He was born in Augusta's old University Hospital on July 30, 1961, but grew up in New York City. He returns often to visit relatives.

Mr. Fishburne made his New York stage debut at the age of 10, and the next year was a regular on the TV network soap opera One Life To Live. He played the son of the first African-American family to be featured in a daytime drama from 1973 to 1976.

His feature film debut came in 1975 with Cornbread, Earl and Me playing the ``Me'' part. He also was Cowboy Curtis on the TV series Pee-wee's Playhouse.

He won the Tony Award in 1992 as the Best Featured Actor in the Broadway play Two Trains Running and was nominated for an Oscar for his memorable portrayal of rock star Ike Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It?