Ernie Hudson
Quick Facts
Sagittarius
Biography
Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters franchise. Hudson has also acted in the films Leviathan (1989), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Crow (1994), Airheads (1994), The Basketball Diaries (1995), Congo (1995), Miss Congeniality (2000), and The Ron Clark Story (2006).
On television, his most prominent role was Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz (1997–2003). Hudson has also appeared in the television shows St. Elsewhere (1984), The Last Precinct (1986), 10-8: Officers on Duty (2003–2004), Desperate Housewives (2006–2007), The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), Law & Order (2009–2010), the voice of Agent Bill Fowler in Transformers: Prime (2010–2013), Franklin & Bash (2012–2014), Grace and Frankie (2015–2020), and L.A.'s Finest (2019–2020). From 2022 to 2024, Hudson appeared as Herbert "Magic" Williams on the NBC drama Quantum Leap.
Early life
Hudson was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He never knew his father. His mother, Maggie Donald, died of tuberculosis when he was two months old. He was subsequently raised by his maternal grandmother, Arrana Donald.
Hudson joined the U.S. Marine Corps immediately after high school but was discharged after only three months on medical grounds due to asthma. Having moved to Detroit, he became the resident playwright at Concept East, the oldest black theater company in the United States. He enrolled at Wayne State University to further develop his writing and acting skills, graduating in 1973. He established the Actors' Ensemble Theatre where he and other talented young black writers directed and appeared in their own works. He began a doctoral program at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities before leaving to appear in a stage production of The Great White Hope. Later, he studied toward a Master of Fine Arts in acting at Yale School of Drama, but left after a year to appear in Leadbelly.
In an interview with Belief.net, Hudson stated that he is a practicing Christian, but does not believe that "one church is the right one".
Career
One of Hudson's early film roles is in Penitentiary II (1982) starring Leon Isaac Kennedy. He had various guest roles on television series such as The Dukes of Hazzard and The A-Team. He was on the television series Fantasy Island in a first-season episode as a voodoo man named Jamu. Hudson gained fame playing Winston Zeddemore in the 1984 feature film Ghostbusters and its 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II. He auditioned to reprise the role for the animated series, The Real Ghostbusters, but it was given to Arsenio Hall. He had a major supporting role as the mentally challenged handyman Solomon in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992).
Hudson was cast as Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's series Oz, and his son Ernie Hudson Jr. co-starred with him as Muslim inmate Hamid Khan. Hudson also appears as the character Munro in Congo (1995) and as Police Sergeant Albrecht in The Crow (1994). He switched gears when he played a preacher opening the eyes of a small town's prejudice in the 1950s in A Stranger in the Kingdom. He played Harry McDonald, the FBI superior of Sandra Bullock's character in the feature film Miss Congeniality (2000). He is in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Ethon" as Pernaux. He appeared as Reggie in the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries. In 2006, he appeared in the television film The Ron Clark Story as Principal Turner. In 2008, he began a recurring role as Dr. Fields on The Secret Life of the American Teenager. He had a recurring role on the final season of Law & Order as Lt. Anita Van Buren's boyfriend and then fiancé.
In 2011, he played Stuart Owens in Torchwood: Miracle Day.
Beginning in 2015, Hudson was cast in a recurring role as Jacob, an organic farmer who is the romantic interest for Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin) in the series Grace and Frankie.
Hudson appeared in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, playing Bill Jenkins, the uncle of Leslie Jones's lead character Pattie Tolan.
In 2019, Hudson began starring in L.A.'s Finest, playing the estranged father of Gabrielle Union's character. Hudson called it "a very different show", citing the duality of having to protect people as a member of law enforcement while having unresolved relationships that need to be reconciled. Spectrum canceled the series after two seasons the following year.
In August 2019, he confirmed his involvement in Ghostbusters: Afterlife directed by Jason Reitman, joining original cast members Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Annie Potts. Hudson described himself as being welled by emotions after he put on his jumpsuit and proton pack, as he had previously "accepted that [a film] was never going to happen".
