30.07.1961, Augusta, Georgia, USA
Laurence Fishburne (nadimak Fish)

Djetinjstvo je proveo u Brooklynu, roditelji su mu se razveli dok je bio mali, a majka, s kojom je živio, poticala ga je na bavljenje glumom. Bio je izuzetno osjetljivo dijete, obdareno glumačkim talentom. Prvu profesionalnu ulogu odigrao je s deset godina, a s dvanaest je imao filmski debut glavnom ulogom u 'Cornbread, Earl and Me' (1975).

Prijelomna točka u karijeri dogodila se kada je lagao o svojim godinama i dobio ulogu u 'Apocalypse Now" (1979) Francisa Forda Coppole koja ga je katapultirala u javnost i omogućila uloge u također Copplinom 'Rumble Fish' (1983), 'The Cotton Club' (1984) i 'Gardens of Stone' (1987) te suradnju sa Stevenom Spielbergom u 'The Color Purple' (1986) i sa Spike Leejem u 'School Daze' (1988).

Devedesetih godina počeo je igrati manje stereotipne uloge karakteristične za crnce, tako je glumio psihotičnog ubojicu u Abel Ferrarinom 'King of New York' (1990) i uličnog šahista u 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' (1993). Nakon uloge Ike Turnera (nominiran za Oscara) u biografskom filmu o pjevačici Tini Turner, 'What's Love Got to Do with It' (1995) postao je zapaženijim i uslijedile su uloge u John Singletonovom 'Higher Learning' (1995), Damian Harrisovom 'Bad Company' (1995), Glimcherovom 'Just Cause' (1995), Oliver Parkerovom 'Othello' (1995), 'Event Horizont' (1997) i 'Hoodlum' (1997) i 'Always Outnumbered' (1998) koje je i producirao.

Nakon 1999. i uloge Morpheusa u senzacionalnom znanstveno-fantastičnom blockbusteru braće Wachowski, 'The Matrix', okušao se i kao redatelj adaptirajući predstavu 'Riff Raff' iz 1994. u kojoj je i sam glumio, ali pod imenom 'Once in the Life' (2000). 2003. ponovo ga gledamo u ulozi Morpheusa u nastavku 'The Matrix Reloaded', snimljen je i 'The Matrix Revolutions'.

Usporedno s filmskim radom, Fishburne je radio i u kazalištu. Za ulogu u brodvejskoj produkciji August Wilsonove 'Two Trains Running' dobio je prestižnu kazališnu nagradu Tony. 1985 oženio se Hajnom O. Moss s kojom ima dvoje djece, no devedesetih su se rastavili i od 2002. je oženjen glumicom Ginom Torres.

Filmovi:
Actor
2006 Bobby
2006 Mission: Impossible III
2006 Akeelah and the Bee
2005 Assault on Precinct 13
2004 Biography: Keanu Reeves
2003 Dorothy Dandridge: An American Beauty
2003 Biker Boyz
2003 The Matrix Revolutions
2003 Mystic River
2003 The Matrix Reloaded
2003 The Blues: The Soul of a Man
2001 Apocalypse Now Redux
2001 Osmosis Jones
2000 Christianity: The Second Thousand Years [TV Documentary Series]
2000 Michael Jordan to the Max
2000 Once In The Life
1999 The Matrix
1998 Welcome to Hollywood
1998 Always Outnumbered
1997 Miss Evers' Boys
1997 Hoodlum
1997 Event Horizon
1996 Fled
1995 The Tuskegee Airmen
1995 Othello
1995 Just Cause
1995 Bad Company
1995 Waterworld
1995 Higher Learning
1993 What's Love Got to Do with it?
1993 Wild West
1993 Searching for Bobby Fischer
1992 Deep Cover
1991 Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
1991 Class Action
1991 Boyz 'N the Hood
1990 Cadence
1990 King of New York
1990 Decoration Day
1989 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Tons O' Fun
1989 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Pajama Party
1989 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: I Remember Curtis
1989 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Pee-Wee's Store
1989 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Open House
1989 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Let's Play Office
1988 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Playhouse Day
1988 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Season 03
1988 Red Heat
1988 School Daze
1988 Cherry 2000
1987 The Father Clements Story
1987 A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
1987 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Luau for Two
1987 Gardens of Stone
1987 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Playhouse in Outer Space
1987 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Season 02
1987 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Ice Cream Soup
1986 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Season 01
1986 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Party
1986 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: The Cowboy and the Countess
1986 Band of the Hand
1986 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Now You See Me, Now You Don't
1986 Quicksilver
1986 Pee-Wee's Playhouse: The Gang's All Here
1985 The Color Purple
1984 The Cotton Club
1983 For Us, The Living: The Story of Medgar Evers
1983 Rumble Fish
1982 M*A*S*H: The Tooth Shall Set You Free
1982 Death Wish 2
1980 Willie and Phil
1980 A Rumor of War
1979 Apocalypse Now
1979 Fast Break
1975 Cornbread, Earl and Me

Dobar glumac, nije los u Matrixu