Laurence Fishburne Learns Who His Father Is On ‘Finding Your Roots’

Actor Laurence Fishburne learned his biological father’s identity thanks to the PBS show “Finding Your Roots.”

Fishburne, 63, told host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. he did not know that the man who raised him was not his biological father until he was 49.

The actor, known for his work in “The Matrix” and “Boyz n the Hood,” grew up with mom Hattie Bell Fishburne, a high school teacher, and dad Laurence John Fishburne Jr., a juvenile corrections officer.

As part of the show, Fishburne took a DNA test, which eventually led him face-to-face with a photo of his biological father, William Bohannon.

“Hey pop,” the actor said while looking at the photo. Emotional, he continued by saying, “It’s so nice to see his face, and to see him smiling. He looks like a kind man.”

Fishburne also learned of the existence of half-sibling Lisa Bohannon.

Reading over William Bohannon’s funeral program, Gates learned a few facts about the father he never knew. William Bohannon grew up in Chicago and was a railway worker for three decades. He was an “avid swimmer and diver” and had a passion for jazz, DJ’ing at local radio stations to share his love for music.

In that description, Fishburne saw a similarity between them. “He was a jazz head,” Fishburne smiled. “I’m a jazz head.”

But a mystery remained: How did William Bohannon meet Laurence’s mother? The actor knew he was conceived in Georgia, leading to a theory from Gates and the “Finding Your Roots.”

Using his father’s military records, Gates showed Fishburne that one of the places William Bohannon was stationed for military service was Fort Gordon, Georgia, 10 miles from where Fishburne’s mom worked as a school teacher.

An article in the Augusta Chronicle in 1960 placed Crawford as a volunteer for the United Services Organizations at the same military base.

“I’m having all the feels, Skip,” Fishburne told Gates.

“I’m quite all right with all of this,” Fishburne continued. “I don’t have to speculate about it anymore. I feel less isolated. I feel less ‘other.'”

This season had other revelations, from surprise relatives — like Debra Messing being cousins with Bernie Sanders — to unexpected family histories. “Sopranos” star Michael Imperioli learned his family had been involved in criminal enterprises in 1920s New York, for example.