Biography - Hill Harper

Who is Hill Harper?

Hill Harper is an actor, director, producer as well as a screenwriter.

Hill Harper – Age, Parents, Siblings

Hill Harper was born on May 17, 1966, as Francis Eugene Harper. His birthplace is Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.A., and his parents are Harry D. Harper II, a psychiatrist, and Marilyn Harper, one of the first black anesthesiologists in the United States who later joined the UCSF faculty.

Does Hill Harper have any siblings? Yes, he has an older brother named Harry Harper III. 

Education, Ethnicity

Harper attended Bella Vista High School and graduated from the same in 1984. He went on to enroll at Brown University, graduating in 1988 with a Juris Doctor Degree magna cum laude. 

For his master’s degree, he studied at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and received a degree in Master of Public Administration. During his days at Harvard University, Harper met Barack Obama on the basketball court. They became good friends.

Although he earned three Ivy League degrees and honorary doctorates from Westfield State College and Howard University, he decided to pursue a career in acting.

His ethnicity is African-American.

Hill Harper – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Hill Harper does not have a wife, is not married, and never has been. But he has had several romantic link-ups. From 2002 to 2006, he was in a relationship with his girlfriend Taraji P. Henson.

Harper then had an affair with social media star Dollicia Bryan for a couple of months in the year 2011. As of now, he is dating American musician, Chloe Flower. Although the exact date of their relationship “star up” cannot be pointed out, they have been attending numerous events together since 2012.

Also read: Chris Evans - TV presenter, Producer 

Fans are hoping that the couple will share the good news of engagement followed by marriage and biracial children. But that does not seem to be happening anytime soon.

Even though he is not married, he does have a child, In 2015, a homeless woman called him to adopt a baby. He gladly accepted and named the baby boy Pierce Hill Harper. The adoption process was finalized in May 2017. Talking about it to People magazine, he states,

“[Adopting Pierce] was the greatest decision I’ve ever made and I’ve never been happier. For years, I always wanted to be a parent. I thought, you know, you get married, you have kids.”

Also read: Rachel Dratch - Comedian, Screenwriter, Actress 

Hill Harper – Career

Early Days

Hill Harper began acting when he was a 7-year-old boy. While at Harvard University, Hill Harper was a full-time member of Boston's Black Folks Theater Company. 

He began his professional career in 1993. That year he bagged roles in Life Goes On, Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings, and Married... with Children. In the latter, he appeared in five episodes from the year 1993 to 1994. 

This was followed by minor roles in films such as Drifting School (1996) and in series such as Renegade (1994), M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994), Walker, Texas Ranger (1994), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994), The Client (1995), and Live Shot (1995).

Films, Series

With more performances in Spike Lee's Get on the Bus (1996),  Hav Plenty (1997), and He Got Game (1998), Hill Harper was able to show his versatility in acting. Soon, he had roles in mainstream movies such as Beloved (1998), Loving Jezebel (1999), The Skulls (2000), The Visit (2000), and Stonehenge Apocalypse (2010). 

Among all his acting roles, he is best known as Sheldon Hawkes in CBS’s crime drama CSI: NY. He played in the series for nine seasons from 2004 to 2013, totaling 197 episodes. 

Also read: Nancy O'Dell - TV host, Entertainment journalist 

After the series ended, Hill Harper was cast as Calder Michaels in Covert Affairs. The series ran from 2013 to 2014. Harper then portrayed the role of Spelman Boyle in the series Limitless from 2015-2016.

At present, Harper is playing the role of Dr. Marcus Andrews in The Good Doctor. Currently, he is also the host as well as narrator of the anthology reality series titled How It Really Happened.  He started working in both series in 2017.

Theatre, Books

In the field of theatre, Harper has starred in Blue (2001), ToasT (2015), and Our Lady of 121st Street (2018).

He has a published book as well titled Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope, and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones (2007). This was followed by his books namely Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny (2009), The Conversation: How (Black) Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships (2010), The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place (2011), The Wiley Boys (2011), Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope, and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones (2013).

Also read: Neal McDonough - Actor, Producer of Band of Brothers 

Hill Harper – Awards, Nominations

Harper has received several awards and nominations for his work in acting, among other writing. He was nominated for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in the years 2005, 2006, and 2007 for his role in CSI: NY. This was followed by awards in NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series in the consecutive years 2008, 2009, and 2010 for the same role.

Other nominations include the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead for The Visit (2000), NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for City of Angels (2000), Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series for The Handler (2003-2004),  

His 2013 book Letters to an Incarcerated Brother: Encouragement, Hope, and Healing for Inmates and Their Loved Ones earned a nomination for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction. 

Also read: Sami Bouajila - Actor of Earth and Blood, Drole de Felix 

Hill Harper – Cancer Survivor

While Harper was writing his 2011 book The Wealth Cure: Putting Money In Its Place, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Following treatment, he fully recovered while also reaching the effects of skin care products on human skin.

Thus, his all-natural personal care line, Be The Architect was created. The product is suitable for both men and women.

Hill Harper – Net Worth, Salary

The net worth of Harper is around $12 million while the figure on his annual salary is unknown.

Hill Harper – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Hill Harper is active on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and is followed by thousands of followers.

Also read: Valerie Harper - Actress