Biografia
Basil Wallace emigrated from Jamaica, West Indies, to the United States with his four siblings. They reunited with their parents in Brooklyn, New York, where Basil attended elementary and junior high school. The family later relocated to Long Island, where he completed high school. It was at Hempstead High School that Basil discovered his passion for theater. He auditioned for the Broadway-bound play Front Page, featuring Henry Fonda, Estelle Parsons, and Robert Ryan, and secured a role. This experience solidified his commitment to a theatrical career.
He applied to Yale, New York University (NYU), and Harvard, gaining acceptance from both Yale and NYU. He chose NYU, attracted by its New York City location and the presence of Lloyd Richards, renowned for A Raisin in the Sun, who was teaching there at the time. That summer, Ellen Stewart of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Company selected him to join her theater, where he remains a lifetime member.
During his two years at NYU, Wallace landed his first off-Broadway role in The Pig Pen at the American Place Theatre, marking the start of his theater career. Over the next two decades, he worked as an actor, director, and writer. He served as director in residence at La MaMa for a year and directed five plays at the Italian Theatre Festival under La MaMa’s banner.
Throughout this period, he performed off-Broadway, at major regional theaters, and on national tours. To refine his skills, he took private lessons at institutions like the Negro Ensemble Company and The Players' Workshop, where he later taught.
Wallace also taught theater aesthetics at Lincoln Center for ten years, served as Director of Drama for School District 13 in the Bronx, NY, and led the Mini-Mobile Theatre for two years. He was a founding member and the first artistic director of the Caribbean American Repertory Theatre and directed the Yard Bird Players for three years.
In 1990, Basil moved to Los Angeles to pursue film acting. He auditioned for Marked for Death and landed the lead role. Since then, he has worked in both film and television. His film credits include Grand Canyon, The Wood, Free Willy 2, Return of the Living Dead 3, Caught Up, Deadlock, and Blood Diamond. On television, he has appeared in episodes of The West Wing, Judging Amy, The Pretender, Any Day Now, and NYPD Blue. After relocating to Hollywood, Basil founded JaCuBas Films to develop new projects.
He continues to grow professionally by working with other actors as a coach and director of scene study.
