Last year, we got to see The Bold and the Beautiful’s Julius Avant, patriarch of the fractured Avant dynasty, onscreen. And now the actor who plays him, Obba Babatundé, has a very special milestone to celebrate.
Happy Birthday, Obba Babatunde!
And that’s because he was born on December 1, 1951, in Queens, New York, which means that this talented performer is turning 70 years old today! Babatundé spent his early, post-college years as a teacher by day and a nascent actor by night.
He found employment via several off-Broadway plays, and first gained recognition and acclaim when he joined the 1976 touring company of Guys and Dolls, starring Leslie Uggams and Richard Roundtree.
Babatundé made his Broadway debut in a 1978 production of Timbuktu!, and he received a Tony Award nomination for his turn as C.C. White in a 1982 mounting of Dreamgirls. Soon after, he began to focus his intentions on moving into the film and TV world.
His first TV appearance came courtesy of the anthology series America’s Musical Theater, and he made his film debut in the espionage parody Leonard Part 6 (1987). Subsequently, Babatundé appeared in episodes of All My Children (1987), Matlock (1988), A Different World (1990), and Tales from the Crypt (1992), as well as in films like Married to the Mob (1988), Miami Blues (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Dead Again (1991).
Babatundé’s other acting credits include recurring roles in Dawson’s Creek (1999-2000), Soul Food (2001-2002), Karen Sisco (2003-2004), and Kingdom (2014). He has been playing the part of B&B’s Julius Avant on and off, since 2015.
The velvet-voiced actor has gotten the chance to voice several animated characters, including the famed Lando Calrissian in several Star Wars video games. His work is also featured in films like That Thing You Do! (1996), John Q (2002), The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002), Kangaroo Jack: G’Day U.S.A.! (2004), The Notebook (2004), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), and Pup Star (2016), and episodes of Rocket Power (1999-2004) and Max Steel (2000).
As a producer, Babatundé is responsible for the documentaries Oscar’s Black Odyssey (which he also directed), Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty, and TV in Black: The First 50 Years.
Soap Hub would like to wish Obba Babatundé a very happy birthday, and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below. The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Los Angeles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on B&B spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.