Born on December 17, 1945 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Ernie Hudson served for the Marine Corps before pursuing an acting career. After rendering his service, he moved to Detroit, where he became the resident playwright of Concept East, the oldest Black Theatre company in the country. He also entered Wayne State University for further training in acting and writing. During his stay, he founded the Actors’ Ensemble Theatre, where he and other young black writers wrote and performed in their own plays. He then studied at the Yale School of Drama.
Hudson’s first screen appearance was in 1976, with the film Leadbelly. He made several appearances in films, such as The Human Tornado, The Main Event, The Jazz Singer and Penitentiary II. He also acted for television, in programs such as The Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Taxi and The Dukes of Hazzard. In 1984, he took on the role of Winston Zeddemore, the fireman who joined the group as long as he gets a “steady paycheck,” in the film Ghostbusters. He reprised the role in the 1989 sequel, but lost the role for the animated television series.
In 1997, Hudson joined the case of prison drama Oz. He played the role of Warden Leo Glynn, a very conservative jail official who runs the prison on the basis of retribution so that he can be promoted as Commissioner of Prisons. In one episode, he co-starred with his son, who played a prisoner. He appeared in the 2000 film Miss Congeniality, as Harry McDonald, the superior of Sandra Bullock’s character; a character he would reprise in the film’s 2005 sequel. In 2007, he appeared in a recurring role as Detective Ridley in seven episodes of Desperate Housewives. He has also guest-starred in films such as Las Vegas, Psych, Bones and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2008, he was cast in the live-action adaptation of the hit anime series Dragonball as Master Mutaito.