---
name: "Eriq La Salle"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/eriq-la-salle"
fi1m_id: "eriq-la-salle"
imdb_id: "nm0005113"
tmdb_id: 23628
wikidata_id: "Q532944"
roles: ["Director","Actor"]
born: "23 July 1962"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "director"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-23T22:32:26.834111+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."
---

# Eriq La Salle

## Identity

Eriq La Salle

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/eriq-la-salle
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** eriq-la-salle
- **IMDb ID:** nm0005113
- **TMDB ID:** 23628
- **Wikidata ID:** Q532944
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriq_La_Salle, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q532944, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005113/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/23628

Director and actor. Born 23 July 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Actor
- **Born:** 23 July 1962, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
- **Active:** 1988–2017
- **Also known as:** Eric LaSalle, Erik Ki La Salle , Eriq Lasalle , Eriq LaSalle, اریک لا سال
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 6: 3 acting, 3 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Steve Shill](https://film.one/person/steve-shill.md), [Arthur W. Forney](https://film.one/person/arthur-w-forney.md), [Bethany Rooney](https://film.one/person/bethany-rooney.md), [Christopher Misiano](https://film.one/person/christopher-misiano.md), [Daniel Sackheim](https://film.one/person/daniel-sackheim.md), [Darnell Martin](https://film.one/person/darnell-martin.md), [Dick Wolf](https://film.one/person/dick-wolf.md), [Ernest Dickerson](https://film.one/person/ernest-r-dickerson.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as director, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 76 (1), 1990s 80 (3), 2010s 74 (2)
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Crime 1, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriq_La_Salle, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q532944, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005113/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/23628

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*ER*](https://film.one/tv/er.md) (88), [*Logan*](https://film.one/film/logan.md) (83), [*Once Upon a Time*](https://film.one/tv/once-upon-a-time.md) (65)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Jacob's Ladder*](https://film.one/film/jacobs-ladder.md) (80)
- **AMC+:** [*Coming to America*](https://film.one/film/coming-to-america.md) (76)
- **Hulu:** [*Law & Order*](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md) (72)

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

## Fi1m on Eriq La Salle

> Eriq La Salle's directing is strongest with ensembles, where capable people need not be agreeable ones. We rate his attention to actors, though the uneven feature work gives us less confidence in his handling of pace.

Peter Benton in *ER* (1994) does not make professional competence look especially friendly. La Salle's performance has an edge, set alongside Anthony Edwards's restraint and George Clooney's troublesome charm. We enjoyed his difficult company because he could be good at the work without becoming automatically likeable. The ensemble remains the programme's strength even when the crowded storytelling becomes tiring. That sensitivity to actors is also what we value in La Salle's directing.

His directing began with *Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault* (1996). He took on writing and acting duties as well as directing *Crazy as Hell* (2002), a psychological thriller whose erratic pacing and uneven editing and lighting expose a less assured filmmaker. We are less persuaded by that work than by his handling of television ensembles. In 2009 he directed an episode of *ER* in its final season, returning to a programme he knew from years in front of the camera.

The series he has directed also place limits on what can fairly be called his style. *Law & Order* (1990) is plainly made and well acted, but its confidence in the system becomes wearing. *Once Upon a Time* (2011) has an inviting premise and an able cast, then gets tangled in its plotting and solemn fairy-tale flashbacks; we recommend it chiefly to fantasy enthusiasts. Neither programme gives us reason to attribute its merits or weaknesses to one director. These are established formats, and working within them calls for judgement about what to preserve as much as what to change.

The longer commitment came with *Chicago P.D.*, where he served as executive producer and director from 2016 to 2021, continuing his work with Wolf Entertainment. His experience as an actor is useful in handling those ensemble casts. *On Call* (2025), on which he directs, produces and acts, brings body-cam and dash-cam images into that procedural work. The rougher pictures offer a way of making the action feel less tidily staged, though they cannot do the actors' work for them. We would follow him into another crowded workplace, provided the people remain worth the attention.

