African American leading man Dorian Harewood attended the University of Cincinnati before establishing his theatrical reputation, first in the cast of the Broadway rock musical Two Gentlemen of Verona, then in the road company of Jesus Christ, Superstar. He won a Theatre Guild Award for his work in the 1974 production Don't Call Back.
In films since 1976's Sparkle, Harewood is best known for his powerful supporting roles, most notably the unfortunate grunt Eightball in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987). His television resumé includes the part of Alex Haley's father in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generation and the title roles in the made-for-TV movies The Jessie Owens Story (1984) and Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story (1987); he has also played recurring roles on such series as Glitter, The Trials of Rosie O'Neill, and Viper. Harewood has always attributed much of his success to actress Bette Davis, who while lecturing at the U. of Cincinnati encouraged the young actor to aggressively pursue his dreams of stardom. Dorian Harewood is the husband of actress Ann McCurry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide. 