Laurence Fishburne's 'Assault'

With nearly fifty films to his credit, Laurence Fishburne has become one of the most widely recognized actors in America. Along the way, he's played some of the cinema's most riveting characters.

From his portrayal of the abusive Ike Turner in "What's Love Got to Do with It" to the steadfast Morpheous, in the smash sci-fi hit, "The Matrix," he has been a commanding talent.

In his latest film, "Assault on Precinct 13," he plays Marion Bishop, a jailed crime lord who must protect himself from a department of corrupt cops out to kill him.

The star visits The Early Show on Thursday to talk about the film and his career.

"Assault on Precinct 13" is a re-make of John Carpenter's 1976 urban Western about cops and criminals banding together inside a police station against a multicultural siege of gang members.

The gang members are corrupt cops using their high-tech SWAT gear to bust in and take out Bishop (Fishburne) who had been their secret partner but now threatens to expose them.

The film also stars Ethan Hawke, Ja Rule, Maria Bello and Brian Dennehy.

Some Facts About Laurence Fishburne

• Laurence Fishburne was born in Augusta, Ga. on July 1961, but he was raised in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• In 1971, Fishburne made his professional stage debut as a young baseball fan in Charles Fuller's "My Many Names and Faces" at NYC's New Federal Theatre (date approximate).
• From 1973 to 1976, Fishburne portrayed adoptee Joshua West Hall on the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live"
• In 1975, Fishburne made his film debut in "Cornbread, Earl and Me"
• In 1979, Fishburne had a part in Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now"
• Fishburne had roles in other Coppola movies such as 1983's "Rumble Fish," 1984's "The Cotton Club" and 1987's "Gardens of Stone"
• In the late '80s, Fishburne had the continuing role as Cowboy Curtis on "Pee Wee's Playhouse"
• In 1986, Fishburne played Swain in Steven Spielberg's "The Color Purple"
• In 1988, Fishburne had the role of Afro-centrist Dap Dunlap in Spike Lee's "School Daze"
• In 1992, Fishburne won a Tony Award for his role on the Broadway production of "Two Trains Running"
• In 1993, Fishburne earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his unflattering portrait of '60s pop star Ike Turner in the Tina Turner biopic "What's Love Got to Do With It"
• Fishburne made screen history in 1995 as the first black actor to portray the Bard's Moor in a major studio film in Oliver Parker's "Othello"
• Also in 1995, Fishburne made his off-Broadway debut as a playwright and director with "Riff-Raff", a loosely structured drama about an African-American con man; actor received an Emmy nomination for his role in the HBO movie "The Tuskegee Airmen"
• In 1999, Fishburne enjoyed his biggest commercial success to date with the sci-fi movie "The Matrix"
• In 2003, Fishburne appeared in the movies "The Matrix Reloaded," "Matrix Revolutions" and "Mystic River."