Seth Gilliam

3.1. Television

Gilliam has had a prolific career in television, with numerous recurring and guest roles. His early television appearances include a recurring role during the seventh season of The Cosby Show (1990-1991) as Aaron Dexter, the boyfriend of Erika Alexander's character. He also appeared in two episodes of Law & Order (1992, 2010), first as Babatunde Amoda and later as Michael's Attorney.

A significant early role was Clayton Hughes in the HBO prison drama Oz, where he appeared in 17 episodes across seasons three and four (1999-2001). His most prominent role to date is that of Ellis Carver in the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire, where he was a recurring cast member in seasons one and two before becoming a main cast member from seasons three to five, appearing in 51 episodes (2002-2008).

He also had a recurring role as A.D.A. Terence Wright in Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) and Detective Daniels in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2007-2008). From 2011 to 2017, Gilliam played Dr. Alan Deaton, a recurring character, in 47 episodes of the supernatural drama Teen Wolf.

In May 2014, Gilliam was cast as Father Gabriel Stokes in the fifth season of AMC's The Walking Dead. He became a main cast member from seasons eight to eleven, appearing in 73 episodes through 2022. He later reprised the role in the spin-off series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live in 2024. Gilliam is notably the third actor from The Wire to join The Walking Dead, following Chad Coleman and Lawrence Gilliard Jr..

His other guest appearances include roles in The Bronx is Burning (2007), Damages (2009), CSI: Miami (2009) as Aaron Nolan, Mercy (2009), Nurse Jackie (2010) as Dr. Lindsey, Skins (2011) as Ken, Svetlana (2011), The Good Wife (2011, 2015) as Jacob Rickter, Person of Interest (2012) as Detective Des Franklin, Homeland (2012) as Chapman, Criminal Minds (2013) as Lyle Johnson, Elementary (2016) as Dr. Ira Wallace, The Code (2019) as Lt. Col. Metchaf, City on a Hill (2019) as Rev. Jasper Fields, Bull (2020) as Dr. Poulson, and The Blacklist (2023) as Lawrence Whitaker.

3.2. Film

Gilliam's film career began in the early 1990s. He appeared in the television film In the Eyes of a Stranger (1992) and the short film Aibobo (1992). He played Jeremy Breaker in Joey Breaker (1993) and an ER Doctor in Mr. Wonderful (1993). In 1994, he starred as Cadet Johnson C. Whittaker in the television film Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker and appeared in the short films The Hardest Part and Heading Home.

He continued to secure roles in notable films such as Jefferson in Paris (1995) as James Hemings, and Sergeant Steven Altameyer in the 1996 film Courage Under Fire. In 1997, he played Sergeant Sugar Watkins in the action film Starship Troopers and Tyrone in Tar.

His filmography also includes Punks (2000) as Marcus, Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002) as Vincent, The Great New Wonderful (2005) as Clayton, and Sympathetic Details (2008) as Raymond. In 2009, he appeared in The People v. Leo Frank as Jim Conley and as U.S. Marshal Lasky in Did You Hear About the Morgans?. He also acted in the short films Betrayed (2010) and Stake Out: Atlantic Salmon (2011), and the film The Skinny (2012).

Gilliam starred in the award-winning film Still Alice (2014) as Frederic Johnson. More recently, he appeared as Officer Grady in Police State (2017), Officer Payne in Change in the Air (2018), and Jeff in Silver Lake (2018). In 2023, he reprised his role as Dr. Alan Deaton in Teen Wolf: The Movie.

3.3. Theater

Gilliam has an extensive background in stage acting, which he has stated he prefers over film and television work due to the "instant communication with the audience." He believes that on stage, an actor can immediately gauge their connection with the audience and whether they understand the performance.

His stage roles include playing Prince Edward in a 1993 production of Richard III. He took on the title role in Othello twice, first in 2010 with Boston's Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, and again in 2011 at the Houston Shakespeare Festival. The latter production was directed by his wife, Leah C. Gardiner. The couple collaborated again in 2013 at the Houston Shakespeare Festival for Antony and Cleopatra, with Gilliam portraying Antony and Gardiner directing. In 2011, he played Edmund in King Lear at The Public Theater. His stage credits also include The Last Bar at the End of the World (2018), an Off-Broadway production in New York City.

3.4. Career-related statements

In 2008, Seth Gilliam publicly criticized the Emmy Awards for consistently overlooking The Wire despite its widespread critical acclaim. He expressed frustration that the show, which was highly praised by critics and had a dedicated fanbase, received minimal recognition from the Emmys for its acting, writing, and overall production quality.

5.1. Film

5.2. Television