Quite possibly the most underrated and underexposed actor of his caliber and generation, Jeffrey Wright's undeniable talent and ability to successfully bring to life any role he undertakes is on a par with the most praised and revered A-list actors in the business. Born and raised in Washington DC, Wright graduated from the prestigious Amherst college in 1987. Although he studied Political Science while at Amherst, Wright left the school with something that would prove to be more valuable: a love for acting. Shortly after graduating he won an acting scholarship to NYU, but dropped out after only two months to pursue acting full time. With roles in 1990's Presumed Innocent, and the Broadway production of Angels in America, (in which he won a well deserved Tony award), within a relatively short time Wright was able to show off his exceptional talent and ability on both stage and screen alike. His first major on-screen performance came in 1996 in the Julian Schnabel directed film Basquiat. Wright's harrowing performance as the late painter Jean Michele Basquiat was critically acclaimed for its haunting accuracy and raw emotion. With a Tony, a Golden Globe, and an AFI award under his belt, the intensity of Wright's skill has been proven over and over again. Hopefully the near future will bring an influx of more varied lead roles for black actors so that Wright can continue to astonish his colleagues, critics and fans alike with the intensity of his skill.

1. Broken City (2013) - Actor 2. Source Code (2011) - Dr. Rutledge

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3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Extrem de tare şi incredibil de aproape) (2011) - Actor 4. The Ides of March (Ziua trădătorilor) (2011) - Senator Thompson 5. Quantum of Solace (2008) - Felix Leiter

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6. W. (2008) - Colin Powell 7. Bond on Location (2008) - Himself 8. Cadillac Records (2008) - Muddy Waters

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9. Blackout (2007) - Nelson 10. The Invasion (2007) - Dr. Stephen Galeano

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11. Reflections of Lady in the Water (2006) - Actor 12. Casino Royale (2006) - Felix Leiter 13. Becoming Bond (2006) - Himself 14. Lady in the Water (2006) - Mr. Dury 15. The True Story of Hannibal (2005) - Narrator 16. Syriana (2005) - Bennett Holiday 17. Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004) - Other Voices (voice) 18. The Manchurian Candidate (2004) - Al Melvin 19. D-Tox (2002) - Jaworski 20. Ali (2001) - Howard Bingham 21. Hamlet (2000) - Gravedigger 22. Ride with the Devil (1999) - Daniel Holt 23. Celebrity (1998) - Greg - Off-Off Broadway Director 24. "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993) - Hal Wilson (3 episodes, 1997) 25. "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (1992) - Sidney Bechet / ... (2 episodes, 1993)

1. Studied Political Science at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

2. Graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1987.

3. Won Broadway's 1994 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for Tony Kushner's "Angels In America: Perestroika," a role he recreated in the television mini-series version, "Angels in America" (2003). In 2002, he was nominated for Tony's Best Actor (Play) Award for "Topdog/Underdog."

4. Attended New York University on a theatre scholarship, but dropped out after only two months to act full time.

5. He received an honorary degree from Amherst College in 2004.

6. Although he alters aspects of his physical appearance for each role, his voice is often unrecognizable from one role to the next. The voices of Belize, with his intelligent, acerbic wit in "Angels in America" (2003), to Peoples Hernandez whose vicious macho confidence is conveyed through his Latino accent in Shaft (2000) to Al Melvin The Manchurian Candidate (2004), whose deep grumblings heartbreakingly represent the state of a destroyed man.

7. His cousin, Brian Wright, was the boy who portrayed young 'Basquiat' at the beginning of that film. The production team needed a child to portray Basquiat who also looked like Jeffrey Wright. Because of this, Jeffrey asked his cousin to do the job.

8. Graduated from prestigious St. Albans School for Boys in Washington, DC.

9. Is friends with Adrian Pasdar.

10. Has one son, Elijah.

11. The only original cast member from the play Angels In America to appear in the film version "Angels in America" (2003).

12. Father died when he was a year old and was raised by his mother, who was a lawyer before working at the U.S. Customs Department, and his aunt, a one-time nurse.

13. In 2006, became the first African American to play Felix Leiter in an official James Bond film (Casino Royale (2006). (Bernie Casey played Leiter in the unofficial Never Say Never Again (1983).).

14. Plays CIA Agent Felix Leiter in Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008). This makes him only the second actor in the history of the Bond franchise to play the role more than once. David Hedison had previously played the role twice, in Live and Let Die (1973) and Licence to Kill (1989). Unlike Hedison, he played the role twice in a row, in two consecutive films. Hedison's two appearances were separated by 16 years, 8 films, and one other actor (John Terry).

15. Has appeared in three films with Daniel Craig in three years, Casino Royale (2006), The Invasion (2007/I) and Quantum of Solace (2008).