Roger Guenveur Smith

Roger Guenveur Smith is an accomplished playwright, actor and director who began his notable career in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and School Daze. Continuing to work on both stage and screen, Smith built upon his already esteemed theatrical career in films such as Deep Cover, Eve's Bayou, Get on the Bus, Dope and Chi-Raq. A versatile actor, Roger also created and performed in critically-acclaimed one man shows featuring the powerful stories of prominent historical figures including, A Huey P. Newton Story, Fredrick Douglass and Rodney King. Most recently, Smith starred in the acclaimed Sundance hit The Birth of a Nation that tells the story of one of the most important slave rebellions in U.S. history led by Nat Turner. Roger discusses directing the Los Angeles premiere of the award-winning play, The Mountaintop, a vivid reimagining of Martin Luther King's final hours.