TV One presents a special edition of Unsung: Hollywood on rapper and actor Ice-T, one of the most prolific personalities on modern prime time television, airing Sunday, September 3 at 10 p.m. ET. Ice-T is the only entertainer that has been profiled in both an Unsung and Unsung Hollywood episode, focused on his music and acting career respectively.
“I was fortunate because TV One did two Unsung shows on me,” says Ice-T. “They did a great job and I hope people enjoy it and get an understanding of me. If you didn’t know me before, it’s going to bring you up to speed.”
Ice-T, one of the founders of gangster rap, began acting in small film roles before his breakout performance in the 1991 film New Jack City. He continued building his onscreen presence with more realistic, unfiltered film roles in movies such as Ricochet, Trespass and Surviving The Game. In 1995, he crossed over onto the small screen in New York Undercover and in 2000, he landed his most notable television role as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola in Law And Order: Special Victims Unit. He has been on the series for 17 years, making him the longest-running black actor on television.
“I think this is a brother who found a way to do him and to do it his way,” says Mario Van Peebles, who directed Ice in New Jack City. “Each one of these roles, you can see he infused it in his way. He never played a role that was not something he could bring some of his credibility to.”
Insights are provided from family and friends, including Van Peebles, Ice Cube, Dick Wolf, Vanessa Williams Fab 5 Freddy, Malik Yoba, and Keith Murphy.
For more information on Unsung, visit TV One’s YouTube Channel and catch full the full episodes the day after premiere on www.tvone.tv/unsung. Viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on TV One’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) and the Unsung Facebook (@tvoneunsung) using the hashtag #UNSUNGHOLLYWOOD.
