Home Men Gary Dourdan :

Has a daughter, Nyla and a son, Lyric. Discovered by actress/singer/dancer Debbie Allen. His uncle plays saxophone for Sister Sledge and gave Gary a saxophone when he was around 13. Is an accomplished musician. Plays the guitar, piano, bass, drum and sax. Six years before the premiere of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000), he and Marg Helgenberger starred together in the pilot of an unsuccessful TV series called "Keys.".

When he was 6, his older brother (26) was murdered when he was on a vacation in Haiti. The case is still unsolved. In July 2005, he performed as part of DMC's Guests at the LIVE 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario Canada. Is of French, Irish, Scottish, African, Indian and Jewish descent. Was a model in the 1980's and 1990's for Boss Models in New York City.

Born in Philadelphia, PA on Dec. 11, 1966, Dourdan was raised by his creative-minded mother, a fashion designer, and father, an agent who represented jazz musicians. Dourdan was the youngest child in a family of five; a mixture of various ethnicities including, among others, African, European and Indian. As a child, he excelled in music, playing a variety of instruments including piano, guitar and saxophone – the latter of which was introduced to him through his uncle, a former sax player for local disco sensation Sister Sledge of “We are Family” fame. 

When Dourdan was six years old, the family was dealt a crushing blow when oldest brother Darryl, then 23, went to Haiti to research the family lineage and was pushed off a motel balcony to his death. The crime was never solved. Dourdan and his family moved to Willingboro, New Jersey when he was in his youth. Robert Durdin, Gary's father, is an agent for jazz musicians. Sandy Durdin, Gary's mother, is a fashion designer. Gary is the youngest of 5 children, and when he was 6, his older brother Darryl, was murdered when he was on a vacation in Haiti. The case is still unsolved. At this time his interests included acting, music and martial arts. Later Dourdan moved to New York City and worked as a doorman at a rehearsal studio where he met some of Manhattan's promising young artists.

After meeting “A Different World” (1987-1993) producer Debbie Allen in Paris, Dourdan was cast in the role of Shazza Zulu, a recurring gig he played for over two seasons. Dourdan was then plucked by pop star Janet Jackson to be the object of desire in the 1993 video for her single “Again.” From there, he landed a steady degree of work, but yearned for meatier roles. He popped up in “The Good Fight” (Lifetime, 1992), then the HBO miniseries “Laurel Avenue (1993). A year later, he segued back into primetime on the cop drama “New York Undercover” (Fox, 1994-98) and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (ABC, 1993-97).

Dourdan found good roles in features hard to come by, doing small turns in “Weekend at Bernie’s II” (1993) and Ron Howard’s “The Paper” (1994). By the mid 1990s, Dourdan landed a pilot for “The Office” (CBS, 1994-95), playing Bobby, a creative whiz who helps maintain a small company office. Despite hitting the air as a midseason replacement in 1995, “The Office” was gone from the lineup in a matter of weeks. But Dourdan had already moved on to shooting the theatrical basketball drama “Sunset Park” (1996). Switching gears, Dourdan quickly snatched up another series regular role on “Swift Justice” (UPN, 1995-96), an edgy cop drama that managed to stick around for a few months before getting the network axe.

Dourdan later decided to return to television, this time with better results. In 2000, he appeared in the ABC movie “Muhammad Ali: King of the World,” taking on the formidable role of the iconic Malcolm X. Back in features, Dourdan headlined the independent drama thriller “Trois” (2000), then appeared in Reggie Bythewood’s Hollywood drama ”Dancing in September” (2000). By April 2000, Dourdan had been recruited for the crime procedural, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” Picked up for the fall season, the series revolved around a forensics investigating unit in Las Vegas, with Dourdan playing Warrick Brown, a smart, complex and moody investigator with a shaky past as a gambler. The show quickly took off with critics and viewers, later paving the way for two successful “CSI” spin-offs.

In 2003 and 2006, he won his category as “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.” He next essayed another real-life political figure, Black Panther George Jackson, in “Black August” (2003). With little time for outside screen work beyond his day job, he made an appearance as Captain Burke in the oft-reshot sci-fi thriller “Imposter” (2002). In 2006, Dourdan co-starred opposite Halle Berry as her on-again, off-again boyfriend in the thriller “Perfect Stranger” (2007), but it was his successful stint on “CSI” that he could always comfortably return to, with a proven ratings track record. 

Dourdan got his first break when Debbie Allen cast him as Shazza Zulu on A Different World based on a tape of him in an avant-garde play. He had a recurring role on the Showtime series Soul Food until he nabbed the part of Warrick Brown on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. TV Guide voted him the Sexiest CSI actor on TV in its 2008 "Sexiest" issue. It was reported on April 14, 2008, that Dourdan is leaving the show because of alleged drug abuse.

He was also the host of a BET Spoken Word show entitled the Lyric Cafe. He recently joined DMC on stage at Live 8 at Park Place in Barrie, Ontario, and also co-sang the lyrics to the theme song of The Jeffersons at the 2005 Emmy Awards. He is currently set to play Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, on a biographical film on the latter's life. He appeared in Janet Jackson's video for her 1993 hit "Again" as her love interest. Dourdan is also a prolific alternative musician and a record producer.

He married African-American model Roshumba Williams in 1992; the couple divorced two years later. He has two children, a son, Lyric, and a daughter, Nyla (the daughter of Jennifer Sutton, whom Dourdan dated from 1995 to 2000).

In 2005 he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery after his ex-girlfriend Anne Greene accused him of rape and battery. He was sentenced to stay away from Greene and attend domestic violence counseling. In 2006 Dourdan sued Greene for $4 million alleging slander and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

On April 28, 2008, Dourdan was arrested in Palm Springs, California on suspicion of possessing heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and prescription drugs. An officer saw Dourdan's car parked on the wrong side of the street with the interior light on and someone sleeping in the driver's seat at approximately 5:12 a.m. Monday, according to Palm Springs police Sgt. Mitch Spike. Dourdan was taken to the Palm Springs jail and was released on $5000 bail.