AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

 Laz can next be seen starring in a lead role in Spike Lee’s movie Miracle at St. Anna (September26, 2008) where he plays one of four main leads opposite Derek Luke, Michael Ealy and Omar Benson.  The film will also star John Leguizamo, John Tuturro and Kerry Washington.  The film follows four black buffalo soldiers of the 92^nd Infantry Division who get trapped in a small Tuscan village on the Gothic Line during the Italian Campaign of WWII.  The film deals with the massacre of Sant’ Anna di Stazzema perpetrated by the Nazis in retaliation to Italian partisan activity.  The film will be released October 2008.  Also in 2008 Laz will star opposite Danny Glover and Snoop Dogg in the independent feature Por Vida.  The film already has major festival buzz surrounding it and its cast. 

On Christmas 2009, Laz is set to star as a lead in the much anticipated Avatar directed by James Cameron. The sci-fi epic will be released for 20^th Century Fox. The film also stars Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver.  The $200 million budget film is likely to be one of the most technically complex productions ever mounted, as it will make extensive use of cutting edge 3-D, computer animation, and motion capture f/x technology.   

Born and raised in Washington DC, Laz always knew he wanted to be a successful actor.  He remembers at a very early age, entertaining his family by imitating relatives and family friends.  Laz attended and graduated college from the prestigious Howard University School of Business with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing. After college, he worked on Wall Street as an investment banker.  He eventually started his own marketing business with some partners.  The company promoted mainstream products to the urban/trendsetting market.  Owning and operating his own successful business freed up Laz’s time to finally explore his passion for acting.  Laz began taking classes in the evening to hone his craft, and it didn’t take him long to begin landing roles in commercials and videos.

From D.C. to New York, Laz feels his upbringing not only taught him how to deal with the school of hard knocks, but also prepared him for his biggest goal, his acting career.  Laz credits the move to NYC as his move into manhood and the city holds many great memories for him.  He also credits his acting ability to these life experiences, as he able to bring a little of what he knows or has dealt with into his characters.  

His past movie credits include lead roles in the Sony Screen Gems’ hits Stomp The Yard and This Christmas, a lead role in 2006 Roland Joffe psychological thriller Captivity, and an ensemble lead role in the 2005 hit Jarhead, opposite Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard and was directed by Sam Mendes for Universal.  Some of Laz’s past TV credits include guest-starring roles on “The Unit”, “Bones”, “CSI: Miami,” “The Practice,” “Navy: NCIS” and “Eyes.”  

Laz currently resides in Los Angeles.