Harold Perrineau

Harold Perrineau (born August 7, 1963) is an American actor. His breakout role was in the independent film Smoke (1995), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. He went on to appear as Mercutio in Romeo+Juliet (1996) and Link in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both 2003).

On television, he has starred as Augustus Hill in the HBO prison drama Oz (1997–2003), Michael Dawson in the ABC series Lost (2004–2010), and Sheriff Boyd Stevens in the MGM+ horror series From (2022–present).

Perrineau has also appeared in the films The Edge (1997), The Best Man (1999), Woman on Top (2000), and 28 Weeks Later (2007). His other television credits include Sons of Anarchy (2012), Constantine (2014–2015), Claws (2017–2022), and The Rookie (2019–2021).

Early life

Perrineau was born in Brooklyn, New York City.^[1][2] His parents changed his name to Williams when he was a child, but he later changed it back, after discovering there was already a Harold Williams in the Screen Actors Guild.^[3] He attended Shenandoah University and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.^[1]

Career

In 1989, Perrineau was cast as the original Tyrone Jackson in the world premiere of the stage adaptation of the 1980 hit movie Fame (now known as Fame: The Musical) at the Walnut Street Theatre, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[4] He took the role of Link in The Matrix series after the original operator Tank was written out of the script when Marcus Chong was fired over monetary disputes.^[5] Around this time, he also booked a main role of Augustus Hill on the HBO series Oz (1997–2003).^{[citation needed]}

Perrineau played Michael Dawson on ABC's hit show Lost. He was temporarily written off when his character left the island with his son at the end of season two and did not appear in season three.^{[citation needed]} In July 2007, it was announced he would return to the main cast for the show's fourth season.^[6] However, the return was short-lived, as the fourth season was his last as a regular cast member. He made one guest appearance in the sixth and final season.^[7][8]

Since his debut single "Stay Strong" in 2007 Perrineau has been working on his musical career.^{[citation needed]} He actively collaborated with music producer Tomo in der Muhlen, known as DJ Tomo Tom Tom, on his debut album, Seeker.^{[citation needed]} The first single, "Moving On", was released October 15, 2011.^{[citation needed]} Perrineau has also done live shows where he performs with a full band: two guitars, bass, drums and keyboards.^{[citation needed]} He performed at Los Angeles club The Mint in April 2010. Perrineau has appeared in MKTO's "Thank You" music video and J. Cole's "She Knows" music video.^{[citation needed]}

Perrineau starred in 30 Days of Night: Dark Days with Rhys Coiro, Mia Kirshner, Kiele Sanchez, Diora Baird and Monique Ganderton.^[9] Perrineau appeared in the 2008 music video "Yes We Can".^[10]

Perrineau voiced the title character from Marvel's Blade anime series on G4 in January 2012. He was cast to play the character of Damon Pope, the main antagonist of season 5 of the hit show Sons of Anarchy.^[11][12]

Perrineau starred as Stevie, the bass player, in the TBS comedy Wedding Band, which ran from 2012 to 2013.^{[citation needed]}

Perrineau starred as Manny, an angelic messenger, in Constantine,^[13] the short-lived 2015 television series based on the DC Comics/Vertigo character John Constantine.^{[citation needed]}

He made his Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of Anton Chekov's The Cherry Orchard, adapted by Stephen Karam.^{[citation needed]} The play ran from September 2016 to December 4, 2016. Perrineau played Lopakhin, with Diane Lane as Ranevskaya.^[14][15] Also in 2016, Perrineau co-starred in the Amazon Studios legal series Goliath.^{[citation needed]}

From 2017 to 2022, Perrineau played Dean, a man on the autism spectrum and the brother of Desna, in TNT's Claws.^{[citation needed]} He won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the NAACP Awards.^[16]

In May 2021, Deadline announced that Perrineau would lead the cast of the forthcoming in the MGM+ science fiction horror television series From.^[17] The first season of the series was released globally in 2022.^[18] The second season of From premiered on April 23, 2023.^[19][20] The third season of From premiered on September 22, 2024.^[21][22] A fourth season of From has been announced and is speculated to be released in 2026.^[23] Perrineau has received critical acclaim for his performance on From.^[24]

In November 2022, Perrineau signed with Independent Artist Group for representation.^[25]

In December 2024, Perrineau was announced as a cast member in independent drama Out Come The Wolves based on the Rancid 1995 album of the same name.^[26]

Personal life

Since 2002, Perrineau has been married to Brittany Robinson Perrineau, a former actress and model for Tommy Hilfiger and Liz Claiborne throughout the 1990s.^[27] Brittany appeared on the first season of Lost in an episode titled "Outlaws" as the girlfriend of Sawyer, and in the episode "Numbers" as the woman who read the lottery numbers. Her acting credits also include the romantic-comedy Saving Face (2004) and the surreal biopic Your Name Here (2008).^{[citation needed]}

