Michael Wright (actor)

Michael Wright is an American film and television actor, who is best known for his role as Eddie King Jr. in the 1991 Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats,^[1] Carlyle in Streamers (1983), and Raynathan in Sugar Hill (1994). and known for his television roles such as Elias Taylor in V (The Series) (1984–1985),^[2] Omar White in Oz (2001–2003), and Lazarus Prime in Black Lightning (2019).

Michael Wright
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–present

Career

Wright's body of work in television includes the 1983 NBC science fiction miniseries V, the 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle, and V: The Series as Elias Taylor. He appeared in the 1987 episode "Duty and Honor" of Miami Vice as "The Savage", and on the 1997 HBO series Oz as Omar White from 2001 to 2003. Wright has appeared on New York Undercover, and as Lazarus Prime on Black Lightning.

Wright's film roles include the 1987 drama The Principal as Victor Duncan, also starring James Belushi, and the 1994 film Sugar Hill with Wesley Snipes. He played Clinton, the leader of The Del Bombers gang in the cult film The Wanderers. His most recent film is 2005's The Interpreter. Wright was born and raised in New York City. He is a graduate of the New Lincoln School.

Filmography

• The Wanderers (1979) as Clinton
• Streamers (1983) as Carlyle
• V (miniseries) (1983) as Elias Taylor (2 episodes)
• V: The Final Battle (1984) as Elias Taylor (3 episodes)
• V (The Series) (1984–1985) as Elias Taylor (13 episodes)
• The Laundromat as Shooter Stevens
• Bedtime Eyes (1987) as Spoon
• The Principal (1987) as Victor Duncan
• Private Times (1991)
• The 5 Heartbeats (1991) as Eddie King Jr.
• Sugar Hill (1994) as Raynathan "Ray" Skuggs
• New York Undercover (1996) as Rene Mazili
• The Cottonwood (1996) as Simon Z.
• Money Talks (1997) as Aaron
• Point Blank (1998) as Sonny
• Rage (1999) as "B-Boy"
• Piñero (2001) as Edgar Bowser
• Oz (2001–2003) as Omar White (22 episodes)
• Batman: Dark Tomorrow (2003) (VG) as Black Mask (voice)
• Downtown: A Street Tale (2004) as Rudy
• The Interpreter (2005) as Marcus
• Before I Self Destruct (2009) as First Victim
• Rel (2018) as Mr. Donaldson
• Black Lightning (2019) as Lazarus Prime (2 episodes)

References

1. "All the Wright Moves". New York. New York Media, LLC. 1 April 1991. p. 24. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
2. Copp, Dan (8 March 2017). Fascist Lizards from Outer Space: The Politics, Literary Influences and Cultural History of Kenneth Johnson's V. McFarland. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-4766-6712-6.

External links

• Michael Wright at IMDb