American actor Chi McBride was born September 23, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois, where he also grew up. He was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist church, though he wasn't an active churchgoer. He graduated high school at the age of 16, and later on became a telephone operator with MCI. He originally planned to pursue a musical career but after his success with the blues band Covert, he considered acting as well.
Chi McBride’s first entered the showbiz industry when he came up with the hit song “He’s the Champ.” This allowed him to gain experience in the music industry, but he later moved to Los Angeles to land guest spots on numerous shows. Only at the age of 30 did he fully concentrate on his career in acting. In 1992, he was cast for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as Fox network’s In Living Color. He later got a featured role in the movie Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation. He also landed parts in Married With Children, Nash Bridges, and became noted for his performance in The John Larroquette Show. In 1998, he made his blockbuster debut alongside Bruce Willis in Mercury Rising. He later began a four-year stint as Principal Steven Harper on the hit series Boston Public, ending in 2004. Some of his other acclaimed TV roles are those in The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer and Killer Instinct. In 2000, he was seen on films such as King of the World, Magicians, Gone in Sixty Seconds and the Disney film The Kid. He later reprised his role as Steve Harper on The Practice, and landed a recurring spot on Max Steel. His next role was in the comedy Undercover Brother, followed by the crime drama Paid in Full. He later starred in a string of blockbuster films, like The Terminal starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and I, Robot starring Will Smith. McBride later became known for playing Edward Vogler on the medical drama-comedy House M.D., as well as his guest appearance on Monk. He later joined the cast of the series The Nine, playing the character Malcolm Jones. Since 2007, he portrayed the role Emerson Cod on the TV series Pushing Daisies. Other films that Chi McBride has appeared in are First Sunday, American Son and The Brothers Solomon.