Hill Harper

Frank Eugene "Hill" Harper (born May 17, 1966) is an American actor and political candidate, who is known for his roles as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes in CSI: NY, Agent Spelman Boyle in Limitless, and Dr. Marcus Andrews in The Good Doctor.

Harper was a candidate in the Democratic Primary in the 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan to fill the seat of retiring incumbent, Senator Debbie Stabenow.

Harper was born in Iowa City, Iowa, the son of two medical doctors. His parents, Harry D. Harper, a psychiatrist, and Marilyn Harper (née Hill), who was one of the first black practicing anesthesiologists in the United States and co-authored a book called Wearing Purple. Born Frank Eugene Harper, he adopted the name "Hill" as a tribute to both his maternal and paternal ancestors.

Harper graduated magna cum laude from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 1988, with a BA degree in economics and sociology. He was also valedictorian of his department. In 1992, he graduated with a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He received an MPA degree with honors from John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University. During his years at Harvard, he was a full-time member of Boston's Black Folks Theater Company, one of the oldest and most acclaimed black theater troupes in the United States.

While a student at Harvard, Harper befriended Barack Obama, with whom he played basketball. In 2012, Harper was appointed to The President's Cancer Panel, a three-member body assigned to work with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and make recommendations to the White House around cancer policy.

He subsequently moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. He has received eight honorary degrees, including honorary doctorates from both Westfield State College and Howard University.

His profile subsequently rose on both the mainstream and independent film circuits, thanks to roles in films ranging from Beloved (1998) to the independent romantic comedy Loving Jezebel (1999) to The Skulls (2000). Harper did some of his most acclaimed work in Jordan Walker-Pearlman's The Visit (2000), an independent drama in which he starred as a prisoner dying of AIDS who tries to put his life back together. He also portrayed Leshem in the 2010 Syfy original movie Stonehenge Apocalypse.

In February 2013, it was announced that CSI: NY would be ending and Harper would be joining the cast of Covert Affairs as a series regular.