## Biography

Eriq La Salle is an American actor, director, writer and producer. Born Erik Ki La Salle on 23 July 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut, he trained at the Juilliard School and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1984. He began his career in theatre, including a Joseph Papp Shakespeare in the Park production of Henry V, and appeared in daytime television series such as One Life to Live.

La Salle is known for his role as Darryl Jenks in the 1988 film *Coming to America*, as Frank in the 1990 film *Jacob's Ladder*, and as Dr Peter Benton in the NBC series *ER* (1994–2002; 2009), for which he received three NAACP Image Awards and Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Later film roles include *One Hour Photo* (2002) and *Logan* (2017). He has also directed episodes of series including *Law & Order* and *Chicago P.D.*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

### Performed in (3)

- *Logan* (2017), Fi1m 83, as Will Munson — [page](https://film.one/film/logan.md)
- *Jacob's Ladder* (1990), Fi1m 80, as Frank — [page](https://film.one/film/jacobs-ladder.md)
- *Coming to America* (1988), Fi1m 76, as Darryl Jenks — [page](https://film.one/film/coming-to-america.md)

### Directed (3) — the average rests on these

- *Once Upon a Time* (2011), Fi1m 65, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/once-upon-a-time.md)
- *ER* (1994), Fi1m 88, as Peter Benton — [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *Law & Order* (1990), Fi1m 72, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)

## Complete filmography (66)

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

- *On Call* (2025), series, as Sergeant Lasman · Executive Producer, Director
- *A Second Chance at Love* (2022), as Jack Roberts
- *Law & Order: Organized Crime* (2021), series, Director
- *FBI* (2018), series, Director
- *Logan* (2017), as Will Munson — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/logan.md)
- *Lucifer* (2016), series, Director
- *Angie Tribeca* (2016), series, as Dr. Brainerd — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/angie-tribeca.md)
- *Chicago Med* (2015), series, Director
- *Rosewood* (2015), series, Director
- *The Messengers* (2015), series, Director
- *Battle Creek* (2015), series, Director
- *The Librarians* (2014), series, Director
- *Madam Secretary* (2014), series, Director
- *The Night Shift* (2014), series, Director
- *Crisis* (2014), series, Director
- *Chicago P.D.* (2014), series, Director, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer
- *Under the Dome* (2013), series, as Hektor Martin · Director
- *Notes from Dad* (2013), Director
- *Blackout* (2012), as George
- *Once Upon a Time* (2011), series, Director — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/tv/once-upon-a-time.md)
- *A Gifted Man* (2011), series, Director
- *Blackout* (2011), series, as George
- *MegaFault* (2009), as Charley 'Boomer' Baxter
- *Relative Stranger* (2009), as Walter Clemons
- *Johnny Was* (2006), as Julius
- *Inside Out* (2005), as Doctor Peoples
- *Retrosexual: The '80s* (2004), series, as (archive footage)
- *CSI: NY* (2004), series, Director
- *Biker Boyz* (2003), as Tariq "Slick Will" (uncredited)
- *Crazy As Hell* (2002), Director, Producer
- *Without a Trace* (2002), series, as Aaron Gibbs · Director
- *The Twilight Zone* (2002), series, as Ray Ellison · Director
- *One Hour Photo* (2002), as James Van Der Zee
- *The Salton Sea* (2002), Producer
- *Ultimate Jordan* (2001), as Narrator
- *24* (2001), series, as UN Secretary General — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/24.md)
- *Soul Food* (2000), series, Director
- *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (1999), series, Director
- *Mind Prey* (1999), as Lucas Davenport
- *Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault* (1996), as Diego · Director
- *Michael Jordan: Above and Beyond* (1996), as Narrator
- *Drop Squad* (1994), as Bruford Jamison Jr
- *ER* (1994), series, as Peter Benton · Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *ER: 24 Hours* (1994), as Peter Benton
- *Color of Night* (1994), as Anderson
- *Empty Cradle* (1993), as Detective Knoll
- *The Larry Sanders Show* (1992), series, as Eriq La Salle — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-larry-sanders-show.md)
- *The Human Factor* (1992), series, as Michael Stoven
- *Murder in Oakland* (1991), as Eric
- *Eyes of a Witness* (1991), as Mchumbo
- *Hammer, Slammer, & Slade* (1990), as Jack Spade
- *Jacob's Ladder* (1990), as Frank — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/jacobs-ladder.md)
- *Law & Order* (1990), series, Director — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/law-and-order.md)
- *When We Were Young* (1989), as Virgil Hawkins
- *Quantum Leap* (1989), series, as Bobby Lee
- *Magic Moments* (1989), as Dancing Guy (uncredited)
- *Coming to America* (1988), as Darryl Jenks — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/coming-to-america.md)
- *What Price Victory* (1988), as Trumayne James
- *A Different World* (1987), series, as Professor Paul Mann
- *Five Corners* (1987), as Samuel Kemp
- *Where are the Children?* (1986), as Deputy Bernie Miles
- *Teen Father* (1986), as Charlie
- *ScreenPlay* (1986), series, as Eric
- *Out of the Darkness* (1985), as Bobby
- *Cut and Run* (1985), as Fargas
- *Rappin'* (1985), as Ice

