#RespectYourElders: Danny Glover, 72, is an American actor, film director and humanitarian. Over the course of his career, he has acted in over 100 films and is best known for his lead role in the “Lethal Weapon” series. In 2019 alone, Glover is set to appear in four films.
Glover was born in 1946 in San Francisco, CA to two postal workers who were also active members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He grew up in the Bay Area and attended San Francisco State University in the 60s to study mathematics and economics. Glover was a member of the Black Student Union, which through student strikes, helped establish a College of Ethnic Studies at the university.
Glover did some acting in school, but began his career in community development, working as a Model Cities Program Manager for San Francisco’s Office of Community Development. During this time, he continued to study and train as an actor. In the late 70s, he resigned from his public service job and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his passion for acting.
In 1980, Glover turned heads in Hollywood with his performance in the play “Blood Knot,” a gripping story about two brothers during South Africa’s Apartheid era. He continued to establish himself through the 80s before starring alongside Mel Gibson and Joe Pesci in the “Lethal Weapon” film series.
As Glover became a famous actor, he never left behind his passion for social issues. In 1994, he co-founded the Robey Theatre Company, a nonprofit theatre that performs the stories of black people across the world. He is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Glover’s commitment to public service and exceptional acting have earned him countless awards. To name a few, he’s received several NAACP Image Awards, a BET Humanitarian Award, the Pioneer Award from the National Civil Rights Museum and several Emmy Award nominations.
“When you’ve moved past a point where you’re just scrambling for jobs, you think about the things that you want to do,” Glover said. “And the things that you want to do are governed by what you’ve seen, what you choose to embrace.”