Hudson appeared in the 2022 drama film Prisoner's Daughter, alongside Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cox.
On March 8, 2022, Hudson was announced as the co-lead in NBC's Quantum Leap reboot.
In January 2023, Hudson guest voiced a character, Grini Millegi, a Dowutin gangster who was an associate of Cid and oversees Riot Racing on the planet Safa Toma, on Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
Personal life
Hudson married his first wife, Jeannie Moore, in 1963, when she was sixteen and he was eighteen. They had two sons, Ernie Hudson Jr. and Rahaman Hudson. When Hudson and Jeannie divorced in 1976, their sons moved to live with Hudson in California. In 1985, Hudson married former flight attendant Linda Kingsberg, and they had two sons, Andrew and Ross.
On June 8, 2024, a portion of South Fair Avenue (M-139) near Hudson's childhood home in Benton Harbor was given the honorary name "Ernie Hudson Way".
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Leadbelly | Archie | |
| The Human Tornado | Bo | ||
| 1977 | Mad Bull | Bart 'Black Bart' | Television film |
| 1978 | Last of the Good Guys | El Coliph | Television film |
| 1979 | The Main Event | Killer | |
| 1980 | Joni | Earl | |
| The $5.20 an Hour Dream | Homer Burden | Television film | |
| White Mama | Counsellor | Television film | |
| The Octagon | Quinine | ||
| The Jazz Singer | Heckler | ||
| 1981 | A Matter of Life and Death | Mr. Harrison | Television film |
| Underground Aces | African General | ||
| Crazy Times | Harold 'Jazzman' Malloy | Television film | |
| 1982 | Penitentiary II | 'Half Dead' | |
| 1983 | Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone | Washington | |
| Going Berserk | Muhammed Jerome Willy | ||
| Women of San Quentin | Charles Wilson | Television film | |
| Two of a Kind | Detective Skaggs | ||
| 1984 | Ghostbusters | Winston Zeddemore | |
| National Lampoon's Joy of Sex | Mr. Porter | ||
| 1985 | California Girls | Ernie | Television film |
| Love on the Run | Lamar | Television film | |
| 1987 | Weeds | Bagdad | |
| 1988 | The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission | Joseph Hamilton | Television film |
| The Wrong Guys | Dawson | ||
| 1989 | Leviathan | Justin Jones | |
| Collision Course | 'Shortcut' | ||
| Trapper County War | Jefferson Carter | ||
| Ghostbusters II | Winston Zeddemore | ||
| 1992 | The Hand That Rocks the Cradle | Solomon | |
| 1993 | Angel Street | Thurman Nickens | Television film |
| The Pitch | Vet | Short | |
| 1994 | Sugar Hill | Lolly Jonas | |
| The Crow | Sergeant Daryl Albrecht | ||
| No Escape | Hawkins | ||
| The Cowboy Way | Officer Sam 'Mad Dog' Shaw | ||
| Airheads | Sergeant O'Malley | ||
| Speechless | Dan Ventura | ||
| 1995 | The Basketball Diaries | Reggie | |
| Congo | Captain Monroe Kelly | ||
| 1996 | The Substitute | Principal Claude Rolle | |
| Tornado! | Dr. Joe Branson | Television film | |
| For Which He Stands | DEA Agent Baxter | ||
| Just Your Luck | Willie | Video | |
| The Cherokee Kid | Nat Love/Deadwood Dick | Television film | |
| 1997 | Operation Delta Force | Tipton | Television film |
| Levitation | 'Downbeat' | ||
| Clover | Gaten Hill | Television film | |
| Fakin' da Funk | Joe Lee | ||
| Mr. Magoo | CIA Agent Gus Anders | ||
| A Stranger in the Kingdom | Reverend Walter Andrews | ||
