Actor Dennis Haysbert, trim and 6-feet-4, with a quietly powerful demeanor and a deep, sexy voice that brings to mind a cross between Barry White and Isaac Hayes, is a powerhouse that's just plain hard to miss, on-screen and off.
The popular actor as been working over 30 years as an actor, with roles on television and in movies such as Far From Heaven, Jarhead, Absolute Power, and the hit TV drama where he played the most powerful man in the free world on 24. Not to mention his countless Allstate insurance commercials where he asks the question, "Are you in good hands?"
Recently, Haysbert stepped into the role of the most powerful, all-knowing role of God (yes, God) on the hit series Lucifer.
Haysbert told The Christian Post, "I think people are going to see God in a different light because everyone sees God in their own religion. When you think about it, what is God’s religion? He’s not Christian, Buddhist, or Muslim; He’s God. He’s light and love; He made us all in His image. Does He have emotion, does He love, is He jealous, does He have pain? When He looks down on us right now, what does He feel about it? He’s given us free will."
"Think about this or not, I’m not gonna put anything on it," continued Haysbert. "I’m just saying it was very interesting to play the character. I hope God likes what I’ve done with it. I think it’s the first time that people will see God portrayed in a three-dimensional way."
What is surprising is that, long before all of this, the odds were very much against Dennis Haysbert even staying alive, much less achieving stardom.
Dennis was born with a hole in his heart, a defect, he says, that caused the entire family to baby and protect him for many years.
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"I was never coddled," Dennis says, "but always protected. [My family has said] that when I'd come into the room as a child, it would go silent because people could actually hear my heart working."
Holes in the heart are simple congenital heart defects. Congenital heart defects are problems with the heart's structure that are present at birth. These defects change the normal flow of blood through the heart.
The heart has two sides, separated by an inner wall called the septum. With each heartbeat, the right side of the heart receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body.
The septum prevents mixing of blood between the two sides of the heart. However, some babies are born with holes in the upper or lower septum.
Haysbert's heart healed by itself and, looking at the fit 67-year-old actor, it's hard to imagine him as...
...anything other than a natural athlete. He received several athletic scholarships upon high school graduation, but decided to go into performing arts.
His acting experience in high school also helped hone his signature sound. “We had this 1,200-seat theater with a 50-foot stage and an orchestra pit, so I had to learn to project,” Haysbert said.
"I guess when I got my first job, when I got hired for the first time," continues Haysbert. "Coming from where I come from, I didn’t have any connections, I didn’t know anybody when I got into the business. I was very grateful. [laughs] I don’t think I’ve ever sat down and just said, 'Man, Dennis you’re terrific.' I don’t think I have ever said that. As soon as you start thinking 'you’re all that' I think you lose it. My M.O. is I perform roles the way the people actually define them in their life. When a doctor comes up to me and says, 'You know what? That’s what we do,' that’s the best compliment I can get. There were some baseball players that came up to me and said, 'Man! You played Cerrano like—oh, man—we love Cerrano!' If a baseball player tells me that then I must’ve done something right. When I have politicians or the President greet me and say, 'I see we have the first black president here in the room,' I say, 'Thank you.' When I have Ethel Kennedy tell me that I was partially responsible for Barack Obama becoming president, that humbles me, that kind of brings me to my knees a little bit."
"What? Really? When I play Command Sergeant Major Jonas Blane and then go to Iraq and Afghanistan to visit the troops, and they tell me, 'This is the show we watch here'…I mean, you’re in a war zone and you’re doing a show about black ops and you have guys that perform those black ops say you’re doing it right— that’s a compliment for me! You’ve got to remain grounded, because what you’re doing is taking on personalities, you’re taking on characters, and you can’t have an ego about that. You can’t be outside your body looking back saying, 'Boy, I didn’t do that right,' because then you’ll miss the next moment, and any actor will tell you that you have to be in the moment."
Dennis continues to be vigilant about staying healthy, and keeps his body fit, particularly his abs, chest and arms, by continually playing sports. Keeping his heart strong and healthy is also a top priority for the actor. He watches his diet to make sure he's able to keep up with demanding acting roles that require him to be more physical.
In his spare time, Haysbert plays golf whenever he can.
"No one gets to play as much as they'd like unless you're a pro," he says. He also enjoys tennis and scuba diving.
