Delroy Lindo

Delroy Lindo is a British-American actor of Jamaican descent whose commanding presence and extraordinary range have made him one of the most respected performers of his generation. From his Shakespearean stage work to his iconic film roles in Malcolm X, Crooklyn, Clockers, Get Shorty, and Da 5 Bloods, Lindo brings intelligence, intensity, and deep humanity to every character he inhabits.

Born in Lewisham, London, in 1952, Lindo moved to Toronto as a teenager and later to the United States, where he trained at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He built his early career on stage, earning a Tony nomination for his role in August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. His collaboration with Spike Lee produced some of the most memorable performances of the 1990s, particularly his role as Woody Carmichael in Crooklyn and Rodney Little in Clockers.

Lindo's performance as Paul in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods in 2020 was hailed as one of the greatest performances of the year — a towering, devastating portrayal of a Vietnam veteran consumed by trauma, rage, and the unhealed wounds of American racism. Despite being widely considered a lock for an Oscar nomination, he was overlooked — a snub that itself became a commentary on the Academy's relationship with Black excellence. Lindo continues to work across stage, film, and television, a master of his craft who has never received the mainstream recognition his body of work demands.