| 1998 | Butter | Curtis '8 Ball' Harris | |
| Best of the Best 4: Without Warning | Detective Gresko | Video | |
| Hijack | Senator Douglas Wilson | ||
| October 22 | Arthur | ||
| 1999 | Michael Jordan: An American Hero | James R. Jordan Sr. | Television film |
| Shark Attack | Lawrence Rhodes | Television film | |
| Interceptor | Major McKenzie | ||
| Stealth Fighter | President Westwood | ||
| Paper Bullets | Detective Ron Mills | ||
| Miracle on the 17th Green | Earl Fielder | Television film | |
| Lillie | Larry Miller | ||
| 2000 | Nowhere to Land | Danny Gorlin | Television film |
| Everything's Jake | Jake | ||
| Red Letters | Detective Glen Teal | ||
| The Watcher | FBI Special Agent Mike Ibby | ||
| Miss Congeniality | FBI Assistant Director Harry McDonald | ||
| 2001 | Walking Shadow | 'Hawk' | Television film |
| A Town Without Christmas | Ted | Television film | |
| 2003 | Anne B. Real | Principal Davis | |
| 2004 | Clifford's Really Big Movie | P.T. (voice) | |
| 2005 | Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School | Blake Rische | |
| Lackawanna Blues | Dick Barrymore | Television film | |
| Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | FBI Assistant Director Harry McDonald | ||
| Bathsheba | Nathan | Short | |
| Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story | Perry Beasley | Television film | |
| Halfway Decent | Tom | ||
| 2006 | The Ron Clark Story | Principal Turner | Television film |
| Hood of Horror | Roscoe | ||
| 2007 | Certifiably Jonathan | Museum Guard | |
| Nobel Son | Sergeant Bill Canega | ||
| All Hat | Jackson Jones | ||
| Final Approach | Agent Lorenzo Dawson | Television film | |
| 2008 | Pie'n Burger | Cedric | Short |
| Lonely Street | Captain Morgan | ||
| 2009 | Balancing the Books | Detective Carter | |
| Dragonball Evolution | Sifu Norris | ||
| Pastor Brown | Deacon Harold Todd | ||
| 2010 | Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball | FBI Special Agent Anthony Vejar | Video |
| Machete Joe | Sheriff Taylor | ||
| Stasis | Stranger | Short | |
| Game of Death | Catholic Priest | ||
| 2011 | Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 | Pedro (voice) | Video |
| Sugarwheels | Prof. Zaccharine Ragus PhD | Short | |
| Deep Blue Breath | Lord Vater (voice) | Short | |
| 2012 | Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy | Ivan Stumpwater | |
| Dinner Date | Man | Short | |
| Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta! | Pedro (voice) | Video | |
| Deer Crossing | Captain Bailey | ||
| Dark Canyon | Cyrus Parker | ||
| Turning Point | Joe Johnson | ||
| 2013 | Battledogs | Max Stevens | Television film |
| Call Me Crazy: A Five Film | Percy | Television film | |
| Doonby | Leroy | ||
| Dear Secret Santa | Pastor Avery | Television film | |
| Reckless | Frank Wolfe | Television film | |
| Adonis | Chick Magnet CEO | Short | |
| 2014 | Touched | Dr. Beck | Television film |
| The Grim Sleeper | Detective Claymar | ||
| You're Not You | John | ||
| Merry Ex-Mas | Pastor Ed | ||
| The Last Song | Guest | Short | |
| 2015 | To Hell and Back | Joe | Television film |
| Gallows Road | Bob Collins | ||
| Delores & Jermaine | - | Television film | |
| 2016 | The Man in the Silo | Marcus Wells | |
| Batman: Bad Blood | Lucius Fox (voice) | Video | |
| God's Not Dead 2 | Judge Stennis | ||
