Harewood first attracted attention for his portrayal of Simon Haley in the ABC miniseries Roots The Next Generations. He is known for his roles in Full Metal Jacket, for starring as Jesse Owens in The Jesse Owens Story, and for his costarring role in the ABC Television series Strike Force . In 1994, he was awarded the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, MiniSeries or Television Movie, for his recurring role as jazzblues saxophonist Clarence Cool Papa Charleston on the NBC drama series Ill Fly Away. In 2012, he is an announcer for NBC. He also played Dr. Julian Wilkes in the NBC TV series Viper.
Harewood was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Emerson Macaulay and Estelle Olivia Harewood . He has five siblings, Emerson M. Harewood, Jr. , Theolanda Harewood, Philip B. Harewood , Floranne E. Dunford and Lawanda G. Pitts. He graduated from the CCM at the University of Cincinnati in 1971.
Source: Wikipedia