They have three daughters, actress Aurora, born 1994, and two others born in 2008,^[28][29] and 2013.^[30][31]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ Lee, Luaine (November 6, 2012). "Cop's bullet set him on the path to acting". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived September 1, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
2. ^ Handler, Rachel (September 10, 2020). "Harold Perrineau Answers Every Question We Have About Romeo + Juliet". Vulture. Archived September 1, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
3. ^ Perrineau, Harold (August 7, 2019). "Harold Perrineau on Twitter: "Actual fact, I was Born Harold Perrineau."". Twitter. Archived September 7, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
4. ^ "History of "Fame: The Musical" Productions". Famenetwork.com. Archived August 14, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
5. ^ Wilkinson, Peter (January 12, 2006). "The Mystery of Larry Wachowski". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 4, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
6. ^ "TCA: ABC's McPherson Pressed Into Divulging Lost News". Media Week. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2007.
7. ^ "Lost Illusions: The Untold Story of the Hit Show's Poisonous Culture". Vanity Fair. May 30, 2023. Archived May 31, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
8. ^ "Damon Lindelof 'Shocked and Appalled' Over 'Lost' Racism and Toxic Workplace Allegations: 'I Failed' to Provide Safety and Comfort". Variety. May 30, 2023. Archived May 31, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
9. ^ "30 Days of Night: Dark Days Casting News". Dreadcentral.com. October 20, 2009. Archived October 24, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
10. ^ Kaufman, Gil (February 4, 2008). "Will.I.Am Gathers Common, Nick Cannon, Scarlett Johansson For Barack Obama Video". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
11. ^ "Harold Perrineau Cast as Damon Pope on Sons of Anarchy". Tvfanatic.com. May 18, 2012. Archived September 1, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
12. ^ Michael Ausiello (May 18, 2012). "Sons of Anarchy Exclusive: Lost's Harold Perrineau Joins Cast as Big Bad Damon Pope". Tvline.com. Archived September 29, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
13. ^ Piepenburg, Erik (February 18, 2022). "Harold Perrineau Finds His Way". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived March 20, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
14. ^ "Perrineau Broadway" Archived November 7, 2022 at the Wayback Machine, ibdb.com, accessed October 17, 2016
15. ^ Viagas, Robert. "See What the Critics Said About 'The Cherry Orchard' on Broadway" Archived September 4, 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, October 16, 2016
16. ^ Hunter, Samantha (July 9, 2019). "'Claws' Star Harold On Playing An Autistic Black Man, The Fate Of 'Star' And Interracial Marriage.". BET. Archived November 17, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2021-05-04). "Harold Perrineau To Headline ‘From’ Epix Horror Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
18. ^ McGuire, David (November 1, 2021). "From Trailer Is a Claustrophobic Look at New Horror Series From Epix Starring Harold Perrineau". Collider. Archived December 24, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
19. ^ Complex, Valerie (April 24, 2022). "From Sci-fi Horror Series Renewed For Season 2 By Epix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived July 28, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
20. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (January 10, 2023). "From Season 2: Premiere Date Set for Sci-Fi Horror Series on MGM+". TVLine. Archived October 24, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
21. ^ Otterson, Joe (June 29, 2023). "From Renewed for Season 3 at MGM+". Variety. Archived June 29, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
22. ^ "From: Season 3 | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived September 1, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
23. ^ Kain, Erik. "Some Good News And Some Bad News About ‘FROM’ Season 4 Release Date On MGM+". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
24. ^ "Harold Perrineau" (tv). from. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
25. ^ Grobar, Matt (2024-11-22). "Independent Artist Group Signs ‘From’ Star Harold Perrineau". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
26. ^ Kit, Borys (December 11, 2024). "Giancarlo Esposito, Harold Perrineau, Taryn Manning, Ryan Hurst Join Punk Indie Drama ‘Out Come the Wolves’ (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
27. ^ Ryon, Ruth (17 September 2006). "Actor Perrineau tells Hawaii to get lost". Orlando Sentinel. Archived 28 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
28. ^ Finn, Natalie & Rosenbaum, Claudia (May 31, 2008). "Lost's Perrineau Uncovers Child No. 2". E! Online. Archived September 1, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
29. ^ Takeda, Allison (March 21, 2013). "Harold Perrineau, Wife Brittany Welcome Third Daughter, Holiday Grace". Us Weekly. Archived September 1, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
30. ^ Rizzo, Monica (21 September 2012). "Third Child on the Way for Harold Perrineau". People.com. Archived 23 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
31. ^ Rizzo, Monica (21 March 2013). "Harold Perrineau Welcomes Daughter Holiday Grace". People. Archived 2 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 March 2025.