Omar J. Dorsey (Hollywood Desonier) Zooms in with Miss J. to discuss the final season of QUEEN SUGAR.
ABOUT OMAR DORSEY
Omar J. Dorsey is a classically-trained NAACP Award-winning actor, long beloved for his critically-acclaimed work across Oscar-nominated films and award-winning television shows. Celebrated by fans and colleagues for
consistently joining projects unafraid to confront our historic American inequities (Selma, When They See Us, Django Unchained, Harriet, The Blindside), Atlanta native Dorsey, “the pride and joy of Black America” (BET)
returns as everyone’s favorite “Queen Sugar” character, “Hollywood Desonier” in the sixth season of the hit OWN show this September 7th. This October, he also reprises his role as “Sheriff Barker” alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in the second installment of the Blumhouse-produced Halloween franchise, Halloween Kills.
Created, directed and executive produced by Ava DuVernay alongside Oprah Winfrey, “Queen Sugar” is based on the bestselling novel by Natalie Baszile and follows a story of three estranged African American siblings who inherit an 800-acre sugar cane farm in the heart of Louisiana from their recently departed father. “Queen Sugar” premiered to record-breaking ratings in September 2016, winning “Outstanding Drama Series” at the 2017 NAACP Awards, followed by a solo win for Dorsey (“Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama Series”) at the Black Reel Awards for Television the year following.
Earlier this year, Dorsey starred in the pivotal role of “James Cleveland” in the anticipated NatGeo biopic, “Aretha,” chronicling the life of the late Aretha Franklin. As the new choir director of Franklin’s church, Dorsey’s transformation was heralded as “uncanny” by reviewers, garnering early awards buzz for the portrayal.
Born in Decatur, Georgia to a reverend father and theatre director mother (both with doctorates), Dorsey was supported from an early age to pursue his love of acting. He studied acting at the University of Georgia and went on to earn his Masters at Georgia State, and trained under storied actor Afemo Omilami. In 2009, he starred alongside Sandra Bullock in Warner Bros.’ monster hit, The Blind Side which was nominated for an Oscar for “Best Motion Picture” and grossed over $309 million worldwide. In 2012, Dorsey co-starred in the Academy Award nominated western, “Django Unchained,” which grossed over $425 million worldwide, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Quentin Tarantino.
In 2014, Dorsey starred alongside Common and David Oyelowo in the Academy Award-nominated Paramount Pictures’ film, Selma, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt about the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s that changed America. Dorsey’s starred as “James E. Orange,” top aide and pastor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose 1965 jailing sparked the bloody Selma to Montgomery marches. In 2019, Dorsey’s stars as one the film’s most “striking” characters in Harriet, delivering one of his most acclaimed performances yet as slavecatcher “Bigger Long.”
On the silver screen, Dorsey starred opposite Miles Teller and Amy Schumer in the Dreamworks/Amblin Entertainment drama, Thank You for Your Service (2017), which examines how post-traumatic stress disorder affects American service men and women returning home from war. He can also be seen in the four-episode Netflix series “When They See Us” also directed by Ava DuVernay. Dorsey also appeared with Danny McBride in HBO’s Eastbound & Down (2013) as “Dontel Benjamin,” a flashy former NFL player turned loudmouth talk-show host who goes head to head with Danny McBride’s character, “Kenny Powers.”
Dorsey’s other Television credits include pivotal roles on hit shows as “Ray Donovan,” “Bones,” “Rizzoli & Isles,” “K-Ville,” “NCIS,” “CSI: NY,” “Castle,” “Aquarius” and “The Mentalist.”
Dorsey’s stage work includes the West Coast version of Barbecue, a play from Helen Hayes Award-winner Robert O’Hara and Tony-nominated director Colman Domingo. Called “an American classic,” by the New Yorker, Barbecue is a raucous comedy that skewers our warped view of the American family.
Dorsey splits his time between Los Angeles and Atlanta and is the proud father of two daughters.
Keep up with Dorsey on Instagram and Twitter.
ABOUT QUEEN SUGAR:
From award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay, the contemporary drama “Queen Sugar” returns six months after the season six finale, with the Bordelons celebrating new beginnings as they continue to leave their mark on the community and honor the legacy of their family.
“Queen Sugar” was recently nominated for a Humanitas Prizes Award, and has consistently received critical acclaim across the industry since the 2016 premiere. The series was again named Outstanding Drama Series by the NAACP Image Awards, with Emmy Magazine featuring the series on the cover and declaring it “one of the best hours on television.” The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has awarded the series with Best TV Drama for four consecutive years, along with the Impact Award and multiple Best Writing awards. Additionally, the series has been named Television Show of the Year by the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). Creator and executive producer Ava DuVernay was recently named Producer of the Year by The Hollywood Reporter, with the International Emmy Awards announcing they will honor DuVernay with the prestigious Founders Award this fall.
