The Voice
The Voice is revealed tonight 8/7c. Watch last night online.
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The Voice
The Voice is revealed tonight 8/7c. Watch last night online.
More »
President Elias Martinez was destined for an historic presidency even prior to being sworn into office.
Martinez was born to middle class Cuban refugees in Miami, Florida, which some political insiders say destined him for a career in politics. Martinez grew up in a vibrant Cuban-American culture. He learned to love baseball, especially his childhood hero, Tony Perez, a Hall of Fame third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds.
After an exemplary high school education, Martinez was accepted at Yale University. Martinez excelled in New Haven, playing for the varsity baseball team as well as rising through the ranks of student government. This is also where he met his future wife, Christina.
Martinez was a top prospect for law schools around the country, but he remained true to his alma mater. From there he spent several years in private practice before returning to Florida to run for one its highly contested Senate seats. It was during freshman orientation at the Capitol Building where he met his eventual Presidential running mate, Raymond Jarvis.
President Martinez and his wife, Christina, are proud parents of David, a precocious 7 year-old, who already enjoys his father’s interest in baseball.
Blair Underwood stars as President Elias Martinez, the recently elected President of the United States, who's stunned to learn that his own government is keeping secrets from him in NBC's new high-octane conspiracy thriller The Event. As he tries to do right by the public, he soon finds himself in the midst of a huge cover-up, and the target of a spectacular assassination attempt.
Underwood has distinguished himself as an award-winning actor/director/producer, who continues to showcase his multitude of talents in the world of film, television, theater and literature.
In 2008, Underwood was seen in three high-profile television projects: he was a Golden Globe nominee for his performance as a Navy fighter pilot in HBO's critically acclaimed "In Treatment"; he starred in the hit drama "Dirty Sexy Money"; and he reprised his recurring role of Mr. Harris in "The New Adventures of Old Christine." Underwood's past television credits include TV series and movies such as, "Sex and the City," "LAX," "City of Angels," "Mama Flora's Family," "Murder in Mississippi," "Soul of the Game," "The Wishing Tree," and "Heat Wave."
Underwood's feature film credits include "Something New," "Madea's Family Reunion," "Malibu's Most Wanted," "Full Frontal," "Rules of Engagement," "Gattaca," "Asunder," "Deep Impact," "Just Cause," "Set It Off" and "Posse." In 2007, Underwood made his feature directorial debut in the independent drama "Bridge to Nowhere." He recently completed production on the independent drama "Homework," opposite Emma Roberts and Freddy Highmore.
Underwood produced the TLC series "Million Dollar Christmas" with his producing partner Tommy Morgan Jr. for their Intrepid Inc. production company. The first order of the series followed a group of lottery winners in St. Louis, Missouri. Intrepid Inc. has several projects in development, including a documentary on the history of African-Americans in entertainment for Associated Television International.
Underwood is also an established author, having penned several works including the non-fiction book "Before I Got Here," the Tennyson Hardwick detective series "Casanegra," "In the Night of the Heat," and most recently "From Cape Town with Love" with Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes (all published by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, Inc.). He also starred in and directed a series of video vignettes from the pages of "From Cape Town with Love" for Vook.com as a visual book.
In 2009, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the United States' largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider held the grand opening of its first AIDS treatment center in Washington, D.C. - named after Underwood in recognition of his longtime advocacy. The AHF Blair Underwood Clinic includes a state-of-the-art, full-service HIV/AIDS treatment clinic as well as an on-site AHF Pharmacy. Underwood is also co-founder of Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA).
