BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRO-CANADIAN " PHILIP AKIN " IS A CANADIAN ACTOR AND HAS ROLES IN MAJOR AMERICAN FILMS SUCH AS THE THE SUM OF ALL FEARS, S.W.A.T. : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

     BLACK     SOCIAL   HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Philip Akin

BLACK              SOCIAL                  HISTORY

Philip Akin
Born	April 18, 1950 (age 65) Kingston, Jamaica
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978-present

Philip Akin (born April 18, 1950) is a Canadian actor.^[1]

Akin has had roles in major American films such as The Sum of All Fears,^[1] S.W.A.T., and Get Rich or Die Tryin'.^[1] He has also done much voice work, including voicing the character of Bishop for the X-Men animated series and Tripp Hansen in Monster Force.

Life and career

Akin was born in Kingston, Jamaica as a middle brother of five sons. His parents moved to Oshawa, Ontario in 1953, and he and his brothers followed suit the next year. He has lived there ever since. Shortly after attending high school, Akin attended Toronto's Ryerson Theatre School. In 1975, he became the school's first acting graduate, landing a role just a few days later in a Shaw Festival production of Caesar and Cleopatra.

In 1983, Akin began studying Yoshinkan Aikido and is presently a 5th degree black belt in that art. He has also trained in Jing Mo Kung Fu and T'ai chi ch'uan.

Akin first came to prominence in the early 1980s when he performed on the zany comedy series Bizarre. Other recognizable roles include computer expert Norton Drake fromWar of the Worlds, an American television series that went off the air in 1990. His recurring role as Charlie DeSalvo in Highlander: The Series has also brought him much recognition. In Shake Hands with the Devil, he portrays Kofi Annan, then United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. In 2007, Akin will be performing at the Stratford Festival of Canada, a prestigious summer-long celebration of theatre held each year in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. He is cast in the title role of William Shakespeare's Othello,^[2] and also in the role of Crooks in the Festival's rendition of John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men.^[3] Phil Akin can also be seen in a long list of guest appearances on television series for example: F/X: The Series, Mutant X, and most recently, Flashpoint (2008).

Akin is a founding member and currently the artistic director of the Obsidian Theatre Company, a Canadian theatre company comprising seasoned actors of African descent, devoted to the work of blacks. He won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play/Musical in 2012 for his production of Suzan-Lori Parks'Topdog/Underdog, which starred Kevin Hanchard and Nigel Shawn Williams.

Filmography

• Prosecuting Casey Anthony (2013) as Judge Belvin Perry
• Who Is Clark Rockefeller? (2010) as Det. Lewis Cook
• Taking a Chance on Love (2009)
• P2 (2007) as Karl
• This Beautiful City (2007) as Police Chief
• Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) as Boutros Boutros-Ghali
• Knights of the South Bronx (2005) as Asst. Principal Hill
• Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005) as Reverend
• The Man (2005) as Second I.A. Agent
• The Perfect Man (2005) as English Teacher
• H20 (2004) as U.S. President Monroe
• S.W.A.T. (2003) as Hijacked Passenger
• How to Deal (2003) as Mr. Bowden
• The Skulls III (2002) as Captain Harlan
• Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) as The General
• The Sum of All Fears (2002) as General Wilkes
• Pretend You Don't See Her (2002) as Witness Protection Agent
• Bojangles (2001)
• Range of Motion (2000) as Flozell
• One True Love (2000) as Mark
• Who Killed Atlanta's Children? (2000) as Police Spokesman
• All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story (2000) as Det. Albany
• Left Behind (2000) as Alan Tompkins
• Strange Justice (1999) as Charles Ogletree
• In Too Deep (1999) as Minister
• Pushing Tin (1999) as Paul
• Deep in My Heart (1999) as Ob-gyn doctor
• One Tough Cop (1998) as Insp. Cheney
• Down in the Delta (1998) as Manager
• Woo (1998) as Roger Smith
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1998) as ESU lieutenant
• The Don's Analyst (1997) as Dr. Lusting
• Time to Say Goodbye? (1997) as Airport Police Officer
• Elvis Meets Nixon (1997) as Cabbie
• ...First Do No Harm (1997)
• Talk to Me (1996)
• Fly Away Home (1996) as Air Force Reporter
• The Stupids (1996) as Henchman #1
• The Ref (1994) as State Trooper
• Liar, Liar (1993) as Dr. Kerr
• Married to It (1991) as Limo Driver
• F/X2 (1991) as Det. McQuay
• Stella (1990) as Police Officer
• Millennium (1989) as Kevin Briley
• Switching Channels (1988) as Guard
• Prettykill (1987) as Joey
• Nowhere to Hide (1987) as Harvey
• The Park Is Mine (1986) as Hardy
• Martin's Day (1985) as Cop 1
• Iceman (1984) as Dr. Vermeil
• Shocktrauma (1982) as Sam Hooker
• Gas (1981) as Lincoln Jones
• Improper Channels (1981) as Cop
• Running (1979) as Chuck Stone

Television

• Flashpoint (2008–2010) as Commander Norm Holleran / Commander Holleran (4 episodes)
• Friends and Heroes (2008) as Isaac / John Ralston (13 episodes)
• Caitlin's Way (2000) as Mr. Watson (4 episodes)
• Goosebumps (1998) as Bob Erikson (3 episodes)
• Highlander: The Raven (1998) as Simon Clark (1 episode)
• PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1997–2000) as Aubrey / Military Man (2 episodes)
• Traders (1996) as Carl Davison (7 episodes)
• Highlander: The Series (1993–1995) as Charlie DeSalvo (17 episodes)
• X-Men (1992–1995) as Bishop / Lucas Bishop (7 episodes)
• Top Cops (early 1990s?) as Irving Robinson (1 episode)
• Swamp Thing (1991) as Bayou Jack (5 episodes)
• War of the Worlds (1988–1989) as Norton Drake (24 episodes)
• Night Heat (1985–1987) as Various Characters (7 episodes)