Yahoo Lifestyle Laurence Fishburne Sees a Photo of His Dad for First Time in Emotional “Finding Your Roots” Moment (Exclusive)
The actor uncovers his family history in the newest episode of the PBS series
Laurence Fishburne gets long-awaited answers on a pivotal new episode of Finding Your Roots.
During this week’s season 10 finale of the popular PBS series, host Henry Louis Gates Jr. shares with the actor photos of his biological father, who is different than the man he knew as his dad for most of his life.
"There he is. Is that him?" Fishburne, 63, says in amazement when seeing the photo, which showed his father wearing glasses and a black suit.
The Finding Your Roots team was able to pinpoint the identity of the star's father via DNA and genetic research.
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"Hey pop," the actor says while looking at the picture, adding how "relieved" he feels over finally having clarity on his father.
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Laurence Fishburne and Henry Louis Gates Jr. on "Finding Your Roots"Fishburne, whose onscreen legacy includes roles in Apocalypse Now and Boyz n the Hood plus playing Morpheus in The Matrix films, continued to beam at the photo while telling Gates, "It's so nice to see his face and to see him smiling. He looks like a kind man."
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Laurence Fishburne with daughter Delila FishburneBorn in Augusta, Georgia, the actor's mother, Hattie Bell Fishburne, was a junior high school mathematics and science teacher and the man he knew as his father, Laurence John Fishburne Jr., was a juvenile corrections officer.
Fishburne's parents broke up when he was a child, and he soon moved to Brooklyn, New York, with his mom.
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Laurence Fishburne with son Langston and daughter MontanaIn a 2020 interview with Vulture, the Oscar nominee shared how his love for cinema grew in part because of his father taking him to the movies. "My dad would take me to see proper movies. He wouldn’t take me to see kids’ movies. He would take me to see real movies. McQueen’s movies, John Wayne’s movies."
"Then he would take me to see Poitier’s movies, Charles Bronson’s movies," he continued. "I mean, he even took me to see Hell in the Pacific with Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune at 8."
The full episode of Finding Your Roots airs Tuesday, April 8, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.
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