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. In 2009, he was cast on the Fox action drama series Human Target for the role of Winston, the business partner of the lead.
2009: Happy Together - Simon
2007-present: "Pushing Daisies" - Emerson Cod
2008: First Sunday - Pastor Arthur Mitchell
2008: American Son - Eddie
2007: The Brothers Solomon - James
2006-2007: "The Nine" - Malcolm Jones (13 episodes)
2006: Let's Go to Prison - Barry
2006: Ultimate Avengers II (voice) - Chief Elder
2005-2006: "Killer Instinct" - Lt. Matt Cavanaugh (13 episodes)
2006: Annapolis - McNally
2005: Roll Bounce - Curtis Smith
2005: Waiting... - Bishop
2005: "House M.D." - Edward Vogler (5 episodes)
2004: I, Robot - Lt. John Bergin
2000-2004: "Boston Public" - Steven Harper (81 episodes)
2003: Delusion - John
2002: Paid in Full - Pip
2002: Undercover Brother - The Chief
2002: Narc - Capt. Mitchell Cheevers
2000: The Kid - Kenny
2000: Gone in Sixty Seconds - Donny Astricky
2000: Dancing in September - Security Guard
2000: King of the World - Drew 'Bundini' Brown
2000: Magicians - Tom
1998: Mercury Rising - Tommy B. Jordan
1997: Hoodlum - Illinois Gordon
1993-1996: "The John Larroquette Show" - Heavy Gene (84 episodes)
1996: The Frighteners - Cyrus
1994: Cosmic Slop - T-Bone
1993: What's Love Got to Do with It - Fross
1992: The Distinguished Gentleman - Homer
1992: Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation - Malcolm Pennington III