Celebrating Black History
Special Interview with Calvin "Cylk" Cozart - Hollywood Actor, Film Director
Calvin "Cylk" Cozart (known for his break out role in "White Men Can't Jump Movie)
With 30 films and more than 20 television shows to his credit, over 75 million viewers in the United States alone have seen Cylk Cozart's work. But, for Cozart, it is his love of children and helping others less fortunate that led him to Hollywood and what continues to underscore his reason for being in show business. Cylk Cozart's wide range of talents as an actor, producer, writer, singer, model and songwriter have made him one of Hollywood's most sought after artists. Cozart has an impressive list of film credits to his name that have garnered well over a half a billion dollars at the box office, including: Conspiracy Theory (1997) (Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts); Ron Shelton's White Men Can't Jump (1992); Three to Tango (1999) (Matthew Perry and Neve Campbell); Love Affair (1994) (Annette Bening and Warren Beatty); Eraser (1996) (Arnold Schwarzenegger); Play It to the Bone (1999) (Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson); Blue Chips (1994) (Nick Nolte and 'Shaquille O'Neal (I)'); and In the Line of Fire (1993) (Clint Eastwood).
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, to a Native American mother and an African American father, Cylk was given the fuel he needed to fulfill his lifelong dream. A natural athlete, Cozart excelled at sports in high school and was one of the best players on both the basketball and football teams. Graduating with high marks and outstanding athletic skill, he was offered numerous basketball and football scholarships to colleges across the country. He chose King College in Bristol, Tennessee, where he majored in Child Psychology. After college, Cozart pursued his goal of playing professional basketball, but a foot injury while playing in the NBA Summer Pro League ended his dream. After a successful modeling career in Miami, Cozart made his feature film debut in Warner Bros. Blue Skies Again (1983) opposite Andy Garcia. Deciding to relocate to New York to study his craft, Cozart continued modeling and appeared in numerous publications such as Vogue, GQ, and Essence. His love for theatre soon led him to be in two prominent stage plays: "Diary of a Black Man" and "The Big Knife." He also trained at the American Repertory Theatre and the Sundance Institute under the tutelage of Robert Redford.
Since then, Cozart has appeared in the movies-of-the week: Johnny Tsunami (1999) for Disney; Slam Dunk Ernest (1995) with Jim Varney and A Family Divided (1995) with Faye Dunaway, both for NBC. He also had recurring roles on NBC's Reasonable Doubts (1991) with Mark Harmon, ABC's Gabriel's Fire (1990) with James Earl Jones; and HBO's Dream On (1990). He guest starred on such shows as UPN's Sister, Sister (1994); CBS's Diagnosis Murder (1993) and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993); Fox's Ned and Stacey (1995) Roc (1991), M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994), and Living Single (1993); NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990); ABC's Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992); and Lifetime's Any Day Now (1998) with Annie Potts in which Cozart also exhibits his singing talents. His early film work included roles in School Daze (1988) directed by Spike Lee, and Fire Birds (1990) with Nicolas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones. President of his own production company, Cozart is also Co-Chairman of the newly formed production entity, P.O.V. Planet, which recently created and produced the Wave to the World (2000) All-star Celebrity Recording and Video "Spirit of Life" for the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. "Spirit of Life" has earned, to date, the prestigious Videographer and Aurora Awards, the NY Film Festival Bronze Award, and the Telly Award and so much more.....to find out more about Cylk Cozart visit his IMDb online.