## Gallery

- ![Eriq La Salle](https://film.one/media/person/77717/gallery-bd57e34e0df9.jpg) Eriq La Salle — John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Eric_Lasalle.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Cast members from E.R. - Eriq La Salle (left) and Noah Wylie (right) after the 1995 Emmy Awards telecast - September 10, 1995 - Permission granted to copy, publ](https://film.one/media/person/77717/gallery-27b45a599c36.jpg) Cast members from E.R. - Eriq La Salle (left) and Noah Wylie (right) after the 1995 Emmy Awards telecast - September 10, 1995 - Permission granted to copy, publ — Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Eriq_LaSalle%2C_%3F%2C_Noah_Wylie_%28252688585%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![A "selfie" authored by Kristen Lamb, with the subjects en:Eriq La Salle and Kristen Lamb in the foreground, taken at Thrillerfest in NYC in 2012 and uploaded on](https://film.one/media/person/77717/gallery-ca480f10c32e.jpg) A "selfie" authored by Kristen Lamb, with the subjects en:Eriq La Salle and Kristen Lamb in the foreground, taken at Thrillerfest in NYC in 2012 and uploaded on — Kristen Lamb, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Eriq_La_Salle_2012_cropped.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Cast members from E.R. - Eriq La Salle (left) and Noah Wyle (3rd from left), with Angela Johnson and Eric Van Danen after the 1995 Emmy Awards telecast - Septem](https://film.one/media/person/77717/gallery-6c270bd7e793.jpg) Cast members from E.R. - Eriq La Salle (left) and Noah Wyle (3rd from left), with Angela Johnson and Eric Van Danen after the 1995 Emmy Awards telecast - Septem — Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Eriq_La_Salle_and_Noah_Wyle_at_the_1995_Emmy_Awards.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Eriq La Salle](https://film.one/media/person/77717/gallery-1a3c18a6c116.jpg) Eriq La Salle — Image via TMDB
- ![A "selfie" authored by Kristen Lamb, with the subjects en:Eriq La Salle and Kristen Lamb in the foreground, taken at Thrillerfest in NYC in 2012 and uploaded on](https://film.one/media/person/77717/gallery-b50bd1eddd89.jpg) A "selfie" authored by Kristen Lamb, with the subjects en:Eriq La Salle and Kristen Lamb in the foreground, taken at Thrillerfest in NYC in 2012 and uploaded on — Kristen Lamb, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Eriq_Lasalle_2012.jpg/1280px-Eriq_Lasalle_2012.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© 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/eriq-la-salle