When Beyond the Gates cast Tamara Tunie as the matriarch of the Dupree family, fans anticipated who would join her as the patriarch. Turns out it was Clifton Davis, a veteran actor with roughly 60 years in the business. The Amen actor never stops working, whether on the small screen, the big screen, or on stage. He sings and composes music, plus he’s a minister. He will entertain you on every level, from emotionally to spiritually.
The Early Days
Clifton Davis was born in Chicago and raised in Long Island, specifically Mastic, New York. He’s the son of a nurse and a minister. He holds numerous degrees, including a BA in Theology and a Master of Divinity degree. In fact, he’s an ordained Seventh-Day Adventist minister.
According to a GETtv interview, seeing his first Broadway show, The Apple Tree, inspired him to get into acting. The play starred Barbara Harris and Alan Alda. “I thought it was so funny and captivating and interesting and engaging, and I was blown away that it looked like a movie live on stage.”
As a result, he decided to take a six-month leave of absence from his job as a video engineer at ABC. There was no need for him to go back to his day job. It only took him six months to get his first Broadway gig.
READ THIS: BTG’S final casting including Clifton Davis.
Broadway Or Bust
That Broadway debut was as a replacement in the original production of Hello, Dolly! in the mid-1960s. In the early ’70s, he created the role of Valentine in the Shakespeare comedy Two Gentlemen of Verona. He also played Sultan in the original 2014 production of Aladdin.
After starring in two touring productions of Wicked, he later joined the Broadway company in 2022. In this popular, critically acclaimed musical, he played Dr. Dillamond.
READ THIS: BTG sheds light on the show’s families and setting details.
Singer, Songwriter
Over the years, Davis wore many hats, including that of singer and songwriter. Did you know that he wrote the Jackson Five song, “Never Can Say Goodbye”? The song went to number two on the charts and earned him a GRAMMY nomination.
READ THIS: Here’s what you should know about BTG’s Tamara Tunie.
Sitcom Superstar
Davis starred in the sitcom That’s My Mama, which ran from 1974 to 1975. However, the show he’s most known for is the hit-com Amen, which ran from 1986 to 1991.
In Amen, played the patient Reverend Reuben Gregory to Sherman Hemsley’s gruff and grizzly Deacon Ernest Frye. Davis’s love interest on the show was the deacon’s daughter, Thelma Frye. Anna Maria Horsford, who played Thelma, would do her own stint in daytime when she played the matriarch of the Avant family on The Bold and the Beautiful.
His recent TV credits include Showtime’s Billions, Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest, NBC’s New Amsterdam, and the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem.
READ THIS: Here’s what you should know about BTG’s Karla Mosley.
Daytime Newbie? Not So Fast.
Beyond the Gates isn’t Davis’s first brush with daytime. He once starred in the short-lived soap A World Apart, which only aired on ABC from March 1970 to June 1971. In the series, Davis played Matt Hampton of the show’s lone Black family. After his time in the drama, Davis decided to head to Hollywood.
Fifty-plus years later, he’s ready to tackle the daytime universe again with Beyond the Gates. He’s set to play Vernon Dupree, the family patriarch. He’s married to Tamara Tunie’s Anita and is the retired father to Daphnée Duplaix’s Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson and Karla Mosley’s Dani Dupree.
READ THIS: Here’s what you should know about BTG’s Daphnée Duplaix.
Like Anita, he’s a formidable human being. The difference, however, is that he’s gentle, humble, and generous with his knowledge and experience. He was also at the forefront of the civil rights movement.
The multi-talented actor, singer, songwriter, composer, and minister is ready for his daytime close-up. Catch Clifton Davis on Beyond The Gates premieres, which debuts on CBS on February 24, 2025.
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