Charles S. Dutton is an American award-winning stage and screen actor and director best known for his outstanding roles on the television series The Practice and Without a Trace.
The son of a truck driver, Charles S. Dutton was born on January 30, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of 17, he was convicted of manslaughter after killing a man during a street fight and spent seven and a half years in prison. He was eventually paroled but two years later, he was put behind the bars once again for possession of a deadly weapon. His second incarceration was a turning point in his life as he began to be involved with theater groups which led him to shed away violence. After his release, Charles S. Dutton obtained a high school equivalency and finished a two-year college degree. He later earned a master’s degree in acting from the Yale School of Drama.
In 1984, Dutton made his debut on Broadway, appearing in August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. His role in the production earned him a Theater World Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1993, he starred in the science fiction/thriller film Aliens3, as the Fiorina-161 inmate Lenard Dillon.
In 2000, Dutton directed the widely acclaimed HBO mini series The Corner. According to Dutton, he adapted the show from the book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood written by David Simon and Ed Burns.
Dutton further gained artistic recognition when he won the 2002 and 2003 Outstanding Guest Actor Emmy award for his roles on The Practice and Without a Trace. He also starred in the 2003 thriller movie Gothika alongside Halle Berry, playing Dr. Douglas Grey, the murdered husband of Miranda Grey (Charles S. Dutton).
Dutton’s other projects include Honeydripper, The Third Nail, Racing for Time and The Express.