Chi McBride (Actor)

Kenneth "Chi" McBride (born September 23, 1961) is an American actor known for playing prominent roles in films, such as The Frighteners (1996), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), I, Robot (2004), Waiting... (2005), Let's Go to Prison (2006) and Draft Day (2014). On television, he is known for his starring roles as high school principal Steven Harper in Boston Public, Emerson Cod in Pushing Daisies, Detective Laverne Winston in the Fox drama Human Target, Detective Don Owen in the CBS crime drama Golden Boy, and Captain Lou Grover in Hawaii Five- 0.

Chi McBride, whose stage name was derived from his home city of Chicago, Illinois, was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist religion and attended the Seventh-day Adventist school, Chicago SDA Academy (formerly Shiloh Academy). Initially, he had planned to pursue a career in music, after having studied many instruments and sung with gospel choirs in Chicago. However in 1986 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and started working as a billing clerk for AT&T.

Chi McBride's career began when he was signed by Esquire Records following the success of his hit single "Basically, He's the Champ" with the group KSL. Following the success of the song, McBride made the move to Los Angeles with the intention of beginning an acting career. He made appearances on shows like In Living Color, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation. His first film role came in 1998 with Mercury Rising alongside Bruce Willis. Since then he has been cast in a variety of films and television shows such as John Larroquette Show, House, The Terminal, Pushing Daisies, and I, Robot. In 2013, he was cast in CBS' Hawaii Five-0 as Captain Lou Grover, and in 2022 he stars in a sitcom with Pete Holmes and Katie Lowe based on the life of a pro bowler. McBride balances recurring roles with featured appearances, making him one of the entertainment industry's most versatile and accomplished actors.