| Ghostbusters | Uncle Bill Jenkins | ||
| Spaceman | Joe | ||
| Infinity Train | Atticus (voice) | Short | |
| Heaven Sent | Donatello | Television film | |
| 2017 | High & Outside: A Baseball Noir | Sanzone | |
| 2018 | Nappily Ever After | Richard Jones | |
| 2020 | I Love You... Forever | George Henry | Short |
| 2021 | Redemption Day | Ed Paxton | |
| Ghostbusters: Afterlife | Winston Zeddemore | ||
| Beebo Saves Christmas | Santa Claus (voice) | ||
| 2022 | Prisoner's Daughter | Hank | |
| 2023 | Champions | Coach Phil Peretti | |
| The Retirement Plan | Joseph | ||
| 2024 | Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire | Winston Zeddemore | |
| TBA | Oswald: Down the Rabbit Hole | Oswald the Lucky Rabbit |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Man from Atlantis | Minion | Episode: "The Disappearances" |
| 1978 | King | Jack Corbin | Main Cast |
| Fantasy Island | Jamu | Episode: "Family Reunion/VooDoo" | |
| Winners | Ted | Episode: "Journey Together" | |
| Baa Baa Black Sheep | George 'King George' | Episode: "A Little Bit of England" | |
| 1979 | The Incredible Hulk | Lee | Episode: "Like a Brother" |
| Roots: The Next Generations | Muslim at Door | Episode: "Part VII (1960-1967)" | |
| The White Shadow | Johnson | Episode: "Little Orphan Abner" | |
| Detective School | Bombacaa | Episode: "Nick Is Smitten" | |
| One Day at a Time | Desk Sergeant | Episode: "A Little Larceny" | |
| Highcliffe Manor | Smythe | Main Cast | |
| 1980 | Skag | - | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Too Close for Comfort | Sam Morton | Episode: "The Bag Lady" | |
| 1981 | Diff'rent Strokes | Kwame | Episode: "Almost American" |
| Little House on the Prairie | William Thomas | Episode: "Chicago" | |
| Bosom Buddies | Rochelle | Episode: "One for You, One for Me" | |
| Taxi | Terry Carver | Episode: "Of Mice and Tony" | |
| 1982 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Avery | Episode: "Dear Diary" |
| Flamingo Road | Chandler | Recurring cast: Season 2 | |
| The New Odd Couple | Moses Brown | Episode: "That Was No Lady" | |
| 1983 | Webster | Rudy | Episode: "Happy Un-Birthday" |
| The A-Team | Cal Freeman | Episode: "The Taxicab Wars" | |
| 1984 | St. Elsewhere | Jerry Close | Recurring cast: Season 3 |
| 1985 | The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians | Victor Stone/Cyborg (voice) | Main Cast: Season 9 |
| 1986 | The Last Precinct | Sergeant 'Night Train' Lane | Main Cast |
| It's a Living | Dougie | Episode: "The Bar" | |
| Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Digger Love | Episode: "Harlem Nocturne" | |
| 1987 | Gimme a Break! | Prince | Episode: "Someday My Prince..." |
| Full House | Reggie 'The Sandman' Martin | Episode: "Knock Yourself Out" | |
| Pound Puppies | Additional Voices | Recurring cast: Season 2 | |
| 1989 | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | Himself | Episode: "Slime Busters" |
| 1990 | An Evening at the Improv | Himself/Host | Episode: "Episode #5.4" |
| Cop Rock | Commander Warren Osborne | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1990–91 | Broken Badges | Toby Baker | Main Cast |
| 1992 | Angel Street | Thurman Nickens | Episode: "Pilot - Part 1 & 2" |
| The Ben Stiller Show | Tennis Captain | Episode: "With Bobcat Goldthwait" | |
