Laurence Fishburne to Star as Alex Haley in A+E's 'Roots'

Laurence Fishburne

Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winning actor Laurence Fishburne is set to star as Alex Haley in the A+E Networks scripted event series Roots, it was announced today by the History channel. Fishburne will play Haley, the author of the novel "Roots: The Saga of an American Family," an American family origin story based around the life of Kunta Kinte. Roots will be an original, contemporary production, incorporating material from Haley's novel, as well as carefully researched new scholarship of the time.

Laurence Fishburne has achieved an impressive body of work not only as an actor but also as a producer and director. He started his career playing Josh Hall on ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. In 1992, he won the Tony Award for his portrayal of Sterling Johnson in August Wilson's "Two Trains Running." The following year, his performance as Martin of the television series Tribeca earned him an Emmy Award. In 1994, he was an Academy Award nominee as Best Actor for his portrayal of Ike Turner in What's Love Got to do With It.