their weight about supply much of the comedy. Gene Hackman makes Harry Zimm's bluster look exhausting, while John Travolta supplies the composure that everyone else might be tempted to imitate. Lindo's swagger remains his own, and Sonnenfeld gets the laugh by allowing those differences to stand. The Hollywood jokes can be easy and the suspense is slight, but the conversations are enough to make this one worth an evening.

Ryan Coogler gives him the stronger individual scene in *Sinners*, though we recommend *Get Shorty* with fewer reservations. The music in *Sinners* is more rewarding than its well-staged but more ordinary horror. We can admire the staging and still wish for more time with Delta Slim. We would welcome another Coogler collaboration with more room for Lindo to talk.

## Biography

Delroy Lindo is a British-born American actor. Born on 18 November 1952 in London, he began his career on stage in the 1975 production of *Of Mice and Men* and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the 1988 production of *Joe Turner's Come and Gone*.

He gained wider recognition for roles in films directed by Spike Lee, including West Indian Archie in *Malcolm X* (1992), Woody Carmichael in *Crooklyn* (1994) and Rodney Little in *Clockers* (1995). His performance as Paul in *Da 5 Bloods* (2020) earned him the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. Lindo played Delta Slim in Ryan Coogler's *Sinners* (2025), receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Other notable film roles include Bo Catlett in *Get Shorty* (1995), Arthur Rose in *The Cider House Rules* (1999), Detective Roland Castlebeck in *Gone in Sixty Seconds* (2000) and the voice of Beta in *Up* (2009).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, latimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (11)

- *Sinners* (2025), Fi1m 79, as Delta Slim — [page](https://film.one/film/sinners.md)
- *Da 5 Bloods* (2020), Fi1m 72, as Paul — [page](https://film.one/film/da-5-bloods.md)
- *Believe* (2014), Fi1m 49, as Dr. Milton Winter — [page](https://film.one/tv/believe.md)
- *Up* (2009), Fi1m 88, as Beta (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/up.md)
- *Gone in Sixty Seconds* (2000), Fi1m 40, as Det. Roland Castlebeck — [page](https://film.one/film/gone-in-sixty-seconds.md)
- *The Cider House Rules* (1999), Fi1m 61, as Arthur Rose — [page](https://film.one/film/the-cider-house-rules.md)
- *Broken Arrow* (1996), Fi1m 60, as Colonel Max Wilkins — [page](https://film.one/film/broken-arrow.md)
- *Ransom* (1996), Fi1m 70, as Agent Lonnie Hawkins — [page](https://film.one/film/ransom.md)
- *Clockers* (1995), Fi1m 74, as Rodney Little — [page](https://film.one/film/clockers.md)
- *Get Shorty* (1995), Fi1m 82, as Bo Catlett — [page](https://film.one/film/get-shorty.md)
- *Malcolm X* (1992), Fi1m 79, as West Indian Archie — [page](https://film.one/film/malcolm-x.md)

