Biography
Although his screen appearances, particularly that of his role as aide to the president on the TV series
The West Wing, have earned him career success, Dule Hill's real love of the spotlight relates more closely to his love of tap dancing than of performing in other genres. Born in Orange, NJ, on May 3, 1974, and raised in Sayreville, NJ, Hill began dancing at the age of three. His Jamaican parents enrolled him in dance school as a young child, and he branched out into film and theater by the time he finished high school. After gaining attention as an actor for appearing in a Corn Pops commercial, as a high school senior, he played the role of Harlem in his first feature film,
Sugar Hill, in 1993. That same year, he also had a small part in the TV movie
Hallelujah, and on the series
City Kids. His childhood theater experience would prove beneficial, as he chose to leave college before the end of his third year to perform Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk on Broadway.
In 1997, he played the young Donald in the drama
The Ditchdigger's Daughters, which explored the complex themes of race in America, as well as fatherhood. He appeared in the made-for-TV murder mystery
Color of Justice, also relevant to racial issues, that year also. Switching to a more light-hearted genre, he played Preston in the teen romantic comedy
She's All That, starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and
Rachael Leigh Cook, in 1999.
His recurring role on
The West Wing, the drama series about political life in the White House, rounded off his widespread attention, along with his role in 2000's
Men of Honor, the war drama starring
Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr. Having appeared with the ranks of several established Hollywood stars, Hill's dramatic talent grew increasingly apparent. In 2002, he appeared in another dramatic role, this time in the crime thriller
Holes, with
Sigourney Weaver,
Jon Voight, and
Patricia Arquette. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide