COVER STORY
“Been There. Done That.”
RogeErn Gjouyeinnvge uar S Stemlliathr Acting Career By Dean M. Shapiro
When asked the correct pronunciation of his
middle name, Roger Guenveur Smith sounded it
out with a hard G as Gen-vair. “It rhymes with ‘Been
there. Done that,” he added for emphasis.
That phrase, “Been there. Done that” could
very well describe Roger’s life and career for the
past 30-plus years. On the screen and on the live
stage there isn’t much he hasn’t done. As one of
Hollywood’s preeminent supporting actors with
101 screen credits at last count, he has appeared
in films, TV movies, videos and solo performances
- plus countless stage productions.
During his stellar career, Roger has worked with
some of the top-name directors in the film industry,
including John Singleton, Abel Ferrara, Steven
Soderbergh, Kasi Lemmons, Ridley Scott and Spike
Lee, for whom he has performed a record nine times.
“I’ve worked with Spike more than any other actor
and I’ve done a wide variety of roles with him over
the course of 30 years,” said Roger who was featured
in two of Lee’s earliest films from the late 1980s,
“School Daze” and “Do the Right Thing.” “We have
tremendous respect for each other individually and
collaboratively. I think that he’s more prolific than
any other American filmmaker.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROGER GUENVEUR SMITH
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