## Complete filmography (72)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Godzilla x Kong: Supernova* (2027), Actor
- *Sinners* (2025), as Delta Slim — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/sinners.md)
- *UnPrisoned* (2023), series, as Edwin Alexander · Executive Producer
- *The Harder They Fall* (2021), as Bass Reeves
- *LX 2048* (2020), as Donald Stein
- *Da 5 Bloods* (2020), as Paul — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/da-5-bloods.md)
- *Malicious* (2018), as Dr. Clark
- *Battlecreek* (2017), as Arthur
- *The Good Fight* (2017), series, as Adrian Boseman
- *This Is Us* (2016), series, as Judge Ernest Bradley — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/tv/this-is-us.md)
- *Point Break* (2015), as FBI Instructor
- *Blood & Oil* (2015), series, as Sheriff Tip Harrison
- *Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band* (2015), as John Williams (voice)
- *Do You Believe?* (2015), as Malachi
- *Cymbeline* (2014), as Belarius
- *Believe* (2014), series, as Dr. Milton Winter — Fi1m 49, [page](https://film.one/tv/believe.md)
- *The Chicago Code* (2011), series, as Alderman Ronin Gibbons
- *The Big Bang* (2011), as Skeres
- *Dug's Special Mission* (2009), as Beta (voice)
- *Mercy* (2009), series, Actor
- *Up* (2009), as Beta (voice) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/up.md)
- *One Bad Cat* (2008), as Narrator
- *This Christmas* (2007), as Joe Black
- *Kidnapped* (2006), series, as Latimer King
- *The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays* (2006), as Herald Loomis (segment "Joe Turner's Come and Gone")
- *The Exonerated* (2006), as Delbert Tibbs
- *Domino* (2005), as Claremont Williams
- *Sahara* (2005), as Carl
- *Lackawanna Blues* (2005), as Mr. Lucious
- *Wondrous Oblivion* (2004), as Dennis
- *The Core* (2003), as Dr. Ed 'Braz' Brazzleton
- *Profoundly Normal* (2003), as Ricardo Thornton
- *Heist* (2001), as Bobby 'Bob' Blane
- *The One* (2001), as MVA Agent Harry Roedecker / Gas Station Attendant
- *The Last Castle* (2001), as Gen. Wheeler
- *Gone in Sixty Seconds* (2000), as Det. Roland Castlebeck — Fi1m 40, [page](https://film.one/film/gone-in-sixty-seconds.md)
- *Romeo Must Die* (2000), as Isaak O'Day
- *The Cider House Rules* (1999), as Arthur Rose — Fi1m 61, [page](https://film.one/film/the-cider-house-rules.md)
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, as Victor Moran
- *Strange Justice* (1999), as Clarence Thomas
- *The Book of Stars* (1999), as Professor
- *Pros & Cons* (1999), as Kyle
- *Glory & Honor* (1998), as Mathew Henson
- *A Life Less Ordinary* (1997), as Jackson
- *The Devil's Advocate* (1997), as Phillipe Moyez (uncredited)
- *First Time Felon* (1997), as Calhoun
- *Ransom* (1996), as Agent Lonnie Hawkins — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/ransom.md)
- *Feeling Minnesota* (1996), as Red
- *The Winner* (1996), as Kingman
- *Soul of the Game* (1996), as Satchel Paige
- *Broken Arrow* (1996), as Colonel Max Wilkins — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/broken-arrow.md)
- *L'exil du roi Behanzin* (1996), Actor
- *Get Shorty* (1995), as Bo Catlett — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/get-shorty.md)
- *Clockers* (1995), as Rodney Little — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/clockers.md)
- *Congo* (1995), as Captain Wanta (Uncredited)
- *Baseball* (1994), series, as (voice)
- *Crooklyn* (1994), as Woody Carmichael
- *Mr. Jones* (1993), as Howard
- *Bound by Honor* (1993), as Bonafide
- *Malcolm X* (1992), as West Indian Archie — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/malcolm-x.md)
- *The Hard Way* (1991), as Captain Brix
- *Bright Angel* (1990), as Harley
- *Mountains of the Moon* (1990), as Mabruki
- *The Simpsons* (1989), series, as Gabriel (voice) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-simpsons.md)
- *Perfect Witness* (1989), as Berger
- *The Blood of Heroes* (1989), as Mbulu
- *A Man Called Hawk* (1989), series, Actor
- *Beauty and the Beast* (1987), series, as Isaac Stubbs
- *More American Graffiti* (1979), as Army Sergeant
- *Find the Lady* (1976), as Sam
- *Partners* (1976), as Drug Kingpin
- *Anansi Boys*, series, as Mr. Nancy

## Gallery

- ![Photos by Patrick McMullan Delroy Lindo, The 59th Annual Peabody Awards The Waldorf=Astoria May 22, 2000 (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/8575/gallery-bcfce9bae873.jpg) Photos by Patrick McMullan Delroy Lindo, The 59th Annual Peabody Awards The Waldorf=Astoria May 22, 2000 (2015) — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Delroy_Lindo%2C_May_2000.jpg/1280px-Delroy_Lindo%2C_May_2000.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Delroy Lindo (2008)](https://film.one/media/person/8575/gallery-dbb9e17de355.jpg) Delroy Lindo (2008) — Mike Wooldridge, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Delroy_Lindo.jpg/1280px-Delroy_Lindo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Delroy Lindo](https://film.one/media/person/8575/gallery-dd633f196906.png) Delroy Lindo — The Movie Blog, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Delroy_Lindo_2025.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Delroy Lindo durante el tour de prensa de la película Sinners (2025).](https://film.one/media/person/8575/gallery-36a6f182954b.png) Delroy Lindo durante el tour de prensa de la película Sinners (2025). — The Movie Blog, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Delroy_Lindo_2025_%282%29.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Delroy Lindo](https://film.one/media/person/8575/gallery-90c6f8f1f51d.jpg) Delroy Lindo — Image via TMDB
- ![Photos by Patrick McMullan Delroy Lindo and Lorraine Bracco, The 59th Annual Peabody Awards The Waldorf=Astoria May 22, 2000 (2015)](https://film.one/media/person/8575/gallery-cf1b4d980dcf.jpg) Photos by Patrick McMullan Delroy Lindo and Lorraine Bracco, The 59th Annual Peabody Awards The Waldorf=Astoria May 22, 2000 (2015) — Peabody Awards, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Delroy_Lindo_and_Lorraine_Bracco%2C_May_2000.jpg/1280px-Delroy_Lindo_and_Lorraine_Bracco%2C_May_2000.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 2026: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Sinners*

### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play 1988: Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (nominated)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/delroy-lindo