Harold Perrineau stars as Manny, John Constantine's (Matt Ryan) morally ambiguous guardian angel on the NBC drama "Constantine."

A native of Brooklyn, Perrineau studied music and theater at the Shenandoah Conservatory but began his career as a dancer with the Alvin Ailey Company, performing with the troupe for a year and a half. A gradual shift to acting led Perrineau to the theater, where he performed in a number of shows, including "Dreamgirls," "Avenue X" and the off-Broadway revival of "Godspell."

While he was working on the stage, Perrineau also began appearing on TV in such series as "The Cosby Show," "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," "I'll Fly Away" and "Law & Order." He segued onto the big screen in the late 1980s and had his first memorable role in "Smoke," an acclaimed 1995 drama directed by Wayne Wang and based upon the writings of Paul Auster. The following year he gained further exposure for his flamboyant, explosive portrayal of Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo + Juliet."

Perrineau subsequently appeared in a number of supporting roles in films, ranging from Auster's "Lulu on the Bridge" to "The Best Man." In addition to appearances in various independent films, Perrineau starred in "Woman on Top," a comedy that cast him as the drag queen best friend of a young woman (Penelope Cruz) experiencing romantic woes. Perrineau also starred in Fox's hit "28 Weeks Later."

Perrineau reached an even wider audience through a string of high-profile projects, including a starring role in the final two installments of "The Matrix" trilogy ("The Matrix Revolutions" and "The Matrix Reloaded"). His more recent films include roles in Kathryn Bigelow's Academy Award-nominated "Zero Dark Thirty" and "The Best Man Holiday," alongside Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan and Regina Hall.

In addition to his film work, Perrineau has an impressive television resume that includes a memorable role as a paraplegic prisoner on the acclaimed HBO drama series "Oz." He's also known to millions of viewers as Michael in the Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated series "Lost," which also garnered him a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2006 for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Drama Series.

Perrineau also starred as one of the leads of the TBS series "The Wedding Band" last year as well as recurring on "Sons of Anarchy" in his critically acclaimed performance as drug dealer Damon Pope.