---
name: "Obba Babatundé"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/obba-babatunde"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "1 December 1951"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 82
updated: "2026-09-16T21:17:40.326502+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."
---

# Obba Babatundé

Actor. Born 1 December 1951 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 1 December 1951, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1991–1993
- **Also known as:** Obba Babatundè, Obba Babatunde

## Biography

Obba Babatundé is an American actor. Born Donald Cohen on 1 December 1951 in Queens, New York, he trained at Brooklyn College and began his career in theatre.

He originated the role of C.C. White in the 1981 Broadway musical *Dreamgirls*, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. His film credits include *Philadelphia* (1993) as Jerome Green, *The Silence of the Lambs* (1991) and *The Notebook* (2004). On television he has appeared in series such as *Grey's Anatomy*, *Friends* and *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*.

Babatundé received an Emmy nomination for his performance in the television film *Miss Evers' Boys* (1997) and a NAACP Image Award nomination for *Introducing Dorothy Dandridge* (1999).

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

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Philadelphia* (1993), Fi1m 76, as Jerome Green — [page](https://film.one/film/philadelphia.md)
- *Dead Again* (1991), Fi1m 78, as Syd — [page](https://film.one/film/dead-again.md)
- *The Silence of the Lambs* (1991), Fi1m 91, as TV Anchor Man — [page](https://film.one/film/the-silence-of-the-lambs.md)

## Also known for

- *The Notebook* (2004), Band Leader
- *John Q* (2002), Sgt. Moody
- *NCIS* (2003), Joe Banks
- *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air* (1990), Gordy Berry
- *The Manchurian Candidate* (2004), Senator Wells
- *S.W.A.T.* (2017), Daniel Harrelson, Sr.
- *The Net* (1995), FBI Agent (uncredited)
- *Chicago Med* (2015), Dr. James Coleman

---
© 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/obba-babatunde