Leonard Roberts returns to television in NBC’s new ensemble drama series “Heroes” as D.L. Hawkins, Niki Sander’s ex-lover and Micah’s father, who finds himself to be a fugitive from justice who continues to baffle authorities who twice have been unable to contain him. “Heroes” follows the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.
Roberts is well known to television audiences for his role as Forrest Gates in the WB’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” He starred in NBC’s miniseries “The ‘60s,” BET telefilms’ “Walking on Sunshine” and “Masquerade,” and Starz!’s “Joe and the Max” as boxer Joe Louis for director Steve James. His other television credits include recurring roles on “Providence” and the Chicago-based drama “Turks,” as well guest-starring appearances on “Bones,” “Smallville,” “Navy NCIS,” “Threat Matrix,” “CSI: Miami,” “24,” “Tru Calling,” “JAG,” “FreakyLinks,” “Due South” and Lifetime’s “Any Day Now.”
Roberts launched his film career in Chicago, appearing in small roles in “Love Jones” and Bill Duke’s gangster epic “Hoodlum,” before co-starring opposite Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s “He Got Game.” In the acclaimed film “Drumline,” he portrayed Sean, a rival high school marching band leader, opposite Nick Cannon.
Roberts began acting on stage in the Windy City, appearing in numerous productions with several of the city’s renowned theatre companies, including the Steppenwolf Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, the Shakespeare Repertory Theatre and the Northlight and Bailiwick Theatres.
The actor attended Chicago’s famed DePaul University Theatre School, where he earned a bachelor in fine arts degree. Currently, he resides in Santa Monica.
