…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.