Ernie Hudson
Biography
Earnest Lee Hudson (born December 17, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters franchise. Hudson has also acted in the films Leviathan (1989), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Crow (1994), Airheads (1994), The Basketball Diaries (1995), Congo (1995), Miss Congeniality (2000), and The Ron Clark Story (2006). His most prominent role on television was Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's Oz (1997–2003). Hudson has also appeared in the television shows St. Elsewhere (1984), The Last Precinct (1986), 10-8: Officers on Duty (2003–2004), Desperate Housewives (2006–2007), The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), Law & Order (2009–2010), the voice of Agent Bill Fowler in Transformers: Prime (2010–2013), Franklin & Bash (2012–2014), Grace and Frankie (2015–2020), and L.A.'s Finest (2019–2020). From 2022 to 2024, Hudson appeared as Herbert "Magic" Williams on the NBC drama Quantum Leap.
Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
Grey's Anatomy
2005
Law & Order
1990
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
Criminal Minds
2005
Bones
2005
Modern Family
2009
The View
1997
Desperate Housewives
2004
Toy Story 5
2026
Blue Bloods
2010
Filmography
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self · 2014
Grey's Anatomy
as Brad McDougall · 2005
Law & Order
as Frank Gibson · 1990
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self · 2019
Criminal Minds
as Lt. Al Garner · 2005
Bones
as David Barron · 2005
Modern Family
as Miles · 2009
The View
as Self · 1997
Desperate Housewives
as Detective Ridley · 2004
Toy Story 5
as Combat Carl (voice) · 2026
Blue Bloods
as Darryl Ward · 2010
The Jennifer Hudson Show
as Self · 2022
Arrow
as Roy Stewart · 2012
Stargate SG-1
as Pernaux · 1997
Twin Peaks
as Colonel Davis · 1990
How I Met Your Mother
as Ernie Hudson · 2005
Sherri
as Self - Guest · 2022
ER
as James Gallant · 1994
Heroes
as Captain Lubbock · 2006
Scandal
as Commander Randolph Boles · 2012
Psych
as William Guster · 2006
Rizzoli & Isles
as Admiral Frost · 2010
Once Upon a Time
as King Poseidon · 2011
Without a Trace
as Manny Aybar · 2002
Crossing Jordan
as Colonel Wirth · 2001
Las Vegas
as Bob Casey · 2003
Scorpion
as Brooks · 2014
Touched by an Angel
as Norm McCloud · 1994
Robot Chicken
as Detective Ernie / Judge Hudson Jr. / Justin's Dad (voice) · 2005
Cold Case
as Moses Jones · 2003
White Collar
as Mr. Jeffries · 2009
Private Practice
as Captain Frank · 2007
Little House on the Prairie
as William Thomas · 1974
St. Elsewhere
as Jerry Close · 1982
The A-Team
as Cal Freeman · 1983
Batman: The Animated Series
as Security Guard (voice) · 1992
MacGyver
as Milton Bozer · 2016
Everwood
as Bill Hoover · 2002
Full House
as Reggie "The Sandman" Martin · 1987
Taxi
as Terry Carver · 1978
The Masked Singer
as Self - Special Guest · 2019
Lethal Weapon
as Hank Peterson · 2016
Oz
as Leo Glynn · 1997
Hot in Cleveland
as Ernie Hudson · 2010
Arli$$
as Warden Leo Glynn · 1996
The Last Leg
as Self · 2013
Grace and Frankie
as Jacob · 2015
The Incredible Hulk
as Lee · 1977
Hart of Dixie
as Ernie Hayes · 2011
Superman: The Animated Series
as Professor Felix (voice) · 1996
Childrens Hospital
as Hubert McGraw · 2008
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
as Dr. Ken Fields · 2008
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
as Grini Millegi (voice) · 2021
Tales from the Crypt
as Zambini · 1989
Franklin & Bash
as Judge Lawrence Perry · 2011
Fantasy Island
as Jamu · 1978
Steve
as Self · 2017
Torchwood
as Stuart Owens · 2006
Celebrity Ghost Stories
as Self · 2009
Ballers
as Mr. Hagerty · 2015
Angie Tribeca
as Pete Tribeca · 2016
Transformers: Prime
as Agent William Fowler (voice) · 2010
Key & Peele
as Dad · 2012
Super Friends