| Batman: The Animated Series | Security Guard (voice) | Episode: "Joker's Wild" | |
| 1993 | TriBeCa | Howard | Episode: "Heros Exoletus" |
| Wild Palms | Tommy Lazlo | Main Cast | |
| Tales from the Crypt | Zambini | Episode: "Food for Thought" | |
| 1994 | Lifestories: Families in Crisis | Coach Seldon | Episode: "A Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story" |
| 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | Professor Felix (voice) | Episode: "Action Figures" |
| 1997–2003 | Oz | Warden Leo Glynn | Main Cast |
| 1998 | The Gregory Hines Show | Jack | Episode: "Carpe Diem" |
| Arli$$ | Warden Leo Glynn | Episode: "Fans First" | |
| 2000 | Intimate Portrait | Himself | Episode: "Robin Givens" |
| 2001 | Touched by an Angel | Norm McCloud | Episode: "The Perfect Game" |
| 2003 | Without a Trace | Manny Aybar | Episode: "Kam Li" |
| 2003–04 | 10-8: Officers on Duty | Senior Deputy John Henry Barnes | Main Cast |
| 2004 | Everwood | Bill Hoover | Episode: "The Birds and the Batteries" |
| 2006 | Celebrity Paranormal Project | Himself | Episode: "Wooden Lucy" |
| Crossing Jordan | Colonel Wirth | Episode: "Code of Ethics" | |
| Stargate SG-1 | Commander Goran Pernaux | Episode: "Ethon" | |
| ER | Colonel James Gallant | Recurring cast: Season 12 | |
| 2006–07 | Desperate Housewives | Detective Ridley | Recurring cast: Season 3 |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Moses Jones | Episode: "8:03 AM" |
| Las Vegas | Bob Casey | 2 episodes | |
| Psych | William Guster | Episode: "Gus's Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" | |
| 2007-08 | Bones | David Barron | Guest Cast: Season 2-3 |
| 2008 | Private Practice | Captain Frank | Episode: "Nothing to Talk About" |
| 2008–13 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Dr. Ken Fields | Recurring cast |
| 2009 | Whatever Happened To? | Himself | Episode: "Masters of the Unknown" |
| Celebrity Ghost Stories | Himself | Episode: "Anson Williams/Ali Landry/Gina Gershon/Kelly Carlson/Ernie Hudson" | |
| Meteor | General Brasser | Main Cast | |
| Heroes | Captain Lubbock | Recurring cast: Season 4 | |
| 2009–10 | Law & Order | Frank Gibson | Recurring cast: Season 20 |
| 2010 | Childrens Hospital | Hubert McGraw | Episode: "Joke Overload" |
| Criminal Minds | Lieutenant Al Garner | Episode: "Devil's Night" | |
| 2010–13 | Transformers: Prime | Special Agent Bill Fowler (voice) | Recurring cast |
| 2011 | White Collar | Mr. Jeffries | Episode: "Dentist of Detroit" |
| Torchwood | Stewart Owens | Episode: "Miracle Day: The Middle Men" | |
| Grey's Anatomy | Brad McDougall | Episode: "Put Me In, Coach" | |
| How I Met Your Mother | Himself | Episode: "The Rebound Girl" | |
| 2011–14 | Rizzoli & Isles | Admiral Frost | Guest Cast: Season 2 & 5 |
| 2012 | Unsung | Himself | Episode: "Ray Parker Jr." |
| Hart of Dixie | Ernie Hayes | Episode: "Snowflakes & Soulmates" | |
| Nosferajew | CDC Director | Episode: "Community Blech" | |
| 2012–14 | Franklin & Bash | Honorable Lawrence Perry | Recurring cast: Season 2 & 4 |
| 2012–16 | Modern Family | Miles | Guest Cast: Season 3-4 & 7-8 |
| 2013 | Guys with Kids | The Judge | Episode: "Marny's Dad" |
| Last Resort | Conrad Buell | Recurring cast | |
| Dan Vs. | Counselor | Episode: "Summer Camp" | |
| Let's Stay Together | Anthony | Episode: "Troy Story" | |
