Stephen McKinley Henderson (born August 31, 1949) is an American actor and director. Henderson trained at Juilliard School for acting and later became a resident member of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis from 1976 to 1981. He came to prominence as a character actor often performing the plays of August Wilson. He's received nominations for a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Vulture Magazine named Henderson as one of "The 32 Greatest Character Actors Working Today".
Henderson made his Broadway debut in Wilson's King Hedley II in 2001. He later earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Wilson's Fences in 2010. He has since starred in A Raisin in the Sun in 2014 and Between Riverside and Crazy in 2022. He made his film debut in the 1979 film A Pleasure Doing Business. He has since appeared in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), Lincoln (2012), Fences (2015), Manchester by the Sea (2016), Lady Bird (2017), Dune (2021), and Causeway (2022).
His television debut came in 1984 appearing in PBS's The Killing Floor. He's since appeared in Law & Order (1995–2010), Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (2005–2006), The Newsroom (2013), The Blacklist (2018), Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019–2020), and Devs (2020).
Early life and education
Henderson was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Ruby Naomi and Elihue Henderson. He spent a year at Lincoln University, Missouri and was originally part of Group 1 at the Juilliard School Drama Division before he left. He finished his BFA in Acting at the North Carolina School of the Arts (1972). He later studied at Purdue University where he received his Master of Arts in Theatre (1977). He also spent summer sessions at Rose Bruford College in London and William Esper Studios in New York City.
In 2020, Henderson was selected to return to his alma mater, Purdue University, to participate in the "Old Masters Program", an Old Master being a person who has made significant contributions to their field of study and to society. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Henderson's visit was virtual, where he engaged with the Purdue community through an array of interactive platforms including the Old Masters Podcast, personal host calls, virtual classroom talks, and events with student organizations in which he talked about his career and success. 2020 marked the 70th year of the Old Master's program, and was the first hybrid version, with Henderson broadcasting his appearances from his home. When asked by a Purdue Theatre student what advice he would give to current students, Henderson replied "Undergraduates should read broadly. Graduate students should read deeply."