as Cyborg (voice) · 1973
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
as Ernie Hudson · 1989
Quantum Leap
as Herbert 'Magic' Williams · 2022
L.A.'s Finest
as Joseph Vaughn · 2019
Infinity Train
as Atticus (voice) · 2019
Carl Weber's The Family Business
as L.C. Duncan · 2018
City on a Hill
as Franklin Ward · 2019
Boston Blue
as Rev. Edwin Peters · 2025
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
as Winston Zeddemore · 2021
The Millers
as Walter · 2013
Graves
as Jacob Mann · 2016
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
as Winston Zeddemore · 2024
Ghostbusters
as Winston Zeddemore · 1984
10-8: Officers on Duty
as Senior Deputy John Henry Barnes · 2003
Ghostbusters II
as Winston Zeddemore · 1989
Comic Book Men
as Self · 2012
The Movies That Made Us
as Winston Zeddemore (archive footage) · 2019
The White Shadow
as Johnson · 1978
Miss Congeniality
as McDonald · 2000
Webster
· 1983
Roots: The Next Generations
as Muslim at Door · 1979
Ghostbusters
as Uncle Bill · 2016
Bosom Buddies
· 1980
The Ben Stiller Show
· 1992
Home Movie: The Princess Bride
as Prince Humperdinck · 2020
The Crow
as Albrecht · 1994
The Retirement Plan
as Joseph · 2023
Reunited Apart
as Self · 2020
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
as Solomon · 1992
Angry Birds Mystery Island
as Marlon (voice) · 2024
John Candy: I Like Me
as Self - Actor (archive footage) · 2025
Ironside
as Bludso · 2013
Flamingo Road
· 1981
Dragonball Evolution
as Sifu Norris · 2009
Cop Rock
as Cmdr. Warren Osborne · 1990
Guys with Kids
as The Judge · 2012
Batman: Bad Blood
as Lucius Fox (voice) · 2016
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
as Harry McDonald · 2005
APB
as Ned Conrad · 2017
Meteor
as Gen. Brasser · 2009
The Ron Clark Story
as Principal Turner · 2006
You're Not You
as John · 2014
The Substitute
as Claude Rolle · 1996
The New Odd Couple
as Moses Brown · 1982
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta!
as Pedro (voice) · 2012
Wild Palms
as Tommy Lazlo · 1993
The Basketball Diaries
as Reggie · 1995
Congo
as Captain Monroe Kelly · 1995
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
as Cyborg (voice) · 1985
Angel Street
as Thurman Nickens · 1992
The Watcher
as FBI Special Agent in Charge Mike Ibby · 2000
Champions
as Coach Phil Peretti · 2023
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2
as Pedro · 2011
Leviathan
as Justin Jones · 1989
God's Not Dead 2
as Judge Stennis · 2016
Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball
as Anthony Vejar · 2010
The Cowboy Way
as Officer Sam 'Mad Dog' Shaw · 1994
Detective School
· 1979
Clifford's Really Big Movie
as P.T. (voice) · 2004
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
as Percy · 2013
The Insiders
as Brewster · 1985
No Escape
as Hawkins · 1994
Redemption Day
as Ed Paxton · 2021
The Last Precinct
as Sergeant Lane · 1986
Airheads
as Sergeant O'Malley · 1994
Best of the Best 4: Without Warning
as Detective Gresko · 1998
Game of Death
as Clarence · 2010
The Cherokee Kid
as Nat Love aka Deadwood Dick · 1996
Broken Badges
as Toby Baker · 1990
The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission
as Joe Hamilton · 1988
Speechless
as Ventura · 1994
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
as Washington · 1983
Two of a Kind
as Det. Skaggs · 1983
Mr. Magoo
as Agent CIA Gus Anders · 1997
Diff'rent Strokes
· 1978
Collision Course
as Shortcut · 1989
Nappily Ever After
as Richard Jones · 2018
Nobel Son
as Bill Canega · 2007
Prisoner's Daughter
as Hank · 2023
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School
as Blake Rische · 2006
Going Berserk
as Muhammed Jerome Willy · 1983
Confessions of an Action Star
as Self / Commander · 2005
Beautiful People
as Jack
Sugar Hill
as Lolly Jonas · 1994
Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror
as Roscoe · 2006
Joy of Sex
as Mr. Porter · 1984
Butter
as Curtis '8-Ball' Harris · 1998
Highcliffe Manor
as Smythe · 1979
FEEL
as Sitter 10 · 2025
Operation Delta Force
as Major Tipton · 1997
The Jazz Singer
as Heckler · 1980
Lackawanna Blues
as Dick Barrymore · 2005
Hal
Spaceman
as Joe · 2016
Showing Up
as Self · 2014
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters
as Self · 2020
Weeds
as Bagdad · 1987
Deer Crossing
as Captain Bailey · 2012
The Octagon
as Quinine · 1980
Final Approach
as Agent Lorenzo Dawson · 2008
Ghostheads
as Self · 2016
The Main Event
as Killer · 1979
Women of San Quentin
as Charles Wilson · 1983
The Adventures of Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy
as Ivan Stumpwater · 2012
Shark Attack
as Lawrence Rhodes · 1999
Leadbelly
as Archie · 1976
Man from Atlantis IV: The Disappearances
as Minion · 1977
Machete Joe
as Sheriff Taylor · 2010
Love on the Run
as Lamar · 1985
Just Your Luck
as Willie · 1996
Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story
as Perry Beasley · 2005
Ambush at Dark Canyon
as Cyrus Parker · 2012
Famous
Returning to the Firehouse: Making Frozen Empire
as Self · 2024
Stealth Fighter
as President Westwood · 1999
Underground Entertainment: The Movie
as Ernie · 2011
Turning Point
as Joe Johnson · 2013
Fakin' Da Funk
as Joe Lee · 1997
All Hat
as Jackson Jones · 2007
The Man in the Silo
as Marcus Wells · 2016
Pastor Brown
as Deacon Harold Todd · 2009
Red Letters
as Detective Glen Teal · 2000
A Matter of Life and Death
as Mr. Harrison · 1981
A Town Without Christmas
as Ted · 2001
Tornado!
as Dr. Joe Branson · 1996
Fatal Secrets
as Detective Carter · 2009
The Human Tornado
as Bo · 1976
High & Outside: A Baseball Noir
as Sanzone · 2018
Nowhere to Land
as Danny Gorlin · 2000
Penitentiary II
as Half Dead · 1982
The $5.20 an Hour Dream
as Homer Burden · 1980
Skag
· 1980
Miracle on the 17th Green
· 1999
Heaven Sent
as Donatello · 2016
California Girls
as Ernie · 1985
The Grim Sleeper
as Detective Gerry Claymar · 2014
A Stranger in the Kingdom
as Rev. Walter Andrews · 1999
Michael Jordan: An American Hero
· 1999
In Search of Tomorrow
as Self - Interviewee · 2022
October 22
as Arthur · 1998
Last of the Good Guys
as El Coliph · 1978
Touched
as Dr. Beck · 2014
The Wrong Guys
as Dawson · 1988
For Which He Stands
as DEA Agent Baxter · 1996
Hijack
as Senator Douglas Wilson · 1999
Darrin's Dance Grooves: The Untold Darrin Henson Story
as Self (voiceover) · 2023
On the Scene with the Ghostbusters
· 1984
The Last Song
as Guest · 2014
Summoning the Spirit: Making Ghostbusters: Afterlife
as Self · 2022
Infinity Train
as Atticus (voice) · 2016
Dear Secret Santa
as Pastor Avery · 2013
Interceptors
as Major · 1999
To Hell and Back
as Joe · 2014
Crazy Times
as Harold 'Jazzman' Malloy · 1981
Sisters in Italy
Gallows Road
as Bob Collins · 2015
Underground Aces
as African General · 1981
Horror Icon: Inside Michael's Mask with Tony Moran
as Self · 2015
Adventure Force 5
as Dr. Lawrence Abel · 2019
Deep Blue Breath
as Lord Vater (voice) · 2011
Mr. Beebee
as Wayne Proctor
White Mama
as Counsellor · 1980
Joni
as Earl · 1979
Beebo Saves Christmas
as Santa Claus (voice) · 2021
Merry Ex-Mas
as Pastor Ed · 2014
The Last Precinct
as Night Train · 1986
Mad Bull
as Black Bart · 1977
Trapper County War
as Jefferson Carter · 1989
Everything's Jake
as Jake · 2000
Paper Bullets
as Detective Ron Mills · 2000
Oswald: Down The Rabbit Hole
as Oswald Jebediah Coleman
Deepest, Darkest
Walking Shadow
as Hawk · 2001
Levitation
as Downbeat · 1997
Clover
as Gaten Hill · 1997
Doonby
as Leroy Jackson · 2013
Lonely Street
as Captain Morgan · 2009
Anne B. Real
as Principal · 2003
Halfway Decent
as Tom · 2005
Stasis
as Stranger · 2010
Battledogs
as Max Stevens · 2013