| Scandal | Commander Randolph Boles | Episode: "Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington" | |
| Ironside | Bludso | Episode: "Uptown Murders" | |
| Dads | Detective Swan | Episode: "Comic Book Issues" | |
| Mob City | Bunny | Recurring cast | |
| 2014 | Comic Book Men | Himself | Episode: "Stashbusters" |
| The Millers | Walter | Episode: "Dear Diary" | |
| The Haunted Hathaways | Duke Preston | Episode: "Haunted Visitor" | |
| The Lottery | - | Episode: "Sleep Deprived" | |
| Scorpion | Brooks | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Key & Peele | Dad | Episode: "Terrorist Meeting" | |
| Hot in Cleveland | Himself | Episode: "Cold in Cleveland: The Christmas Episode" | |
| 2015 | Once Upon a Time | King Poseidon | Episode: "Poor Unfortunate Soul" |
| 2015–20 | Grace and Frankie | Jacob | Recurring cast: Season 1-4 & 6 |
| 2016 | Celebrity Family Feud | Himself | Episode: "Kellie Pickler vs. Lance Bass/Ernie Hudson vs. NeNe Leakes" |
| Unsung Hollywood | Himself | Episode: "Rudy Ray Moore" | |
| Robot Chicken | Various Roles (voice) | Episode: "Blackout Window Heatstroke" | |
| Graves | Jacob Mann | Recurring cast: Season 1 | |
| 2017 | APB | Sergeant Ned Conrad | Main Cast |
| Angie Tribeca | Pete Tribeca | Episode: "Germs on Endearment" | |
| Twin Peaks | Colonel Davis | Episode: "Part 5 & 7" | |
| Survivor's Remorse | Ansell Jones | Episode: "Reparations" | |
| Spider-Man | Robbie Robertson (voice) | Episode: "Screwball Live" | |
| 2018 | Lethal Weapon | Agent Peterson | Episode: "Funny Money" |
| Blue Bloods | Principal Darryl Ward | Episode: "School of Hard Knocks" | |
| Ballers | Mr. Hagerty | Episode: "This Is Not Our World" | |
| 2018–24 | The Family Business | L.C. Duncan | Main Cast |
| 2019 | Hot Streets | John Wayne 'Jet Wayne' Junior (voice) | Main Cast: Season 2 |
| Arrow | General Roy Stewart | Episode: "Spartan" | |
| Infinity Train | Atticus (voice) | Main cast (season 1) | |
| 2019–20 | Puppy Dog Pals | Buddy (voice) | Guest: Season 2, recurring cast: Season 2 |
| L.A.'s Finest | Joseph Vaughn | Main cast | |
| 2020 | Reunited Apart | Himself | Episode: "Who You Gonna Call?" |
| The Irate Gamer | Himself | Episode: "Ghostbusters" | |
| Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Prince Humperdinck | Episode: "Chapter Eight: Ultimate Suffering" | |
| 2021 | MacGyver | Milton Bozer | Episode: "H2O + Orthophosphates + Mission City + Corrosion + Origins" |
| 2022 | City on a Hill | Franklin Ward | Recurring cast: Season 3 |
| 2022–24 | Quantum Leap | Herbert "Magic" Williams | Main cast |
| 2023 | Star Wars: The Bad Batch | Grini Millegi (voice) | Episode: "Faster" |
| 2024 | Firebuds | Chase Thundershock (voice) | Episode: "Full-Time Flash/Bubba Trouble" |
Documentary
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Ghostbusters: The Video Game | Winston Zeddemore | |
| 2015 | Lego Dimensions | Winston Zeddemore | |
| 2016 | Ghostbusters Pinball | Winston Zeddemore | |
| 2019 | NBA 2K20 | Israel Bacon | |
| Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered | Winston Zeddemore | ||
| 2022 | Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed | Winston Zeddemore |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series | Quantum Leap | Nominated | |
| 4th Astra TV Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series | Pending |
